The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships awards students Federal Work-Study (FWS) as an opportunity to earn money to help pay for their education while gaining work experience. This page is dedicated to assisting departments interested in hiring FWS students.
As an R1 institution, UMBC promotes and supports undergraduate participation in research. UMBC faculty are encouraged to post student research-focused positions and opportunities to the FWS job listing. FWS-eligible undergraduate students seeking to leverage their FWS funding to support an existing or new research opportunity are encouraged to speak with their faculty research mentor about possibly leveraging their FWS funding.
Getting Started
The FWS Coordinator offers an annual training for departmental staff interested in hiring FWS students. The training, provided in June, is required for departments newly participating in FWS and provides information related to student eligibility, appropriate work positions and payment procedures. Departments who have previously participated in the annual training are encouraged to attend for potential updates, but are not required to attend.
Following the training, departments are eligible to submit their position description for student viewing in Handshake. Upon selecting an employee, the department submits the FWS Hire Form to OFAS for confirmation of student eligibility.
It is highly encouraged that departments also review the Student Wage Guidelines.
Supervising FWS Students
As the supervisor of a FWS student, you are not only offering part-time employment, but providing an encouraging work environment where expectations are clear and regular feedback is offered.
Important Dates
| June 09, 2026
9 am – 10 am (Virtual) |
Supervisor Training. Highly recommended for new departments interested in hiring FWS students. Excellent refresher for departments who have previously employed FWS students. Sign up for Supervisor Training. |
| August 31, 2026 | Deadline for position descriptions. Positions submitted after this date will be added to the website, but students will have already started looking for jobs beginning mid August. |
| Mid August | Financial Aid begins to email FWS-awarded students with instructions on how to locate a FWS position. |
| August 24, 2026 (First day of fall semester) |
Students are eligible to begin working, provided that all required paperwork is completed. |
| September 15, 2026 | Deadline for departments to submit FWS Hire Forms. Students who do not have a FWS Hire Form on file will have their FWS award offer canceled. |
| December 17, 2026 (Last day of Fall finals) |
Last day for students to work under fall FWS. |
| January 25, 2027 (First day of Spring classes) |
FWS students are eligible to begin working under spring FWS, provided that all required paperwork is completed. |
| May 14, 2027 (Last day of Spring finals) |
Last day for students to work under spring FWS. |
2026-2027 Resources
2026-2027 Federal Work Study Student Terms and Conditions
2026-2027 Federal Work Study Employer Handbook
Federal Work-Study Employer Payroll Procedures