FEDERAL WORK-STUDY: GUIDELINES FOR MANAGERS
Are you employing a student through the Federal Work Study program?
When classes are officially in session, students usually work between ten and twenty hours per week—and may not work more than 20 hours per week—in all university jobs combined. Students may sometimes elect to work up to 40 hours a week when class is not in session, during official university breaks. There is no work study during the summer.
Reminder: All hours entered under an FWS position count toward the student’s FWS earnings for the year, so please be aware that working longer hours during breaks can potentially cause a student to exceed his/her FWS award before the end of the academic year, at which point either the student must cease to work OR all additional hours need to be charged 100% to the department.
For 2026-2027, the earliest and latest dates to work in an FWS position are as follows:
- Students enrolled for both the fall and spring semester should begin work no earlier than August 25, 2026 and end no later than May 14, 2027.
- Students enrolled for the fall semester only should begin work no earlier than August 25, 2026 and end no later than December 18, 2026.
- Students enrolled for the spring semester only should begin work no earlier than January 20, 2027 and end no later than May 14, 2027.
- Work-study is not available during the summer.