FWS Student Information Workshop

FWS stands for Federal Work Study.  It is one of the types of financial aid that you apply for when you submit your FAFSA.

FWS gives you the opportunity to earn part of your financial aid by working in a job, either on or off campus. The salary received is at least equal to the current state minimum wage, but many FWS jobs pay more than minimum wage.

As you work on the job, you submit time cards for the hours worked, just as you would at a regular job. Once a month you will receive a paycheck for hours worked the previous month.  Instead of a financial aid payment, the student's Work-Study award is paid in the form of a payroll check for time/hours worked.

FWS awards may range up to $4,000 or more per year.

We received your financial aid application and you check yes, to being interested in work-study. We then identified your FAFSA as eligible for a FWS award.  To receive a FWS award as part of your Financial Aid package you will need to search, apply and go through the interview and hiring process with an Authorized FWS Employer.

CSUN FWS Student Eligibility:

• Submit a Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) by the March 2nd annually.
• Indicate on the FAFSA that you are interested in work-study.
• Have a qualifying Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as determined by the FAFSA.
• Maintain CSUN Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards.
• Be enrolled in classes at least half-time (6 units undergraduate; 4 units graduate) during any semester of FWS employment.

The difference between FWS and part-time jobs is that FWS is provided via the FAFSA. A FWS position is need-based and in order to qualify for FWS, the student must complete a FAFSA and be determined eligible. A part-time job is a typical job on or off campus and is available to all students who meet the job eligibility requirements. 

There is a limited amount of funds designated for FWS, so early application by the student is strongly advised. There are no FWS funds available during the summer employment session. Funding for FWS wages come from two sources.  The earnings from a FWS job are made up of government funding with the remaining percentage contributed by CSUN Employer. 

Your FWS doesn’t go toward your tuition automatically. You receive a check, just like you would with a part-time job. How you use it is up to you.  Many students will use the income earned to pay for books, supplies, and extracurricular activities. 

The intent of the FWS Program is to encourage part-time employment and reduce the amount of loan debt incurred while attending college.  Instead of potentially taking out more student loans, earn the FWS award by working in an authorized FWS job. The income earned in a FWS job will not affect your future financial aid eligibility.  When you fill out your FAFSA, you would list it as your income earned from work.  But, you will also list it as income from "need-based employment," and this amount will be excluded when FAFSA makes its calculations about your financial need. 

You still need to apply and interview for FWS jobs. Being eligible for FWS doesn’t guarantee you a position.

There are a variety of jobs available through the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program. 

On-Campus Department, offices and programs offer jobs such as: office clerical, library, technical, lab assistant, research projects, recreational, facilities, and public safety just to name a few. Some jobs are for students who have never held a job, and others require experience, education, or a skill in a particular field or major. 

Off-Campus jobs offer students the opportunity to work for local schools and other community non-profit agencies and organizations, providing direct service to their clientele.

Handshake, is the job posting platform used at CSUN where students can search and apply for all FWS jobs and most non-FWS Student Assistant positions. 

If you are new to Handshake, you will need to register and complete a profile. Your profile information is important because employers often use that information in searching for candidates who meet certain job qualifications. 

Step 1: https://csun.joinhandshake.com/login.  

Step 2: Select the California State University, Northridge blue button. You will log in using your CSUN portal username and password. You will be prompted to fill out your career interests profile, making your job search personalized and unique. 

Step 3: From the homepage, start by clicking on Jobs in the top menu bar. You will be taken to the JobSearch page. 

Step 4: In the jobs section, there are various options available to view available jobs and narrow your search. 

Step 5: To search for FWS jobs, CHECK the Work Study box by clicking the blue “Filters” button. Use this filter to specifically search for a FWS job. 

Step 6: Here you will see a list of all Work Study positions. 

Once you find a job you would like to apply to: 

• Click on the job title and it will bring you to the full job description.
• Click the green “Apply” button on the right of the screen.
• Fill in all necessary information and upload all required documents (resume, cover letter, etc.) and click the green “Submit Application” button. 

Handshake quick-training videos:

• Video: Search for, Save, and Apply to Jobs in Handshake
• Video: How to Upload a Document 

If you are not able to access Handshake with your CSUN login credentials, contact , include your name and CSUN ID number in the body of the email. 

In addition, visit the On-Campus Student Employment Pagelet for more non-FWS job opportunities. 

• Login to myNorthridge Portal
• Select Financial Matters tab
• Locate On-Campus Student Employment
• Select Employer link and search

To receive a FWS Award, it is your responsibility to:

• Complete the FWS Confirmation Survey
• Find an authorized FWS job through the job database, Handshake 

When you are hired in a FWS job, it is your responsibility to:

• Complete the necessary hiring forms.
• Correctly report the hours you work.
• Keep track of your fall semester earnings to ensure you don't earn more than half of your academic year award in the fall semester.
• Carefully monitor your earnings so you do not exceed your award for the academic year.
• Remain enrolled at least halftime while employed as a work-study student. 

You are Expected to:

Before work

• Show up to your scheduled shift
• Show up to work on time
• Groomed appropriately
• Running late, notify your supervisor

During work

• Ready to focus on tasks
• A good fit for the position
• Understands that this is a job
• Need to take the day off, ask permission (study, day off)

• 10-15 hours a week. Maximum is 20 hours per week, in all student positions combined.
• After 4 consecutive hours of work, you take a 15 minute break.
• After 5 or more consecutive hours of work, you must take a 30 minute meal break.
• Cannot work unpaid (volunteer) for work you have performed in a paid status previously.

• Income earned in your FWS job is taxable like any other income.
• Pay Day - a "pay check" it's called a Pay Warrant.
• FWS & Student Assistant's workers, are paid on the 15th on each month.
• Off-Campus and some On-Campus jobs have different pay dates.
• Ask your Employer for a copy of the payroll calendar.

**You are encourage to sign up for Direct Deposit. You will still get a monthly warrant statement. Your money is sent directly to your bank account electronically**.

Confirmation is only offered to student that have secured a FWS job interview, have a FWS job offer and completed the FWS Confirmation Survey.  

Email work.study@csun.edu, in the body of the email include CSUN ID number, Name of interested FWS Employer, and date of interview or job start date.  We will respond with confirmation of your FWS eligibility that you can provide the FWS Employer.

To confirm your participation interest in the program, fill out the confirmation survey.  For questions, please email us at work.study@csun.edu

FWS is part of your financial aid package. The amount of total financial aid (grants, loans, scholarships, fee waivers, sponsorships and awards) you receive cannot surpass your Cost of Attendance (COA).  The general rule is that the student's total aid may not exceed the student's COA. 

In the Financial Aid Process known as coordinate, all aid is review to confirm a student financial aid package stays within their COA limit.  In most instances, a student Federal Loan offer will be reduced or withdrawn to add the FWS award. Grants, scholarships or tuition paying programs such as fee waivers or sponsorships are not reduced or adjusted as a result of receiving FWS, instead the FWS award offer amount is reduced. 

The nice thing about FWS earnings is that it does not count toward the income used to calculate future FAFSA eligibility. FWS earnings are instead reported in the Student Financials Section of the FAFSA, by entering the money earn from FWS in the question “Taxable earnings from need-based employment programs, such as Federal Work-Study and need based employment”.  The amount reported in this section of the FAFASA will not negatively affect your ability to qualify for future federal aid.