Federal Work-Study (FWS)

These jobs work much like any other part-time job opportunity. If you are hired for a position, you will be paid biweekly throughout the school year as you earn. Your Federal Work Study Award will not be applied to your bill at the beginning of the semester.

Your first paycheck will be available within one month from when you begin work and you will receive a paycheck every two weeks. If you have not already received direct deposit paychecks from Northeast, your first paycheck will be a paper check which will be picked up in the Payroll Office. Future paychecks will direct deposit into your chosen bank account.

In order for the Financial Aid Office to determine if a student is eligible for FWS, they must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. Students can complete the application online.

If you are eligible, you will see Federal Work Study in your financial aid award offer. Accepting this offer will create a requirement on your account to complete the FWS application, and instructions for next steps will be sent to your Northeast email account.

The FWS application can be found on the Northeast PeopleAdmin website. The part-time employment listing is updated yearly, so be sure to select the correct application year.

Students work in a variety of offices and departments throughout Northeast. They perform many different functions that help our college run smoothly. A significant influence on career choices after graduation can be part-time experiences that expose students to career-related opportunities. Advantages include:

• Flexible work schedules.
• Supervisors who understand and support the fact that you are a student first and foremost.
• Work opportunities related to your course of study.
• Your earnings are treated as "income exclusion" for future FAFSA application processing purposes.
• Minimal commuting time and convenience.

With the implementation of FAFSA simplification, the “Are you interested in being considered for work-study?” question has been removed from the FAFSA. If you are interested in work study, it will be imperative for you to complete the FWS application, or contact the Financial Aid Office.

Once you have accepted a FWS position, your initial responsibility is to determine a work schedule with your supervisor. As a FWS student employee, you will be treated as any other Northeast employee. Accordingly, you are expected to abide by the schedule you have set with your supervisor. Students typically work 8-10 hours per week. You are responsible for communicating with your supervisor in advance if you cannot make the scheduled work hours. The intent of FWS is to provide employment for students to assist them in financing their education. Therefore, it is not recommended that you study on the job. Supervisors will not approve hours you have not actually worked. You must record your work hours honestly. Falsification of the time sheet may result in suspension from the FWS program. No additional financial assistance will be allocated to replace FWS.

If you are experiencing difficulty with your FWS position, you should discuss this problem with your supervisor. If the problem is not solved, you should then discuss it with the Financial Aid Office. Talking to these individuals may result in a change to your job assignment. Should the department fail to solve the problem with your FWS employment, you should make an appointment with the Northeast Human Resources office.

Students earn FWS funds through a FWS job and are paid with a bi-weekly paycheck which is direct deposited to their bank account. FWS funds do not disperse to your student account like loans, grants and scholarships.

The amount you are offered as part of your financial aid package is the maximum amount that you can earn through a FWS job. Once you have earned the maximum amount, you are no longer eligible to be paid through the FWS program. This amount can be viewed on your My Northeast > Financial Aid card > Award Offer.

No. Due to federal regulation, students who have a FWS job are not permitted to work during scheduled class time, even if a class lets out early or is cancelled completely.

FWS can decrease because financial aid in another area increased, such as an outside scholarship being applied. Another reason it could decrease is if you drop to less than half-time enrollment. In order to maintain eligibility for FWS, you must be enrolled at least half time.