Federal Work Study

students at working tableThe Federal Work Study Program (FWSP) is a federally-funded financial aid program available to US citizens and permanent residents. The goal of the program is to assist students with the cost of their college education by providing a subsidy to employers for part-time student employment. The program is dependent on the student applying for financial aid through the FAFSA and qualifying based on their financial need.

FWSP comes with rules and regulations for student and employer eligibility. To comply with the law, the University has established guidelines and processes that must be followed by both students and employers.

Many students are confused by the term ‘work-study’ and think that they are eligible for this benefit simply based on the grounds that they are working while studying at college. While all students are welcome to work during their time at Harvard, ‘work-study’ refers specifically to the federally-funded financial aid program designed to help students meet their education costs via subsidized hourly work.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I receive my Federal Work Study award?

Federal Work Study is not a lump sum grant.

You are eligible to earn up to the dollar amount listed on your financial aid award letter over the course of the term-time or summer employment. You are not guaranteed this money, nor are you required to earn it all. If you would like to earn the dollar amount listed on your financial aid award letter, you need to find a job and work the appropriate amount of hours. You will receive the money in weekly paychecks based on your hourly wage and hours worked.

In order to activate your Federal Work...

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I have a job offer, can I start working immediately?

Once you have been offered a job, please register your FWSP job with the SEO. There are instructions for completing this form based on whether you will be working on or off-campus; you may want to speak with your employer before completing this as some of the information required is specific to their department or agency. Once the SEO receives and processes the form, a confirmation email authorizing work study will be sent to you and your supervisor.

Be sure to read up on your ...

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