Federal Work-Study is a federally funded program offering part-time employment for students with demonstrated financial need, as determined by the FAFSA. It serves as a financial aid resource to help offset educational costs through earned income.
- Purpose: FWS allows eligible students to earn funds for tuition, books, and living expenses.
- Employment Terms: All positions are strictly part-time to accommodate academic schedules.
- Fund Disbursement: Unlike grants or scholarships, FWS earnings are not applied directly to your tuition statement. Students receive these funds as a standard paycheck for hours worked.
- Participation: The program is optional; students are not required to accept FWS even if they are eligible.
FWS is only one pathway to student employment. Students who do not qualify for FWS—or who choose not to participate—may apply for regular part-time positions through the JCCC job board. For inquiries regarding non-FWS student employment or general hiring procedures, please contact Human Resources.
How to Apply for FWS
Apply for FWS by completing the FAFSA, which determines eligibility for the program. We encourage you to complete the FAFSA as soon as it becomes available, before JCCC’s March 15 priority deadline.
Students should be enrolled in at least six hours of classes and must be making financial aid satisfactory academic progress to be eligible for FWS.
You’ll need to complete a new FAFSA each year to determine continued eligibility for FWS.
How to Get an FWS Job
An FWS offer does not guarantee employment; positions are limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Eligible students should attend the FWS Career Fair in August, which is the best way to secure a job. Candidates are encouraged to dress professionally and prepare their work history in advance. For assistance with preparation, please contact the JCCC Career Development Center.
JCCC has a wide range of FWS job opportunities. Job categories and general descriptions include:
- Lab Aide: Assist with various tasks including monitoring, facilities maintenance, set-up and more.
- Office Aide: Perform administrative and other office-related duties.
- Service Aide: Provide hands-on assistance through service-related involvement and activities.
Positions are offered throughout all areas of campus, in various departments. Community service positions are also available which may be off campus. There are a variety of opportunities to complement a student’s area of study or career interest.
If you get hired at the career fair, you must accept your FWS financial aid offer through MyJCCC and go through the formal JCCC hiring process. See the Hiring Process below.
Funding for the FWS program is limited and not guaranteed each year, so be sure to apply before the FAFSA priority deadline every year!
FWS students may work up to 10 hours per week, depending on the maximum level of earnings available. The actual work schedule is set by the position supervisor, who’ll schedule around your courses since you can’t work during class time.
Generally, students do not work during periods when classes are not in session at the college, including the winter break between semesters, spring break and during finals week.
Although student employees are not eligible for traditional benefits such as medical insurance, leave time or holiday pay, an FWS job can establish a strong foundation for your future career path and help you gain valuable experience.
Once you attend the job fair, get hired, and accept FWS on MyJCCC, you’ll receive more information from the Financial Aid Office. Hired students must complete an employment application, FWS orientation, and hiring paperwork with JCCC Human Resources.
After you’ve accepted a job offer, you’ll receive an email from JCCC Human Resources to complete your official hiring paperwork. Part of the hiring paperwork includes a background check and acceptable I-9 documentation.
After you've accepted a FWS job offer, you will be notified by email when it’s time to complete the online new hire paperwork. You’ll also need to connect with JCCC Human Resources (HR) to schedule a time to provide acceptable forms of ID for the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification and work authorization.
You’ll establish your W-4 Federal Tax Withholding and K-4 Kansas State Tax forms through HR. HR will also help you set-up your method for receiving your paycheck.
All HR hiring paperwork and the FWS Student Employment Agreement must be completed to be permitted to work and get paid.
FWS students are paid twice monthly, on the 15th and the last day of the month based on the hours worked. JCCC will issue a W-2 form at the end of the year for you to use for tax filing.
Timecards are required for each payment period. The due dates are listed on the JCCC Hourly Payroll Calendar, which you will receive during your FWS orientation.
Your timecard is accessed through your MyJCCC account. Time in and time out is entered based on your daily start and end times. Hours worked are marked on the hour or in 15-minute intervals, based on your schedule.
You are responsible for making sure that your timecard is properly filled out and submitted on time. Failure to accurately complete your timecard and turn it in on time may result in a delay of two weeks or more in receiving your paycheck. If you continually fail to complete and submit your timecard, you'll be terminated from the program.
Student employees must accurately report hours worked and supervisors will certify the time submitted.
Falsifying a timecard will result in immediate and permanent termination. The legal penalties are severe:
The student may be charged with forgery and petty larceny, one count for each timecard. These are misdemeanor charges. If the pay illegally obtained is large enough, a felony charge of grand larceny may be made.
There are federal laws regarding fraud in obtaining financial aid. Fines of up to $10,000 and five years in jail are potential penalties. Immediate termination of financial aid, repayment of aid received and a permanent bar from receiving further financial aid of any type are possible. The student must be reported to the U.S. Department of Education for possible prosecution.
Conviction of a felony will bar a student from entering certain professions such as teaching, nursing and law enforcement. If a student is terminated or voluntarily decides to stop working, the remaining FWS funding offer will not be paid.
All College employees, including FWS student employees, are expected to exhibit good work habits in the workplace.
You are expected to:
- Be at work at the time you are scheduled and stay for as long as you are scheduled to be there.
- If you are sick or an emergency comes up, call your supervisor as soon as you know you will not be available. Illness cannot be planned, but a phone call can help your supervisor make plans for the day.
- Request time off in advance if you need to see a doctor or a dentist and you cannot schedule the appointment for a time when you are not scheduled to work. These requests for time off should be made in writing.
- Follow timekeeping procedures, maintain accurate records of the hours you work, and accurately complete and submit your timecard.
In addition, many of the College's personnel policies apply to FWS student employees.
FWS student employees work in virtually every department at the College and perform a variety of duties important to our success. Research shows that employment is a primary factor in student success. Students who work are more likely to earn a degree and earn higher grades than their non-working peers. Part-time work experience is a significant factor in career choice and success.
A supervisor’s role is vital to the management and development of one of the JCCC’s most important resources, our student employees.
Employer supervisory responsibilities include the following:
- Provide clearly defined supervision through well-defined expectations, resources and support.
- Report student employee work hours accurately, verifying the hours submitted on the timecard.
- Monitor the student employee’s performance for quality of work.
At the end of each semester, supervisors are encouraged to do an evaluation of the student’s job performance. Many times, students are asked to return to the same position in a subsequent year!