Federal Work-Study
- Financial Aid Home Page
- You Can Afford College - Types of Financial Aid
- Scholarships
- Cost of Attendence / Net Price Calculator
- Financial Aid Forms
- Disbursements
- Satisfactory Academic Progress
- Financial Aid Handbook
- Work Study / Student Employment
- Consumer Information
- California Dream Act & DACA
- Ability to Benefit
Federal Work-Study (FWS) was established by Congress as part of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Its purpose is the promotion of part-time employment for students with financial need in order to achieve three main goals:
- To assist students in earning money to meet their educational costs
- To provide work experience related to the student’s chosen academic major or career field; and
- To improve relations between the College and the community.
Students may be employed by College of Alameda, government agencies, or private, non-profit organizations working for the public good. Because of its federal funding, the Federal Work-Study Program must adhere to strict regulations enacted by Congress and enforced by the U.S. Department of Education.
What Is It?
Federal Work-Study on your Financial Aid Award means that you are eligible to be paid Work-Study funds if you get a job on campus. Work-Study is not a grant or a loan, nor is it a guarantee of a job. You must apply and interview for a Work-Study job. The amount you will earn is $16.52 per hour. The main advantage of Work-Study employment is that your Work-Study earnings do not count against you as a financial resource on your FAFSA.
Hours and Contact
Regular Hours
Monday – Friday: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Financial Aid Contact Information
coafinancialaid@peralta.edu
(510) 748-2391
Speak Live to Financial Aid Staff Virtually
College of Alameda Financial Aid Office will have staff available via Zoom on the following day and time:
Wednesday: 9:00 am-1:00 pm
Student Eligibility Requirements
Participation in the Work-Study Program is determined by the student’s financial need (total cost of attending College of Alameda, minus family contribution) and is awarded as part of a financial aid package. To be considered to participate in the Federal Work-Study Program, a student must meet the following requirements:
- Demonstrate financial need based on the information you provided on the FAFSA.
- Be enrolled in a minimum 6 units at Peralta Community College District.
- Be working towards a degree, certificate, or transfer program.
- Be making Satisfactory Academic Progress towards a declared program.
- Not in default on any Direct Loan, or Federal Family Educational Loans (FFEL), including Subsidized or Unsubsidized Stafford Loans.
- Not owing grant repayment.
- Be a US citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
- Be at least 18 years of age.
Award Criteria
At the beginning of the semester, the Financial Aid Office will offer Federal Work-Study awards to eligible students. Check your Financial Aid Award Letter on Campus Solutions to see if you were offered an FWS award. Since funds are limited, they are offered first to Pell Grant-eligible students enrolled in 6 or more units and awarded based on date of FAFSA completion.
Earning Limits
On their Financial Aid Award, students are granted a work-study earnings limit. This is the maximum amount which may be earned by the student during the academic year.
It is extremely important to acknowledge the shared responsibility between the Federal Work-Study Program, the student, and the employer to monitor a student’s earnings. The student must stop working when the earnings limit is reached. Email notifications will be sent to both the student and the employer when a student approaches the earnings limit. The Federal Work-Study Program must charge the over-earnings directly back to the employer at 100%.
Students and their employer should arrange their work schedules to avoid either underearning or prematurely reaching their award limit. Students approaching the limit may appeal for an increase by contacting Jackie Vo, Financial Aid Officer.
Students should be aware that their limits may be decreased during the academic year if unanticipated resources (e.g., scholarships) affect their financial aid packages. Both the student and the employer will be notified if an award is changed.
FAQ & Forms
How To Calculate Hours Per Week
The Federal Work-Study (FWS) award table will help to determine how many hours a student will be able to work per week during the academic year based on the FWS award amount. The academic year is assumed to be 34 weeks (17 weeks per semester). The basic formula behind these figures is:
(FWS Award Amount ÷ Weeks per Academic Year) ÷ Hourly Wage = Hours per Week
Please note that if the student works during winter break, spring break, or during summer, this will reduce the number of hours he or she will be able to work during the regular academic term, and will also count towards the student’s annual work-study award limit.
How To Create a Work Schedule
When creating a student's work schedule, we encourage supervisor's to be flexible. The following limits apply to student employee work hours. They may not work:
- more than 20 hours per week during normal academic periods
- more than 40 hours per week during academic breaks such as Spring and Winter break
- more than 8 hours per day
Students are not permitted to work in FWS positions during scheduled class times. Exceptions are permitted if an individual class is canceled. Any such exceptions must be documented.
Students are entitled to a paid 15 minute break after working 4 consecutive hours. They must take a meal break of not less than 30 minutes within a daily work period of five hours or more. However, if the work period is not more than six hours, the meal break may be waived by the mutual consent of you and the student. Meal breaks are not paid time.
How Much Will I Make?
Your Federal Work-study wage will be at least the current federal minimum wage, but it may be higher, depending on the type of work you do and the skills required. Your total Federal Work-Study award depends on when you apply your level of need and the funding level of your school.
Daily Sign-In Sheet
This resource is not mandatory but is available for all departments, to help keep track of the hours a student has worked.
To use the sign-in sheet, the student should begin by writing their name at the top and the current month. Everyday, when the student reports to work, they will write the date and their time in and get a staff member to sign them in (student workers should not sign other student workers in/out). Subsequently, when the students shift is done, a staff member would sign them out before they leave.