Federal Work Study (FWS)
What is Federal Work Study?
Federal Work Study (FWS) program is a need based program which provides jobs for students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. The program stimulates and promotes part-time employment for students in need of earning to finance their educational expenses. Work study jobs are not intended to replace existing staff positions.
Student Employment Eligibility
Only current Richmond Community College students who have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the academic year are eligible for on-campus or Community Service employment through the Federal Work Study Program. It will take approximately one week to receive the FAFSA application after completion. Once a student has completed and submitted the required information to the Financial Aid office, it will take two to six weeks to process information and award the student.
High school students attending Richmond Community College do not qualify for the Federal Work Study Program.
How to Apply
To apply for Federal Work Study (FWS), a student must complete the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) at www.studentaid.gov. Go to the Career & Transfer Center located in the Lee Building on the main campus to complete the application process.
Satisfactory Academic Progression Standards
In order to gain employment and remain employed, all FWS students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and follow the Student Code of Conduct while in class and the workplace. SAP requires a cumulative GPA of a 2.0 and 67% completion rate. If a student is on Financial Aid WARNING OR TERMINATION, they are not eligible to work.
Other Student Worker Responsibilities
Financial Aid Work Awards
A student’s financial aid award package may include a Federal Work Study (FWS) award amount.
The work study amount is a dollar amount that a student MAY earn during the regular academic year. For the Federal Work Study program, the academic school year is from August 1 to May 30. There is no guarantee that a student will earn the amount of the work award. Students may work a maximum of 20 hours per week during the academic school year. The student employment contract specifies the amount a student can earn in work study.
The Financial Aid Office is required to monitor earnings for students with work awards. The amount of a work award may change if the student receives additional scholarships or gift money. Students are notified if a change is made to the work award. The Financial Aid Office will notify supervisors when work study students are close to earning their maximum award.
Once a student has earned the full Federal Work Study award amount, the wages earned can no longer be paid from that funding source.
Looking to Hire an FWS Student
If you are looking for a student to fill a position but do not have a student in mind, please fill out the FWS Employee Request Form. As students apply, the Director of Financial Aid will check each student’s eligibility and send you ONLY the students that are eligible. You can then call them in (if you choose) for an interview. After you have selected the student(s) you wish to hire you can contact the Director of Financial Aid and let her know of your choice.
Supervisor Information and Forms
More Information
For more information on Federal Work Study (FWS), please contact Financial Aid, at (910) 410-1726.