Marye Oliver
Federal Work Study Coordinator
Office of Student Financial Services
Office: (937) 708-5729
Fax: (937) 376-4751
Federal Work Study is a federally funded program established to encourage colleges and universities to provide campus jobs and off-campus community service opportunities to their students. Federal Work Study is considered after ALL Financial Aid requirements have been met including applying for the Parent PLUS Loan if applicable. Federal Work Study participants go through an orientation, application, and an interview process before being hired, and receive authorization to begin working through email.
Federal Work-Study Program Overview
Federal Work Study Program employment is considered wages earned by the student. Generally, students are paid bi-weekly and earnings are directly deposited to the student’s personal bank account.
Federal Work Study earnings are not applied to the student’s account to pay towards their Wilberforce University debt unless the student completes a voluntary payroll deduction form.
Like most jobs, the wages earned are given to the student to spend at their discretion.
The number of hours a student employee can work per week is determined by the Federal Work Study Coordinator. Typically, students work between 10 and 20 hours per week.
Employment can be on or off campus. However, Freshmen can only work on campus. If students work on campus, they typically work for a Wilberforce department or organization. If students work off campus, the employer is usually a private, nonprofit organization or a public agency.
Students can contact the Office of Financial Aid for more information on current student employee opportunities.
Student employees receive a W-2 Form at the end of the calendar year and are responsible for reporting wages earned to the IRS as taxable income when completing a federal income tax return
Participation Benefits
Students are not required to participate in the Federal Work Study program to secure a job as a student employee. However, many employers prefer to hire Federal Work Study students because the federal government subsidizes 75% of the student’s wages.
Another benefit of the program occurs when filing the FAFSA for a future aid year. The U.S. Department of Education excludes any wages earned by the student in a Federal Work Study position from the student’s total earned income. This can increase the student’s financial need for the future aid year.
Earnings
On the student’s Award Letter, the Office of Financial Aid will offer a maximum amount of wages the student can earn in a Federal Work Study position for the aid year. Students earn at least the current minimum hourly wage of $10.10/hour on campus and $13/hour for off campus and community service jobs.
The Federal Work Study Coordinator monitors students’ total wages earned in the Federal Work Study Program and notifies the student and supervisor when the student nears the maximum amount of wages on his or her Award Notice.
Enrollment Requirements
Students must be enrolled at least half-time each term to participate in the Federal Work-Study program.
