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FWS for Employers

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Introduction to the Federal Work-Study Program

Federal Work-Study is a federally subsidized work program, which provides on-campus and off-campus employment opportunities to eligible undergraduate and graduate students with financial need. The FWS program provides part-time employment to students attending CSUF who need the funding to help meet their costs of post-secondary education. Through the Federal Work-Study Program, students engage in work for the University and non-profit agencies (as defined by the Internal Revenue Service). Students employed through the Federal Work-Study Program provide essential services to the University and to the community that enable them to gain valuable work experience.

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Federal Work Study Resources and Forms for Employers

FWS Resource	Description	Form/Resource Location
FWS Job Description Template and Instructions	This is the new updated Job Description Template that is required for all FWS positions. Please update all FWS job descriptions for your department utilizing this template as soon as possible. These descriptions can be sent directly to the Federal Work-Study Coordinator.	Position Description Template for FWS Student Employee Job Post on CHRS Recruiting
FWS Budget Tracking Sheet	This is an Excel spreadsheet where timekeepers can track the FWS budgets for all students monthly. It will help determine the remaining balance for FWS students and should be used monthly to ensure students do not exceed their FWS allocation.	Access FWS Award Budget Tracker
Estimated Weekly Hours Sheet	This is a new resource that can help employers determine an estimate of how many hours per week their hourly students can work to utilize their FWS award in full. This Excel spreadsheet has 3 tabs to support estimating students initially hired during Summer, Fall, or Spring.	Access Weekly Hours Tracker
One FWS position at a time	Students can only be employed in one FWS position on/off campus at a time. Should students wish to be employed in multiple positions on campus, the department(s) would need to hire the students through non-FWS student positions.
FWS Dates of Employment	This is a new resource that provides the dates of employment for all types of FWS hires that are either continuing students or graduating students..	Access 2026-27 Dates of Employment
FWS Reappointment Authorization Form	This is a new resource that should only be used when employers are reappointing FWS students through CHRS Student Processing or Temporary Academic Employment systems . This form would ensure that Financial Aid can coordinate the FWS award on the student’s behalf and be in compliance with Federal regulations.	Access FWS Reappointment Authorization Form
CSUF Quick Reference Timekeeper Student Time Processing Guide	This is a guide for timekeepers that was shared by Payroll when our campus transitioned away from using Rapid Time Entry. We discussed this guide during training, and it provides great information for time entry and running query reports.	Absence Management & Time and Labor
Attendance and Pay Schedule - Payroll Calendars	This website provides Attendance and Pay Schedules by year. These schedules can be used to determine the beginning and end dates for pay periods by timekeepers.	Payroll Pay Calendars
FWS Training	This guide provides training for Federal Work-Study for employers on-campus for the 2026-27 award year.	Access 2026-27 FWS Training

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Award Amounts

Student FWS award amounts vary. Students are typically awarded $7000. Once the Spring semester has begun Financial Aid will be able to determine if we are able to make increases. The awards are to be earned throughout the academic year and not completely exhausted in one semester. Employers are encouraged to monitor student earnings to ensure that the student does not earn more than their FWS award. If the student has exhausted their FWS award your department can choose to rehire the student as a regular student assistant to continue the student’s employment. Students can earn up to 20% of their FWS award during the months of July and August.

Job Posting

At CSUF we award FWS annually during early summer for the upcoming academic year. We ask employers to post available positions with Human Resources, Diversity and Inclusion via their Careers website indicating that the job is for FWS students (FYI - students without FWS awards may still apply for your open position as they often misunderstand the hiring criteria). CSUF Human Resources contains user guides for creating jobs and hiring students in CHRS Recruiting. Employers will need to add the Federal Work Study Coordinator in Financial Aid as an approver to both the requisition and the offer in CHRS Recruiting.

Interviewing

The application for job postings through HRDI’s Careers website allows students to upload a screenshot of their Financial Aid Award, and answer questions regarding their eligibility for Federal Work-Study. We encourage employers to request that students bring a print out of their financial aid awards to their interview so departments can confirm they have an FWS award and see the amount of the award. The FWS award is very clearly listed on the student’s award screen in their Student Portal.

Timekeeping

It is the employer’s responsibility to work with the FWS student and track the earnings to ensure they do not earn more than their award amount. Employers may use the FWS Tracking Sheet to track FWS wages for their students. Any earnings paid to the student over the award amount would need to be reimbursed by the hiring department.

Federal Regulations

Employers must provide a job description within CHRS Recruiting that meets Federal Work-Study guidelines. To support employers in meeting these requirements, please complete the job description and attach it to the requisition (in the documents tab) within CHRS Recruiting.

Additional resources and information can be found at Human Resources for Student Employment .

How is the Student Assistant Program different from Federal Work Study?

As an employer you pay 100% of Student Assistant earnings. With FWS student earnings, the federal government pays 100% for Federal Work Study up to the student's award amount. For more information please see the FAQ’s FWS Off-Campus Employers below.

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Frequently Asked Questions

We have put together these handy FAQ's.

Need more assistance?

Visit our Contact Us page.

Email: [email protected]

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