Federal Work Study

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) and the Career Center offer employment services to students in Federal Work Study (FWS) and Work Assist positions.

FWS provides part-time employment for undergraduate and graduate students who have established financial need through the submission of the FAFSA.

Students must demonstrate financial need to be eligible to participate in the FWS Program. Financial need is determined by the completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Funding for the Federal Work-Study Program is limited; students may or may not receive an award from year to year.

• Students who have been awarded FWS will receive a Federal Work Study Award Confirmation indicating the maximum amount of gross pay to be earned per term.
• Information for students who have already been awarded Federal Work Study is available in the Federal Work Study Handbook (PDF). 

FWS Wait List: Students who are not awarded a FWS award in their financial aid package, please contact your financial aid counselor to see if you are eligible to be added to our wait list. Being added to this wait list is not a guarantee that you will be awarded work study funds. You will be notified by the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid should you receive this award.

If you have been awarded Federal Work Study, the information below will explain your next steps and how to secure a job and complete additional requirements.

• Accept your Federal Work Study Award Offer in mySeaport. 
• Complete the Student Worker FERPA Awareness Training module via Percipio (Formerly Skillport) in mySeaport. Continuing/Returning students who have completed this requirement in past academic years do not need to complete this again.
• Beginning June 1, search for on and off-campus work study job opportunities and apply via Handshake.
  • Work Study positions on Handshake are available on and off campus. Off-campus positions are within non-profit organizations in the local community. While the pay rate may be considerably more for community service positions, you must have your own transportation to the job site.
• Earnings are not applied to your Student Account/E-Bill.
• You will receive a paycheck on the 15th of each month for the hours worked the previous month.
• You may not earn more than your FWS awarded amount. Should you begin to exceed your allocation during the fall semester, please Contact workstudy@uncw.edu to find out what your options may be.

Have more questions? Check Out our
Work Study FAQs