Federal Work-Study

Federal Work-Study is available for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Description

FWS awards appear on the student’s financial aid package along with all other financial aid. The amount shown is an amount of funds allocated to the student to earn by obtaining an FWS job. FWS jobs are not guaranteed. Students must complete an application and interview process and be selected for an FWS position before they can begin earning their FWS award allotted. FWS funds are paid directly to the student every 2 weeks based on the number of hours worked during each bi-weekly pay period.

*After careful review and consideration of the challenges presented by the 2025-26 FAFSA, the University of Georgia has suspended its priority consideration deadline for need-based funds for the 2025-26 academic year. Limited need-based funds will be awarded as FAFSAs are received until all available funds have been exhausted.

FWS awards appear on the student’s financial aid package along with all other financial aid. The amount shown is an amount of funds allocated to the student to earn by obtaining a FWS job. FWS funds are paid directly to the student every 2 weeks based on the number of hours worked during the 2-week pay period. FWS funds are not automatically applied to the student’s university balance. FWS awards are not applied toward tuition, fees, or other charges due. For the 2025-2026 academic year, the minimum FWS award is $3,000 ($1,500 per semester) and the maximum FWS award is $5,000 ($2,500 per semester).

There are several benefits to participating in FWS, including:

Ease of access – most FWS positions are located on campus or near campus and accessible via UGA or Athens Transit
Flexible with class schedules – students will never be asked to work during scheduled class/exam time as this is not allowed
Excluded from the Student Aid Index calculation – can help students potentially be eligible for future grants
Variety of job options – there are FWS positions available in dozens of university departments and with off-campus community organizations
Can help lower debt burden – work for aid instead of borrowing loans or more loans than needed
Gain Experiential Learning (EL) Credit – students working in off-campus FWS positions can gain credit based on hours worked in their positions
Rate of pay – FWS positions come with a rate of pay between $11.50/hour – $20.00/hour
Gain valuable work experience & skills – build up your resume, gain references, network, and enhance after-college job prospects
Potential SNAP benefit eligibility – students working in FWS-specific positions can potentially be eligible for SNAP benefits (Food Stamps) as determined by their state of residence

Eligibility

To be eligible for FWS students must:

Meet all Basic Student Eligibility Criteria
Demonstrate at least $1,500 in Unmet Need per semester
Be enrolled at least Half-Time
Be otherwise eligible as determined by OSFA. This includes but is not limited to maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Students must maintain eligibility at all times during the term of employment. Dropping or withdrawing from courses or receiving additional aid such as scholarships can impact eligibility. Once a student is determined to be ineligible they must discontinue working in an FWS capacity immediately until they are instructed otherwise.

FWS Award Example

A student receives a $5,000 FWS award for the academic year, $2500 per semester. The student earns $13 per hour in their FWS job.

$2500/$13 per hour = 192 available work hours per semester

The same student works 25 hours over a two-week period.

$13 per hour x 25 work hours = $325 paycheck (167 available work hours remaining and $2,175 available to earn)

Pay Rate

Pay rates for FWS jobs range between $11.50 – $20.00/hour depending on job function. Individual departments/organizations determine the pay rate for their FWS positions based on job duties and years of experience.

FWS Hiring Period

The typical hiring period for the Fall semester is July through September. Most FWS positions will be filled by the start of Fall classes, so it is advantageous for eligible students to begin searching for an FWS position early.

The typical hiring period for the Spring semester is December through the end of January. Students should note that fewer FWS job openings are available for the Spring semester.

Important Reminders

FWS employees cannot:

Work more than 20 hours per week (including all other UGA jobs that a student may have)
Work during scheduled class or exam time
Earn more than their maximum semester FWS award amount

FWS Waitlist

Students who did not receive an FWS award on their Financial Aid Offer may contact [email protected] and ask to be placed on the FWS waitlist. Students will be screened for an award based on their eligibility and available program funding.

Process

To be considered for FWS, students must complete a FAFSA for the appropriate aid year. The FAFSA no longer includes an FWS interest question. FWS awards will be awarded as FAFSAs are received until all available funds have been exhausted. If awarded, students will have the option to either accept or decline FWS when their financial aid package becomes available, typically over the summer. Students must accept the award on Athena in order to participate. Students must accept FWS for both semesters. Failure to accept FWS within 30 days may result in the award being systematically cancelled and the funds then offered to another student. Declining FWS does not affect future eligibility or consideration. To reduce or cancel your FWS award, please fill out a Change In Aid request.

Students awarded FWS will be able to apply for FWS-specific jobs on Handshake. FWS jobs are obtained through an application and interview process and can be competitive, so it is advised that students update their Handshake profiles, resumes, and CVs. FWS jobs are not the only employment opportunities available to students. For more information on non-FWS employment please visit the UGA Career Center. While students are allowed to hold more than 1 job on campus, they can only hold 1 FWS job at a time.