Hiring Federal Work Study Student Employees
Follow the steps below to hire eligible student employees through the Federal Work Study Program.
Hiring Process for Federal Work Study Employees
- Determine if you have a work study budget.
- Check with your Budget Officer to see if you have a budget for Federal Work Study.
- If you do not have a budget for Federal Work Study, your Budget Officer must contact the Budget Office for instruction.
- Determine your work study position number.
- This position number is tied to specific federal work study fund accounts. The position number must be set up for work study prior to hiring a student.
- If you do not know your work study position number, WSU Reporting Services report “PAY00184-Positions by Organization With Web Time Approvers” can identify your position numbers.
- Human Resources can also assist you with identifying your position numbers. Contact the HR Service Center for assistance in finding or creating a work study position number.
- Post your open position in Handshake.
- Handshake allows students to view and apply for your position online.
- If you need assistance with Handshake, please contact Shocker Career Accelerator.
- Determine each student candidate's eligibility for work study.
- Email finaidworkstudy@wichita.edu to confirm eligibility for the Federal Work Study Program.
- Students must be enrolled at least half time (Undergraduate Students = 6 hours, Graduate Students = 5 hours)
- Students must have a completed FAFSA application for every academic year in which they are being hired.
- International students are not eligible for work study.
- If your student is approved for work study, you must complete a position description. This form is required for each academic year and for each position number in which a student is employed.
- Email finaidworkstudy@wichita.edu to confirm eligibility for the Federal Work Study Program.
- Interview your candidates and decide which students to hire.
- Each department is responsible for scheduling interviews and beginning the hiring process.
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Once you have selected a student, complete the Non-Benefit Eligible (NBE) form and submit to Human Resources. For more information on the NBE hiring process, visit the NBE Website.
- Human Resources will initiate on-boarding. Your student will be contacted to complete on-boarding tasks.
- After on-boarding is completed, Human Resources will notify the department to submit an ePAF.
- After Human Resources has given approval, submit an ePAF to hire your student into your work study position number.
- For assistance with the ePAF, contact epaf@wichita.edu.
- Make sure to include financial aid as an approval level. Your ePAF will be returned to you if the financial aid approval level is missing, which may delay the hiring process.
- Make sure your student’s start date is within a current or future pay period. Students cannot begin working until the ePAF is fully approved by all levels.
Helpful Links and Resources
Termination Process for Federal Work Study Employees
Students who are no longer eligible for work study, resign, or are released from their employment:
- Each department must submit a termination to end the work study position and indicate the last day of employment.
- Make sure to include all approval levels.
Change in Work Study Status
For students who will receive a pay increase, an epaf must be submitted to indicate
the change
- Use the Change of Status option.
- Include all approval levels.
For students changing position numbers within the same department
- Use the Change of Status ePAF.
- Include all approval levels.
- Complete a new position description and email to finaidworkstudy@wichita.edu.
For students changing departments
- Resigning departments must terminate the student from their department prior to the new department submitting an ePAF to hire.
- Include all approvals.
- Complete a new position description and email to finaidworkstudy@wichita.edu.
Department Responsibilities
- If you have changes to department contacts, email finaidworkstudy@wichita.edu. This is essential so your department does not miss important announcements and updates.
- Complete a position description for each student and each position the student holds. This form is required for each academic year and for each position number in which a student is employed.
- Bi-weekly reports are sent from the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships after the end of a pay period.
- You must monitor your student’s remaining eligibility.
- If your student’s eligibility is exhausted, email finaidworkstudy@wichita.edu to see if your student is eligible for an increase. If no increase is available, your student must be terminated from the work study (WS) position and moved to a regular (RS) position if they continue to work.
- In the case a student’s eligibility changes, earnings may be moved from work study funds to your regular department budget. You will be contacted if this occurs.
- Keep record of your student’s hours worked. This can be requested at any time by the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships for audit purposes.
- Federal regulations prohibit students from working during their scheduled class times. Even if their class is cancelled, they cannot be scheduled for work during that time until the official end of the semester.
- Students may enter their time through their myWSU portal. The designated approver in your department must approve their time by the sign-off deadline designated by Timekeeping. For questions, contact Timekeeping.
- Students may work up to 30 hours per week while classes are in session. Departments are responsible to monitor students’ hours.
- During scheduled breaks, such as holiday shutdown and spring break, students may work up to 40 hours as long as they are enrolled in the next term and have retained eligibility.
- Confirm with your student their enrollment to ensure they remain enrolled at least
half time.
- If your student falls below half-time enrollment, they must stop working under the Federal Work Study program and be moved to a regular position.
- Students graduating at the end of a term cannot work beyond the office last date of the term.
Frequently Asked Questions About Federal Work Study
What is the Federal Work Study Program?
Federal Work Study is an employment program that enables students to work part-time while attending school and gives students valuable work experience while earning their degree. The program pays at least minimum wage for the hours worked. Students who are eligible for work study are often highly desired for student employment positions because the federal government supplements the wages that are paid by the university. Work study is available to undergraduate and graduate students.
Can I have a list of Federal Work Study eligible WSU students?
Due to FERPA, The Office of Financial Aid is unable to release a list of eligible students. We are able to confirm eligibility when requested with a student’s name and WSU ID Number.
Why did my student’s eligibility change?
Federal Work Study eligibility can fluctuate throughout the academic year. Eligibility is determined by several factors and includes a student’s financial aid package, credit hour enrollment, scholarships, and outside funding. A student’s eligibility may change as the Office of Financial Aid is notified of new funding for your student.
How many hours can my student work?
- Under the Federal Work Study program, students can work up to 30 hours per week. Student cannot be required to work during scheduled class times, even if their class was cancelled.
- During university scheduled breaks that span at least an entire week, students can work up to 40 hours per week. Scheduled breaks include Spring break, winter break and weeks in between a term ending and a new term starting.
What is the Banner funding and amounts?
- 75% of the student pay comes from CWSP (Banner Fund R40041).
- 25% of the student pay comes from either GU or RU or Grant funding
- Collaboration and teamwork between Budget Office and Financial Operations guarantees that you can budget and spend the federal 75%.
- Account code used for the federal 75% is 1220
- Account code used for the GU, RU, Grant funding is 1210
What finance reports should I use?
- Organization Financial Report for RU shows the Fund R40041