Information for Federal Work Study Employers

The Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program provides jobs for undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate need for financial assistance. The FWS program gives students an opportunity to earn money to help pay for educational expenses.

FWS Employment (75 percent Federal Share – 25 percent Departmental Share) is partially funded by the federal government. Funds are awarded based on financial need and are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, until all funds are exhausted.

Hiring Procedures

  1. Submit a Position Request Form (PRF) to post a new position or rehire a FWS student that previously worked for you. Contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at fws@finaid.gatech.edu for the form.

  2. Contact and interview the students that have applied. Before you offer employment, make sure the student has been awarded FWS by asking the student to provide copy of their award notice. The student will be able to print off a copy of their award notice from OSCAR. Once the award is confirmed, you may offer the position.

  3. The department's HR Coordinator/ Financial Administrator will then need to confirm that a position has been created for the student and the position’s funding is set up correctly prior to submitting a Direct Hire form or transferring a student.

  4. Once the Direct Hire form is approved, the student will need to complete the onboarding process with OHR if the student has never worked for Georgia Tech. Please inform the student that ORIGINAL documentation for the I-9 form is needed. Copies are not accepted.

  5. When the student has completed all OHR paperwork and it has been processed. then they may begin working.

  6. All FWS students must fill out an electronic time document in OneUSG at the end of each pay period to be compensated. No other form or system of reporting time worked may be used.

For additional instructions on hiring a FWS student, please review the Employing Federal Work-Study Students guide on the Student Employment website.

To request a FWS student for the academic year, you must complete the Position Request Form (PRF) and send it our FWS team at fws@finaid.gatech.edu. Approved positions will be posted on the FWS Job Board section of our website.

As the supervisor, it is your responsibility to make sure the potential student is not already working within the Georgia Tech payroll system before offering a position. It is also your responsibility to make sure the student has been awarded FWS before the position is offered.

Please note: There is no guarantee that there will be enough students in the FWS program to fill all positions. Students make their own selections when applying for jobs.

Starting in early August, eligible students will be able to access the FWS Job Board. If a student is interested in a position, they will reach out to the listed supervisor directly via email, providing their availability, experience, and resume where possible. If you require an additional application, please provide a link to it on the Position Request Form (PRF) so students may go ahead and apply in addition to emailing you.

In response to a student's inquiry, you should notify them if the position is still open and arrange an interview when possible. To the interview, students should bring a copy of their financial aid award letter showing FWS in order to confirm their eligibility.

If you want to hire an eligible student, you must initiate a Personal Services Form (PSF). Please send your completed PSF electronically to our FWS team at fws@finaid.gatech.edu for approval.

Approved FWS students may begin working once they have accepted the position and all necessary OHR paperwork is completed. Review the following important dates for each semester:

Semester First Day - Last Day You Can Work
Fall 2023 August 21 - December 14, 2023
Spring 2024 January 8 - May 2, 2024
Summer 2024 TBD

FWS students are limited to working a maximum of 20 hours per week during periods of enrollment, and a maximum of 40 hours per week during periods of non-enrollment (pre-approval required by OSFA for periods of non-enrollment). FWS students are expected to adhere to a work schedule agreed upon by both the student and their supervisor. Students are not permitted to work during hours when they are scheduled to be in class, even when a class is canceled or dismissed early.

Since the FWS program is a need-based program, it is important that students do not go over their total allotted hours for the semester as this could result in a Financial Aid over award. For this reason, if a student works over the allotted hours, their earnings must be paid out of the supervisor's budget.

Please note: While supervisors are not responsible for keeping track of FWS student employee's time, you are responsible for how much the students is earning. FWS students may not earn more than their awarded amount each semester, so please plan the student's hours accordingly.

Yes. If your department is able/willing to pay the student's full wages out of your department accounts, then the student can continue to work after their FWS funding runs out. Please note: You must submit a data change PSF that reflects the change from FWS to BWS.

It is your responsibility as the supervisor, as well as the student's responsibility, to submit time documents in a timely manner. If time documents are submitted late, the OSFA will request a written explanation for the occurrence. Repeated occurrences may jeopardize the student's eligibility and your department's eligibility to participate in the FWS program.

We do not allow off cycle checks. If your department desires to do an off cycle check, you will need to email the FWS team at fws@finaid.gatech.edu. In your email, please provide an explanation as to why you are requesting an off cycle check with supporting documentation. At that point, we will communicate next steps with you and the FWS student(s).

If you would like to raise a FWS student's pay rate, it must first be cleared with the FWS team before taking effect. All pay raises should be based on the length of the student's employment in the current position and the responsibilities assigned to the position. Pay raises usually range from 25 cents to 50 cents after the first year of employment.

Pay rates must fall within the designated FWS Position Type as indicated on the Position Request Form (PRF) submitted. Pay rates should also be in denominations of 25 cents.

Yes. Students can be be dismissed from a FWS position just like any other type of job. If the student is not performing their job appropriately or has attendance issues, you must provide a verbal warning, then written warning before termination can occur. If a student is terminated, you must submit a PSF.

Questions regarding dismissal can be directed to OHR.