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Federal Work-Study Program

What is Federal Work-Study
Federal Work-Study is a program that provides jobs for students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay for college expenses.
How Do I Qualify for Work-Study?
Every academic year each student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine eligibility for federal work-study (FWS). The results of this application are reviewed by the UTHSC Financial Aid Office to determine student eligibility.

A Federal Work-Study award CANNOT be used to meet registration fees because this money is not paid "upfront." Students are paid for the number of hours they work based on timesheets submitted by the appropriate department to the University payroll system.

  • New hires, once you have determined eligibility please make sure  to complete all FWS paperwork and submit them to the Federal Work-Study Coordinator for review. 
  • All re-hires, once you have determined re-eligibility, please submit an up-to-date checklist approval form for each new academic year.
What types of jobs can I apply for?  
Before you apply for a Federal Work-Study job please check with the financial aid office to ensure that you are eligible.

Only students that are eligible can be paid using federal work-study funds. We do not want you to go through a process of filling out unnecessary paperwork only to find out you are not eligible. You may find out by calling us at (901) 448-5568 or send an email with the subject "am I eligible for federal work-study" to fao@uthsc.edu.

Various departments hire FWS recipients. Actual placement depends on your skills and interests, and the needs of the departments. Job responsibilities can range from general office duties to highly specialized laboratory and computer work. If you have not been awarded FWS but are interested in applying you may contact your Financial Aid Counselor to be reviewed for eligibility.

If you have been awarded Federal Work-Study, you may check the current jobs under available Federal Work-Study positions page. If you find a position you are interested in, please send an email with an attached resume to the contact email associated with the appropriate position. Should the department decide to hire you, you and the hiring department will need to complete the following documents:

Once all of the pages of this packet are completed please send to: Enrollment Services, 910 Madison Ave. Suite 525, Memphis, TN 38163. A student may begin work only after the forms are approved.

Federal Work Study Positions
You may check the current jobs here.
How many hours a week/day can I work?
You may work up to 20 hours a week during scheduled weeks of class, and up to 40 hours a week during times of scheduled breaks from class. Student’s cannot work more than 8 hours a day.

You are automatically considered ineligible to receive payment of FWS funds should any of the following occur:

  1. You have been paid up to the full amount of your FWS award amount.
  2. You withdraw from UTHSC
  3. You graduate from UTHSC

Remember: employment is automatically terminated at the end of your program's academic year. You must reapply for the next academic year.

When can I expect to be paid? 

Students are paid bi-weekly at the hourly rate for which they are hired. Checks are issued every other Tuesday and direct deposited into a bank account.

Payroll Information

Pay Rates
  • On Campus $10/hr
  • Off campus $12/hr (anything over the $12/hr the department must cover 100%)

Under Federal Work-Study, the department is responsible for 25% of the student's earnings.

Timesheets

Timesheets are due every other Monday by 12:00 pm and are to be emailed to workstudy@uthsc.edu with BOTH the student's signature and supervisor's signature before they can be entered into the payroll system to be paid.

TIMESHEETS WILL BE ACCEPTED ONLY VIA THE ABOVE EMAIL ADDRESS AND MUST BE RECEIVED BY NOON EVERY OTHER MONDAY. Late timesheets or those missing a signature CANNOT be approved for the current pay period and WILL DELAY the processing of timesheets until the NEXT pay period.

Timesheet Processing Procedures 

Timesheet and Payroll Steps
  1. Federal Work Study timesheets will be received by the Work-Study Coordinator via email workstudy@uthsc.edu by 12:00 pm every other Monday in accordance with the dates listed on the timesheet.
  2. Timesheets arriving after the Monday deadline will NOT be approved for the current pay period and will be delayed until the next pay period.
  3. The Work-Study Coordinator will enter all timesheets received by the deadline listed in step one into the payroll system every other Monday in accordance with the published calendar.
  4. Checks are issued every other Tuesday by direct deposit into a bank account via the Payroll Office.
May 31, 2024