About Federal Work-Study (FWS)

Federal Work-Study (FWS) provides part-time jobs for students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help cover non-billable educational expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to the student’s course of study. Besides this traditional program, Penn State Berks Work-Study recipients can participate in Nittany Lions Read/Nittany Lions Count, a mentoring program designed to enhance early reading, math, and science skills of children from surrounding communities.

Apply for federal work-study

view the work-study resource guide

How to apply for Federal Work-Study

To be considered for federal work-study, you must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you are awarded FWS, it will appear on your Financial Aid Offer in LionPATH.

Incoming first-year students as well as returning students not offered Federal Work-Study may request consideration by contacting the Office of Student Aid. A valid FAFSA must be on file for consideration.

Eligibility

To be eligible for FWS, you must:

Due to limited funding, not all students who are eligible will receive this award. If you are not awarded Federal Work-Study, other employment opportunities are also available.

Accept/Decline FWS

  • If you intend to obtain a work-study position, you will need to accept it in LionPATH.
  • If you are not interested in this opportunity, please decline the offer. A guide to accept/decline your awards is available here.
  • If your FWS offer is not accepted by October 15, it will be removed from your Student Aid Summary.
  • If you have accepted your Work-Study, it will be available for the fall semester but will be reduced for the spring semester if you had no earnings in the fall.

How to find a FWS job

If you have been offered FWS, you can review all available positions and apply on the Penn State Careers website.

  • Filter your search by ‘campus’ and ‘federal work-study' to find the most appropriate opportunities for you.
  • Consider your academic interests, professional aspirations, position location, class schedule, and course load when determining if a position is right for you.
  • You can apply for a Federal Work-Study position at any time, but you must accept your work-study in LionPATH for consideration.

How much would I earn through Federal Work-Study?

Typical Federal Work-Study earnings per academic year are $4,000 for undergraduate and graduate students.

Penn State Berks Federal Work-Study students earn approximately $12.00 to $15.00 an hour and are subject to change. Our Nittany Lions Read/Nittany Lions Count and Community Service work-study students can go to the Nittany Lions Read/Nittany Lions Count page for more information.

  • You will receive a warning email regarding the balance of your award when you have earned 50% or more of your award total.
  • You will receive a warning email when you are close to exhausting your award.

Although a form of student aid, Federal Work-Study earnings are not applied as credit on your tuition bill. All wages earned are directly deposited into your checking or savings account every two weeks according to Penn State’s bi-weekly pay schedule.

Tracking your Federal Work-Study hours

Federal Work-Study participants may never work more than 8 hours a day and 20 hours a week, during fall, spring, and summer semesters.

If you have more than one work-study job, you must keep each employer informed of your total hours worked so you do not exceed your award amount. Submitting falsified timecards is considered fraud against the University and the federal government and legal action may be taken against the employee or employer.

To ensure optimal use of your award through the semester, plan your work schedule before you begin earning funds.