Federal Work-Study
Federal Work-Study (FWS) is a federal financial aid program that allows undergraduate students with financial need the opportunity to earn a determined amount of money for living and school-related expenses by working in an approved Work-Study job on or off-campus. FWS does not function like other forms of financial aid (e.g., Grants, Loans, Scholarships). Other forms of financial aid are directly disbursed and applied toward a student’s balance with Student Accounting. To access and earn Work-Study funds, students must obtain and actively work in an approved Federal Work-Study job. Earnings are paid semi-monthly in the form of a paycheck through direct deposit, not deducted from your student bill.
The program is designed to provide students with opportunities for personal and professional growth and development as they begin to learn the skills that will prepare them to enter the workforce upon graduation.
Students in FWS positions will demonstrate their capacity to:
- Link disciplinary content to the real world.
- Apply disciplinary content and knowledge gained from experience, including lived experience, within work settings.
- Develop a sense of connection to an office, project/work team, and/or professional setting.
- Explore professional development and career preparation issues that are personally meaningful.
Contact Federal-Work Study at VCU
Give us a call at (804) 828-6181 or email workstudy@vcu.edu. Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For students
To be considered for FWS, students must:
- Complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by VCU’s priority deadline
- Be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours) in a degree-seeking program
- Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements
- Have a Student Aid Index (SAI) less than or equal to 15,000. The SAI is a direct output of the FAFSA and can only be obtained via the FAFSA.
- Have sufficient remaining financial need as determined by the Department of Education
To determine whether you received a Federal Work-Study award, log in to eServices. Click the “Financial Aid” tab, followed by the “Financial Aid Dashboard”, then click on the “Offer” tab. If you received Federal Work-Study, you will see it under the “Self-Help Aid” section. To accept or decline the award, if received, then utilize the drop-down button next to the award and select your choice. Accepting your award does not guarantee you will – nor does it obligate you to – obtain a Work-Study position. Accepting or declining your award also will not impact your future award eligibility. You must, however, accept your award to explore Work-Study jobs and internships. After clicking "accept" and waiting 1-2 business days for the system to update, a new filter called "Work-Study" will show up in Handshake. Please note that incoming freshmen and new transfer students must also be enrolled in classes before a Handshake account is created. Review "Searching for FWS jobs" below to learn more.
Federal Work-Study is awarded based on the assumption that a student will be enrolled full-time (minimum of 12 credits) for the full academic year (fall and spring semesters). Any potential changes to a student’s enrollment status must be reported to the Federal Work-Study office to determine any potential impact on FWS eligibility.
Please review the Federal Work-Study Student Guide for a brief overview of the program. For more in-depth information, please review the Federal Work-Study Student Handbook. Please contact the Federal Work-Study office for additional questions.
On-campus job opportunities include clerical support, student services, research and laboratory support, computing, accounting, tutoring, security, lifeguarding, and other specialized positions.
Students can also apply for a job with one of our nonprofit community service partners. Typical off-campus opportunities include tutoring, disability support services, social services, public safety, gerontology, and accounting.
Positions pay competitive hourly wages, typically between $12.77 and $15 per hour, and offer flexible hours to accommodate academic schedules. Some locations require students to provide their own transportation; however, many off-campus sites are within walking distance of VCU, and several employers are located near the free GRTC bus routes.
All FWS jobs are available through Handshake at VCU. Users should click the blue "VCU Sign On" button and log in using their VCU eID and password.
To search, go to the “Jobs” menu and select "Filters." Under the options for various job filters, check the box for "Work Study" to narrow your search to only Federal Work-Study positions. To further narrow down your search, you can filter by “On campus student employment” for on-campus roles, “Job” for off-campus roles, and “Internship” for an experience that is part of the Transforming FWS Internship Program.
Jobs are updated daily, so check back often for new openings.
Before applying for a position, students should complete their profile and upload their resume. Each posting will specify whether additional documents such as references, cover letters, and writing samples are required. Many FWS applications will request a screenshot of your semester's schedule and/or a screenshot of your FWS award amount. Having screenshots ready to attach is helpful. If only one attachment is allowed but both are requested, add both screenshot images to a document, then attach the document.
The job search process is competitive, and many positions are filled early in the academic year. Students awarded FWS are not guaranteed to find a job. Unused FWS awards will not be replaced with another form of financial assistance.
VCU Career Services can help students set themselves apart from other applicants.
Students may apply for as many FWS jobs as they’d like, but are only allowed to accept one position. Workload is limited to 20 hours per week while classes are in session.
For employers
The FWS program provides support staff to VCU departments and community organizations in Richmond at little or no cost to the employer.
Effective for the 2026-2027 academic year, Federal Work-Study is implementing two strategic updates:
- Required 10% contributions by all participating University Major Business Units (MBUs).
- FWS at VCU will cover 90% of a student's earnings in an approved FWS position.
- Participating university MBUs are required to cover the remaining 10% of a student's earnings in an approved FWS position.
- Example: A student earns $4,000 in their FWS position with Home Org (Department) 1.
- 90% or $3,600 will be covered by FWS.
- 10% or $400 will be covered by the MBU of Home Org (Department) 1.
- Allocation of FWS student placements by MBUs.
- Participating MBUs will receive a set allocation of FWS student placements they can hire.
- This ensures all participating MBUs and their departments have the ability to hire students.
- Participating MBUs will receive a set allocation of FWS student placements they can hire.
Employers may be required to pay any student earnings over the student's FWS allotment or if there are any changes in a student's eligibility. This labor distribution and cost coverage is effective for the 2026-2027 academic year only and will be reevaluated yearly. Please review the Federal Work-Study Employer Handbook for more information regarding the FWS program.
The last day of the FWS program for AY 2025-2026 is May 9, 2026.
On-campus employers
Approved employing partners interested in hiring an FWS student should:
- Submit a FWS job posting on Handshake.
- Interview candidates.
- Once a candidate accepts the job offer, notify your department's HR contact to initiate the hiring process.
- Department HR contacts will work with the student to complete the hiring process and notify the student and supervisor when they are authorized to begin working.
Once the position has been filled, close the position in Handshake.
Off-campus employers
To participate in the VCU Off-Campus Work-Study program, nonprofit organizations and government agencies should:
- Contact the Federal Work-Study office at workstudy@vcu.edu for information on how to establish a partnership.
- Approved employing partners must post all jobs in Handshake — no exceptions.
- Interview candidates.
- Once a candidate accepts the job offer, submit the Hire Request Form.
- The Federal Work-Study office will work with the student to complete the hiring process and notify the student and supervisor when they are authorized to begin working.
- Once the position is filled, close the position in Handshake.
- If there is any additional hiring paperwork required for an organization, it is up to the employer to decide when the student should complete it.
For current off-campus employers
- Job Changes: Off-campus supervisors must submit a Job Change Request to make changes related to active off-campus work-study positions, such as supervisor updates, title changes, rate changes, or financial aid award change requests.
- Terminations: Off-campus work-study positions that do not need to continue must be terminated as soon as possible. Off-campus supervisors must submit a Termination Form to notify the Federal Work-Study office as soon as they are aware of the need to terminate a position.