The Lourdes College Federal Work-Study Program

• Benefits of Being a Federal Work-Study Student Employee
• What is Federal Work-Study?
• Accepting a Federal Work-Study Award
• Applying for a Federal Work-Study position
• Earning Your Federal Work-Study Award
• Community Service

Benefits of Being a Federal Work-Study Student Employee

Campus jobs are real jobs!

Although federal work-study student employees are not eligible for traditional benefits such as medical insurance, leave time, or holiday pay, there are many benefits of being a Lourdes College federal work-study student employee.  Recent studies regarding student employment suggest that students who work between ten and twenty hours per week perform better academically than students who do not work at all.  Other benefits include:

• Improved time management and organizational skills
• Valuable work experience you can list on your resume
• Insight into a career path or job field
• Money to help with college expenses
• Greater understanding of Lourdes College
• Income exclusion information for the next year’s FAFSA - the income you earn as a FWS student employee does not count against you on next year’s FAFSA.

Students who demonstrate that they are effective, dependable employees can open many doors for their future, no matter what position they fill on campus.  If you are interested in finding employment but do not qualify for federal work-study, please contact the Director of Career Services at 419-824-3704 or visit Career Services on the web for more information about outside job opportunities.

What is Federal Work-Study?

The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program is one way that you can earn money by working on or off campus.  Federal work-study is a form of financial aid available to students who demonstrate financial need and meet certain eligibility requirements.  The Financial Aid Office administers federal work-study awards and determines eligibility. 

In order to apply for federal work-study:

• You must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), indicating on the form that you are interested in federal work-study. 
• It will not be offered on your original award letter, even if you are eligible, if you do not indicate on your FAFSA that you are interested in the program.

PLEASE NOTE:  Federal work-study amounts listed on award letters are not guaranteed amounts of money, and the money is not paid to the bursar’s office. 

• You must find a job on campus, actually work the hours, and earn a paycheck. 
• The amount listed on the award letter is the maximum amount of money you can earn while working during the semester. 
• We recommend that you subtract the federal work-study amount listed on your award letter from your total financial aid when you are figuring the amount of financial aid that will be applied towards your bill at the bursar’s office.
• The federal work-study program is an excellent way for you to achieve your personal goals, become involved with the college, gain valuable work experience, and earn money.

All students are subject to a background check, and some federal work-study jobs require fingerprinting before you may begin working, costs covered by the FWS program.

Accepting a Federal Work-Study Award

If you accept your federal work-study award on your award letter, you are not automatically guaranteed a job.  Accepting your award gives you the opportunity to seek positions both on and off campus.

Applying for a Federal Work-Study Position

The process to pursue federal work-study employment:

• First, you must fill out the federal work-study application.
• Then you should look at federal work-study job postings on this page, available for download using the PDF links to the left.  These postings describe the duties, hours, and expectations for the jobs.  They also contain the contact information for the department supervisors. 
• Just like responding to a newspaper want-ad, you should be proactive about seeking employment by contacting supervisors about jobs for which you are interested; merely filling out an application will NOT get you a work-study job. 
• Federal work-study student employees are subject to the same screening process and conditions of employment as all other college employees.  Your continued employment at Lourdes College is contingent upon your successful completion of a criminal background investigation, and for some positions, fingerprinting.

READ THIS BEFORE PROCEEDING:  You must be awarded and have accepted federal work-study on your Award Letter in order to complete the FWS Application.  Otherwise, you are NOT eligible and should NOT complete this application.  Check with the FWS Coordinator in the Financial Aid Office if you are unsure about your eligibility, 419-824-3732, or finaid@lourdes.edu.

Earning your Federal Work-Study Award

• The federal work-study award total listed on your Lourdes award letter is the maximum amount that you can earn during the academic year. 
• All federal work-study students are paid at minimum wage based on the number of hours worked. 
• You will receive a paycheck from Lourdes College, bi-weekly, for the amount you have earned in that pay period. 
  • The paycheck goes directly to the student.  It does NOT go to the bursar’s office to be applied to your bill. 
• You must continue to meet academic and financial need requirements throughout your federal work-study employment. 
  • If at any time those requirements cease to be met, employment will be terminated and the award will be subject to automatic cancellation. 
• Students can work during the summer semester if they are enrolled for the fall semester. Any earnings are counted against awards for the fall semester.

Community Service

The Federal Work-Study program requires that universities spend at least 7 percent of FWS dollars on community service jobs.  Lourdes College offers several community service jobs both on and off campus, including the Life Lab, Theater Vision, and Friendship New Vision Tutoring.