Student Employment/Federal Work-Study

Student Employment

Federal Work-Study:

Federal Work-Study (FWS) is a program that provides jobs for undergraduate and graduate students demonstrating financial need. While most Federal Work-Study positions are located on campus, there are numerous opportunities for students to work off-campus performing community service work at nearby non-profit agencies. The amount of your FWS offer as indicated in your Financial Aid Package is the maximum you are allowed to earn over the course of the academic year. You will be paid directly for FWS earnings every two weeks. FWS awards are not credited to your student account.

FWS earnings are excluded from income on your subsequent year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), so they don’t affect your eligibility for financial aid in the future.

Due to limited funding under the FWS Program, the Office of Student Financial Assistance is only able to place about 275 students into FWS part-time jobs each year.

As funding limits permit, FWS awards are offered as part of the annual financial aid package created prior to the start of each academic year. An FWS Wait-list is maintained in the event that students initially selected for FWS decline their awards and funding is made available to award additional FWS eligible students. Students placed on the FWS Wait-list are typically not awarded until the spring semester. To be put on the 2023-24 FWS Wait-list, you must download and complete the 2023-24 Federal Work-Study Wait-list Form.

Community Work-Study:

A student may be employed off campus under the Federal Work-Study Program by a federal, state, or local public agency, or by a private nonprofit organization. The work must be performed “in the public interest” for the national or community welfare, rather than for a particular interest or group.  Students will gain professional experience in various career paths that may interest them.  Click here for a summary of community partners and job summaries.

Student Employment “To-Do List”:

Before you can be sent for an FWS job interview or begin other jobs on campus, you MUST:

1. Have the Homeland Security Form I-9 on file at Marshall University’s Human Resources Office, Room 207, Old Main. A sample of the form that you will complete along with a list of acceptable documents may be viewed at: www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf. Please note that you must complete the I-9 in person.

In order to customize your payroll deductions and to arrange for direct deposit of your earnings, you need to:

1. Complete IRS W-4 Form, which is located at http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf, and submit it to the Payroll Office, Room 203, Old Main. Without this form on file, your federal and state exemptions will default to single and zero.
2. Complete a Marshall University Direct Deposit Form, which is located at http://www.marshall.edu/finance/files/Payroll-Direct-Deposit-Form.pdf, and submit it to the Payroll Office, Room 203, Old Main.

If you are hoping to work on campus, we encourage you to complete these tasks any time you are on campus including Green and White Days, New Student Orientation, and Week of Welcome.

Students may now be eligible for SNAP benefits. Students | Food and Nutrition Service (usda.gov)

“Under SNAP regular rules, only students who actually participate in state or federally funded work-study are eligible. The new, temporary exemption, expands SNAP eligibility to students who are eligible to participate in work-study during the regular school year, without the requirement that they actually participate… Also, all students receiving the maximum Pell Grant have an EFC of $0. In the 2020-21 award year, the maximum Pell Grants are $3,172 per semester for students enrolled full-time, $2,379 per semester for students enrolled three-quarter-time, and $1,586 per semester for students enrolled half-time. Verification of the Pell Grant amount may be found on the financial aid award letter and may be used as verification that a student has an EFC of $0.”

Please follow the instructions located in the link above for instructions and additional information.[/mu_toggle]