Federal Work-Study (FWS)

What is FWS?

• Federal Work-Study is a federal aid program that offers students employment opportunities on campus and in their communities. 
• FWS is different from other financial aid; it is paid directly to students in the form of wages. This means you can spend these funds however you need to!
• FWS-eligible students have priority when applying for FWS jobs in the Fall. 
• Students may work up to 20 hours a week.

Benefits of Federal Work-Study

How Do I Participate? 

1. Complete the FAFSA.
2. Check your Financial Aid Dashboard in BearWeb to see if you were offered FWS
   1. Go to bearweb.baylor.edu
   2. Click on Financial Aid Dashboard
   3. Select the Offer tab
   4. Select the current aid year
   5. Scroll down the page to the Work section
3. If you have not already, click on the status box and select Accept
4. Find an FWS-eligible job with Student Employment
   1. This can be on-campus or working with a Waco community partner!
   2. Follow @baylorstudentjobs for open jobs opportunities
   3. Keep an eye out for Student Employment Hiring Events at the beginning of every Fall and Spring semester

SNAP Eligibility 

All students who participate in FWS are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which is a government program that helps you buy food. Baylor's Student Opportunity and Achievement Resources program will help you navigate the application process. You can learn more about SNAP here.

Eligibility, Selection and Awarding 

Undergraduate and graduate students are offered FWS if they complete a FAFSA and demonstrate financial need beyond the amount of scholarships, grants, and need-based loans they receive. Law students are not offered Federal Work-Study as part of their financial aid offer but will be reviewed for FWS eligibility upon request. (Law students are strongly discouraged by the Law School from working while enrolled.)

Federal Work-Study earnings do not count towards a student's Student Aid Index (SAI) value in future FAFSAs. Though earnings are reported to the IRS for tax purposes and listed as income in future FAFSAs, income earned through an FWS position is not considered when determining a student's eligibility for federal or state need-based aid.

Recipients must have submitted a valid FAFSA, have unmet need, and meet all minimum eligibility requirements for recipients of Federal aid programs.

• Undergraduate Students: FWS is automatically offered if the current FAFSA indicates interest in (or are unsure of) the program or if the student earned $200 or more via FWS in the preceding year. 
• If a student does not meet the criteria for an automatic FWS offer, eligibility will be reviewed upon request. 
• FWS offered awards may range from $100 - $3,200 for the academic year based on the student’s remaining need after scholarships, grants, and Subsidized Direct Loan eligibility. Students will not receive an FWS offer exceeding their demonstrated financial need.
• Larger award amounts will be considered for an individual position, depending on the student’s remaining need, pay rate, and number of hours worked.
• If larger amounts cannot be extended due to lack of need, the student can proceed to work, but will no longer be doing so under the FWS program. Students that expire their maximum FWS award will automatically be moved to the Baylor University Work Study Program.
• Students can accept or decline their FWS offer in BearWeb. The FWS offer must be accepted before a student can receive an employment offer and begin work.
• Students may choose not to accept their Federal Work-Study (FWS) award and instead reject the offer in BearWeb. This action means the student will be ineligible to work on campus- Rejecting FWS indicates that a student does not plan to participate in student employment of any kind for the school year in question. Students can still receive FWS eligibility in future school years pending FAFSA results. 
• If a student contacts the Student Financial Aid office to reduce their Federal Work-Study (FWS) award below the originally offered amount, the student will only be allowed to work up to the adjusted value. Once the amount is hit, the student will need to terminate employment and will not be allowed to continue working until the original amount is reinstated (if possible).
• In general, if the student makes any requests or changes to their FWS award, the student is accepting the newly adjusted amount as the amount they will use. However, if a student sees changes to their FWS award caused by the addition of outside scholarships or departmental awards there will be no impact to the student's employment eligibility.
• To protect student academic pursuits and maintain compliance, it is important that students:
  • DO NOT work during any scheduled class period.
  • DO NOT Work more than 20 hours a week, unless receiving approval. Please Review the Additional Student Work Hours Request Form.
• Students must display Satisfactory Academic Progress to maintain FWS eligibility. 
• Please see Student Responsibilities for more information.

You can learn more about student employment and see the positions available to currently enrolled students at:

Student Employment

Baylor also participates in the Texas College Work Study program.