About the Work Study Program

 

Federal Work-Study Program: A History

The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program was originally authorized by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. It was originally intended to provide part-time employment for students from low-income families. The program became a student financial aid program when the Higher Education Amendments of 1968, transferred and incorporated the statutory for the program into the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. As such, it is a federal “Title IV” aid program. The program is currently authorized under Part C, Title IV, of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Education Amendments of 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1992, and 1998. (Go to http://www.compact.org/national/FWS/fwshistory.html if you want more information.)

A Student Employee with Federal Work-Study: A definition

A student employee is a part-time employee currently enrolled at Columbus State Community College (CSCC). The employment is interim or temporary in nature and is incidental to the pursuit of an academic program. Student employment status is at will, and is generally expected to last at least a quarter in length (barring illness, unsatisfactory grades, schedule changes, emergency situation, performance issues, suspension or other agreements made with their supervisors.)

The maximum number of hours a student employee should work without jeopardizing his/her academic progress is unique to each student and should be determined by the student and supervisor(s). As a part-time employee you may work a maximum of twenty (20) hours per week and a maximum of eight (8) hours per day.

All hourly paid student jobs are temporary and thus, not eligible to participate in the College staff benefits program. However, you may take advantage of the following benefits:

Students employed within the Federal Work-Study Program:

    1. Do not accrue sick leave/vacation.
    2. Do not receive pay for holidays.
    3. Are only compensated for hours worked.
    4. Are covered under Worker’s Compensation for job related injuries.

Please note: Being awarded FWS does not guarantee that you will find a placement.

Federal Work-Study: Eligibility

Federal Work-Study (FWS) is one of the various awards given by a financial aid office. At Columbus State Community College, this office is the Financial Aid Office located in Rhodes Hall, Room 143. To be eligible for financial aid, a student has to first file a Free Application For Federal Student Aid, also referred to as a FAFSA, once per year. The FAFSA can either be done online or on paper.

To find out about doing a FAFSA on line, please click on the following link to the Department of Education's FAFSA website: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Your FAFSA will then be processed by the Department of Education. If you are found to be eligible to receive financial aid, your information will be forwarded to the school or schools you requested.

Once your FAFSA has been processed and the Department of Education has notified the institution(s) in which you are interested, in this case Columbus State Community College (CSCC), the CSCC Financial Aid Office will determine which, if any, awards will be offered to you. Federal Work-Study may be one of these awards.

Once awarded FWS, there are other requirements that must continue to be met for you to continue to be eligible:

1. Student must show financial need as determined by federal regulations and CSCC’s Financial Aid Office.
2. Student must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours for each quarter.
3. Student must be making satisfactory academic progress as determined by the Financial Aid Office. Failure to do can result in being placed on Financial Aid Restriction. [Not the same as an Academic Restriction.] While on Financial Aid Restriction, students are still eligible to receive some types of financial aid for a limited time. You may not use your FWS while you are on a Financial Aid Restriction.

Why Should I Do Work-Study?

Studies show that students who work a modest number of hours per week (an average of fifteen) have higher grade point averages, graduate at a faster rate, are less likely to drop out and also have important job skills to include on their resumes. Why you ask? Possibilities include working students become better organized and manage their time better. Employment exposes students to more mentor-type relationships and increases interactions with "real world" people, and employment provides financial resources that may be critical to meeting college costs.