Federal Work-Study (FWS)

To be considered for a FWS award, please click here to add your name to the FWS Interest List. You must add your name to the interest list each year by July 1 to be considered for FWS for the upcoming year. Note that students not on the interest list may be awarded at the discretion of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to meet the needs of the FWS program.

Students awarded FWS will be notified by email beginning in late July and continuing through August. If adding your name to the interest list after August 1st, you will be considered for FWS for the next academic year. Your FWS award will be part of your financial aid package. Information on additional non-FWS employment opportunities can be obtained by contacting the UMBC Career Center.

Earning Your FWS Award

If you are awarded FWS funds, the “Undergrad Federal Work Study” award will appear in your financial aid package on your myUMBC account. Unlike other forms of financial aid, however, the FWS funds will not apply to your account balance. Rather, you earn the funds via a bi-weekly paycheck from your employer.

Students are eligible to earn their awards for the Fall and Spring semesters if they enroll in credit-bearing courses each semester.

Finding a Position

Students awarded Federal Work-Study funds are notified by e-mail beginning late-July with details on how to locate a position using the FWS Jobs List. 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.

A list of positions for the 2023-2024 academic year will be available July 8th 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.

If additional funds become available, additional students will be awarded and notified via e-mail by late September with details of how to locate a position.

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. Due to limited funding, cancelled awards cannot automatically be reinstated.

Information for Students

2022-2023 Federal Work Study Student Terms and Conditions

2023-2024 Federal Work Study Student Terms and Conditions