Work-study Resource Guide for Managers
A guide to assist managers in hiring a Work-study student.
If you or someone in your department is interested in establishing a federal work-study position, please consider the following guidance:
Discuss the possibility of a work-study position with the department head/financial officer to ensure that the position will be supported. Hosting departments will be responsible for 10% of the wages earned by FWS students.
Verify the appropriate Cost Center and Pay Account with the department head/financial officer.
Contact your department's human resources representative to determine the individual who will serve as the manager/identified supervisory organization for the position. *Note: Some campuses have specific protocols in place for the responsibility of posting/hiring/time-keeping of work-study positions. Campus human resource offices should be able to guide campus faculty/staff.
Establish appropriate job description ensuring that includes the following:
position title;
department or office in which the student will be employed;
location where the student will perform his/her duties;
purpose or role of the position within the organization;
duties and responsibilities associated with the position and how they relate to the purpose or role;
rate of pay;
general qualifications for the position; and,
the length of the student’s employment (typically academic term for which the position is applicable).
The recommended rate for FWS positions is $12.00/hour for undergraduate students and $14.00/hour for graduate students.
FWS positions are funded with a combination of federal work-study funding (75%), University funding (15%). and a departmental share (10%). Errors in the establishment of FWS positions, student ineligibility, or exhausted funding may result in a department’s assumption of 100% of the FWS student’s wages.
“Funds from programs sponsored by federal agencies (such as the National Science Foundation or the National Institutes of Health) may be used to pay the departmental share of student earnings, as long as the programs have the authority to pay student wages. Departments should contact the appropriate federal agency to see if the program in question does have this authority. Department's must maintain all supporting documentation.” (Nature and source of FWS institutional share 34 CFR 675.27)
All FWS positions should be posted on the Penn State Human Resources Career Pages, utilizing Workday Recruiting job requisitions.WorkLion New Portal - Detail Article (neocaseonline.com) offers guidance for posting work-study positions and is available via the Workday Knowledge Base.
Please note that all FWS job postings should include 'Federal Work-Study' in the title. It is very important that the appropriate ‘job profile code’ is selected when creating your job requisition. The following paragraph should be included in the posting:
Students who received Federal Work Study have the opportunity to obtain a job and perform related duties either on campus, or remotely, if possible and at the discretion of the employer. Students applying for Federal Work Study positions should clarify expectations with their potential employer regarding either on campus/in person or remote work arrangements. An offer of Federal Work Study does not guarantee a job position is available.
Managers/Supervisors can review student work-study eligibility in the Recruiting Dashboard within Workday. When reviewing the candidates, clicking the ‘External Student Data’ tab will offer a yes/no answer as to whether the student has been awarded Federal Work-Study as part of their student aid package for the current academic year.* Additional information for identifying student eligibility is included in WorkLion New Portal - Detail Article (neocaseonline.com).
*Please Note: This indicator updates August 1 for the upcoming fall/spring term, and 5/1 (approximately) for the summer term, and updates weekly.
Employment policies:
Supervisors must verify student eligibility prior to hire.
All FWS positions require a documented job description.
Students must know whom their immediate supervisor is and who to contact if the supervisor is not available.
If the Office of Student Aid is reviewing a student's FAFSA information for accuracy, the student must stop working until the verification process is complete. Students are responsible for communicating this information with their supervisor and complying with any verification “to-do” items within their LionPATH account.
A student's aid may not exceed their demonstrated federal financial need as determined by the FAFSA and as indicated on the Student Aid Summary in LionPATH. FWS will be reduced if the student's financial aid exceeds their demonstrated federal financial need. Students are encouraged to communicate with their supervisors regarding any changes to FWS.
Conditions and limits of all FWS positions:
FWS positions must not displace employees or impair existing service contracts.
FWS positions must not involve constructing, operating, or maintaining any part of a building used for religious worship or sectarian instruction.
FWS students cannot operate a vehicle as a condition of the job.
Students are not permitted to work in FWS positions during scheduled class times, with few exceptions. Any exceptions must be approved and documented. Please contact the Office of Student Aid for details.
Hours
Work-study participants may never work more than 8 hours/day and 20 hours/week when classes are in session. For students holding more than one work-study position, the sum of all positions may not exceed these limits.
Site Supervisors should establish a procedure for recording and verifying hours worked for all FWS students. Please see the Human Resources Job Aid, Approving Time Entry , for more information.
Falsification of Times
Submitting falsified time sheets is considered fraud against the University and the federal government; legal action may be taken against the student. Federal regulation 34 CFR 668.16(g) requires the University to report to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General if a school has credible information that a student may have committed fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with his or her application or eligibility for federal student aid. Therefore, instances of student misconduct involving falsification of time sheets must be reported to the Penn State Office of Student Aid immediately to ensure the University’s compliance with this federal reporting requirement.
Initial contact regarding concerns of falsification of time sheets should be directed to Carla Glisan, cmg102@psu.edu.
Procedure
Supervisors should establish a procedure for recording and verifying hours worked for all FWS students. Supervisors are responsible for communicating with students as applicable regarding these procedures. Workday time approval processes must be verified within the supervisors’ department.
Information relating to biweekly payroll schedules (used for FWS) for each academic year can be found by visiting the Office of Budget and Finance website https://budgetandfinance.psu.edu/references. Supervisors are expected to adhere to the established payroll approval schedules. Late payroll approvals should be submitted within 30 days. Processing delayed beyond that point risks a department’s assumption of 100% of the FWS students’ wages.
Students are required to keep track of the hours worked as well as the balance of their funds and communicate that information with their supervisor. Students will receive email communication from the Office of Student Aid when they have utilized 50% of their funding and again as they near fund exhaustion. Earning above maximum amounts may negatively impact a student’s financial aid.
The sum of students’ work hours for all FWS positions in which they are employed cannot exceed 8 hours per day and 20 hours per week. Each student and supervisor is encouraged to consider and communicate a reasonable plan for maximizing the student's earning potential without compromising the student's personal or academic well-being.
It is recommended that all FWS students working more than 4 consecutive hours be offered a 15-minute, paid break and those students working more than 6 consecutive hours be offered a 30-minute, unpaid break.
Hours
Work-study participants may never work more than 8 hours/day and 20 hours/week when classes are in session. For students holding more than one work-study position, the sum of all positions may not exceed these limits.
Site Supervisors should establish a procedure for recording and verifying hours worked for all FWS students. Please see the Human Resources Job Aid, Approving Time Entry , for more information.
Falsification of Times
Submitting falsified time sheets is considered fraud against the University and the federal government; legal action may be taken against the student. Federal regulation 34 CFR 668.16(g) requires the University to report to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General if a school has credible information that a student may have committed fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with his or her application or eligibility for federal student aid. Therefore, instances of student misconduct involving falsification of time sheets must be reported to the Penn State Office of Student Aid immediately to ensure the University’s compliance with this federal reporting requirement.
Initial contact regarding concerns of falsification of time sheets should be directed to Carla Glisan, cmg102@psu.edu.
Information relating to FWS payroll schedules will be provided to all supervisors via email listserv communication prior to the beginning of each semester and can also be found by visiting https://budgetandfinance.psu.edu/references. Supervisors are expected to adhere to the established payroll approval schedules. Late payroll approvals should be submitted within 30 days. Processing delayed beyond that point risks a department’s assumption of 100% of the FWS students’ wages.