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Federal Work-Study Program

Learn. Earn. Explore Your Direction Through Work-Study.

Announcements

Federal Work-Study 2025-26

  • Jobs for 2025-26 will be posted to the Northwestern University Student Job Board beginning August 15, 2025, and continuing throughout the academic year. Postings are removed after 60 days.
    • Only Northwestern faculty, staff, and approved off-campus FWS agency partners may submit job postings. 
    • Off-campus FWS agency employers must contact Trish Schumacher for assistance in submitting a job posting. 
  • Eligible students may earn Federal Work Study beginning Sunday, September 14, 2025, through Friday, June 12, 2026. 
  • Students may contact us or their financial aid office to convert work-study to a subsidized Federal Direct Stafford loan, or decline work-study if their parent will borrow the maximum loan eligibility.  
  • FWS students and employers should review the New Hires Process Flow or Re-Hires Process Flow charts. 
    • Off-campus FWS agency employers must contact Trish Schumacher when hiring a student. If a student will be returning for the 2025-26 academic year, please also contact Trish Schumacher.
  • Departments are responsible for managing student employment records and salary funding updates. Ensure the most recent row of funding in myHR is set to the appropriate FWS or department account code.
  • 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. 

Summer 2026

  • There is no FWS summer employment. Students should only be paid with FWS funding during the fall, winter, and spring quarters. 
  • If the department will employ the student during the summer months, it is imperative to update the wage funding in myHR to regular student wages. If not, we will update and journal your department for your portion of the wages. The department is responsible for updating students' wage source appropriately in the fall if changes were made during the summer months. 

By the Numbers

Average Annual Figures

200
Employers
1,200
Active FWS Employees
6-10
Hours Per Week

Land Acknowledgement

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.