What is Federal Work-Study?
Federal Work Study (FWS) is a federal program that provides part time employment for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. This program provides funding to the university which is used by different departments to pay their student employees.
Students who are awarded federal work study will see the “Federal Work Study” award will appear in their financial aid offer on their myUMBC account. Unlike other forms of financial aid, the FWS funds will not apply to your account balance. Instead, the student earns the funds via a bi-weekly paycheck throughout the year from an employer. The award amount in the financial aid offer is the maximum they can earn, and the actual amount received is based on the number of hours worked, up to the maximum award amount.
Students are eligible to earn their awards for the Fall and Spring semesters if they enroll in credit-bearing courses each semester.
How do I get FWS?
Some students will automatically be awarded FWS in their initial financial aid offer due to high levels of demonstrated financial need. The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships makes every effort to ensure as many student as possible receive funding, however not all students who are eligible for FWS will be offered the award due to funding constraints.
If FWS is not part of your initial financial aid offer and you are interested in being considered to receive it, you can add your name to the 25-26 FWS Wait List. Students who add their name to the waitlist prior to the start of the fall semester will be considered if funding is available. If awarded, students will receive a notification from the FWS coordinator at the start of the fall semester with information on finding a position. Students who add their name to the waitlist after the start of the fall will be considered if funding is available and will receive notification at the time of awarding. Adding your name to the wait list is not a guarantee that you will receive FWS funding, rather it is notifying the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships that you wish to be considered if funding is available.
Additional students not on the wish list may be awarded at the discretion of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to meet the needs of the FWS program.
I was awarded FWS, what do I do now?
If a student awarded FWS funds, the “Undergrad Federal Work Study” award will appear in their financial aid offer on their myUMBC account. The student should accept the award if they intend to apply for and work in a FWS job during the academic year.
Once the student accepts the award, they will receive an email from our FWS coordinator (typically in early August), letting them know that FWS jobs have been made available. UMBC offers FWS jobs via Handshake. Students are not automatically assigned a job position, they must apply for and go through the interview process for the position they wish to take. Positions are limited and students are encouraged to search and apply early as jobs fill up quickly.
Details on how to locate a position using Handshake through the Career Center can be found in the communications sent to students.
Finding a Position
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 on Handshake. 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.
A list of positions for the 2025-2026 academic year will be available in Handshake on August 1st and will be updated through September as additional jobs become available. Contact information is provided on each job listing so students can submit their application/resume directly to the department/job for which they are interested. Please note that students can only be employed in one FWS position at a time.
Students are required to submit a printout of their Financial Aid page showing the “Undergrad Federal Work Study” award for the relevant academic year, along with any other application materials required by the hiring department.
Beginning Work
Students who have secured employment must complete a Federal Work Study Hire Form, initiated by their employer, and all other necessary payroll paperwork. Students who have completed all necessary paperwork are eligible to begin work the first day of class each Fall or Spring term, and will be eligible to work up to the last day of classes for that term. Due to limited funding, cancelled awards cannot automatically be reinstated.
Information for Students