The information below can help students better understand using Federal Work Study (FWS) funding at Cornell University.

Federal Work-Study Eligibility

• FWS eligibility is determined by an individual student’s financial situation and their eligibility for federal financial aid.
• Not all students with financial aid will be offered FWS.
• Students must be registered full-time, enrolled in classes, and have no registration holds.
• Students cannot be withdrawn from Cornell, on a leave of absence, registered part-time or In Absentia, or graduated.

Using Federal Work-Study

• FWS funding has maximum earnings specific to an academic year.
• The unearned FWS balance cannot be converted to cash.
• Future FWS eligibility is based on the individual student’s financial situation.

Getting Paid

• The hourly wage rate is determined by the job duties, required skills and experience, complexity of the job, and pay equity within the department.
• FWS wages are paid directly to student employees on a bi-weekly basis as a paycheck and are not applied to your Bursar balance.

Federal Work Study-Earnings

• FWS, just like a student loan, is considered the “self-help” portion of a student’s financial aid package.
• The amount of money a student needs to earn from FWS so they can meet their expected expenses is calculated into their financial aid package.
• Students determine how best to allocate that money against their planned expenses.

Federal Work Study-Earnings

• Yes. All earnings are taxed - FWS or not.
• Students will complete a W-4 Tax Withholding form when they are hired.
• Taxed earnings are reported on their W-2 and on annual income tax forms.

The Federal Work Study (FWS) program is a federally funded financial aid program administered by Cornell University. It is designed to assist students in meeting the costs associated with higher education by promoting access to meaningful work experiences. Work Study does not mean that students are paid to study, but rather work in jobs to earn money. The standard amount of the work expectation is $5,000, funded by Cornell and FWS.