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Federal Work-Study Program

Due to ongoing FAFSA processing issues, rising sophomore, junior, and senior undergraduate students have not been evaluated for Federal Work-Study eligibility during 2024-25. This issue should be resolved before the fall quarter and students will be notified of their FWS eligibility in their 2024-25 financial aid notice. 

Get Started

Employers: View our guide for employing Federal Work-Study Students. 

Students: Learn about FWS with our online Orientation course.

Announcements

Summer 2024

  • There is no FWS summer employment. Students should only be paid with FWS funding during the fall, winter, and spring quarters. 

 

Federal Work-Study 2024-25

  • Students may work and earn federal work-study wages from Sunday, September 15, 2024, through Saturday, June 14, 2025. 
  • Students must remain eligible to earn FWS wages.
  • If a student declined their 2024-2025 Federal Work-Study allotment in CAESAR  but has changed their mind, please contact our office.
  • Job postings are added to and updated on the Northwestern University Student Job Board throughout the school year as requested by employers. Only Northwestern supervisors and approved Community Service partners may submit job posting requests. Job postings are automatically removed after 45 days.
  • If you are hiring a student employee, please reference the list of required hiring documents.
    • Off-campus FWS agency employers must contact Trish Schumacher when hiring a student to participate in the FWS program at your organization. If a student who worked for you in the previous year will be returning for the 2023-24 academic year, please also contact Trish Schumacher.
  • The Federal Work-Study Office abides by the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA). A student's total FWS earnings limit and remaining balance are never shared with employers before the student's official hire date.
  • FWS Supervisors and constituents may sign up for our FWS newsletter. Periodic emails are sent throughout the year. 
Land Acknowledgement Statement

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami, and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands and the Native people who remain on this land today.