Contact Us
To learn more information or partner with us, please email our Federal Work Study Manager, Andrea Lewis at ASENSFSFWS@jh.edu or schedule an appointment.
Federal Work-Study for Off-Campus Employers
Overview
The Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program provides subsidized, part-time employment for students with financial need, helping them to earn money for education expenses. The program encourages community service roles that enhance the quality of life for residents in the community or address specific community needs. Additionally, FWS supports positions related to a student’s field of study, providing valuable career experience for students.
Johns Hopkins University has partnered with The Partnership for Student Success (PSS) and its initiative to strengthen connections between universities and local nonprofit organizations through the Federal Work- Study program. Together we aim to contribute our resources to support the academic success of K-12 students in our community, as we share our dedication to making a positive impact on young lives. To learn more of the PSS initiatives you can visit their website.
How It Works
- Eligible students apply for jobs through SMILE, where employers post opportunities
- Students typically work 8-10 hours per week; maximum 20 hours during periods of enrollment and up to 40 hours during periods of non-enrollment
- Employers provide supervision and meaningful work experience for students
Employer Benefits
- Access to student talent at a reduced cost
- Earning subsidies covering 75% – 100% of wages, reducing staffing costs
- Local travel grants for students working in off-campus community service roles
Federal Work-Study Funding Categories
FWS job funding for community partners is determined by the Office of Student Financial Support based on the type of position the employer offers to students.
Funding Categories
Traditional
- Positions that do not meet the requirement for community service, or America Reads, Math Tutors or Civic Engagement.
- Federal Share: 75%
- Employer Share: 25%
Community Service
- Positions at federal, state or local public agencies or non-profits that benefit the public and improves community quality of life
- Federal Share: 75% – 90%
- Employer Share: 25% to 10%
America Reads
- Reading Tutors for preschool to elementary age children.
- 100% Federally Funded
Math Tutors
- Math tutors for elementary to 9th grade
- 100% Federally Funded
Civic Engagement
- Literacy, civic education & emergency preparedness for preschool to elementary age children
- 100% Federally Funded
Off Campus Employer Responsibilities
Steps to Partner With Us
The Office of Student Financial Support collaborates with community organizations to provide meaningful employment opportunities. As an off campus employer, you can gain access to talented student workers while supporting their educational and career development. Partnering with us, allows your organization benefits from subsidized wages and a streamline hiring process, while making a positive impact in the community.
Step 1: Schedule an Interest Meeting
- Schedule meeting with the FWS Manager Andrea Lewis
- Discuss FWS program, process, timeline and requirements
- Discuss community partner organization and hiring needs
Step 2: Submit Job Request Form
Complete and submit Federal Work-Study Student Job Request Form(s) to the Office of Student Financial Support.
Step 3: Review and Sign FWS Agreement
- The Office of Student Financial Support will determine community partner’s FWS eligibility
- Community partner will review, sign and submit Federal Work-Study Program Off-Campus Agreement
Step 4: Post Jobs & Hire Students
- Once the signed Federal Work-Study Program Off-Campus Agreement is received and signed by both the community partner and the Office of Student Financial Support, the community partner will post job(s) on SMILE and begin hiring.
- Students are required to submit a Federal Work-Study Authorization form to their employer prior to starting work
Step 5: Submit List of Hired Students to Us
- As students are selected to be hired, submit the FWS Hired Students and Award Conversion Request Form with the list of all hired students
- The Office of Student Finacial Support will update the student’s FWS award with the corresponding approved FWS category of the community partner and if applicable award FWS travel grant
Frequently Asked Questions
- Work Hours and Eligibility
- Documents and Forms
- Job Posting and Hiring
- Award Management
- Travel Grants
- Paying the Employer Share
- Continued Partnership
Work Hours and Eligibility
How do I confirm if a student has FWS for the academic year?
To confirm if a student has FWS for the academic year please email the FWS Manager Andrea Lewis at ASENSFSFWS@jh.edu with the student’s first and last name, and their JHU email address. Please remember that once you decide to hire the student you will need to submit their information using the FWS Hired Students and Award Conversion Request Form to ensure their earnings are updated to reflect the correct funding category.
What are the work hour limits for students?
- Students can work a maximum of eight (8) hours a day and 20 hours per week when enrolled in courses. This also means if a student is working more than one FWS position they cannot work more than 20 combined hours per week across all FWS positions.
- During intersession and summer students can work up to 40 hours a week if they are not enrolled in classes.
- For student workers over 18 years of age, breaks of 20 minutes or more are unpaid. Breaks of less than 20 minutes must be paid. There is no legal requirement to provide a break during a work shift. However, for students who work six (6) consecutive hours or more in one day, we strongly recommend that they be granted a 30-minute lunch break.
How do students submit their hours worked?
Students must submit their hours worked using TimesheetX. Additional information about utilizing TimesheetX can be found at the TimesheetX Resource Center.
Are students eligible for FWS during the summer and intersession term?
- Yes. Students may be eligible for FWS during the summer and intersession terms. Federal Work-Study offers summer employment at off-campus placements for Community Service and America Reads positions.
- Students working for Community Service and America Reads positions do not need to be enrolled in courses during the summer to participate in the work-study program, but they should be planning to re-enroll for the upcoming fall semester.
- Students working in Traditional positions must be enrolled in courses during the summer to participate in the work-study program for those semesters.
- Intersession FWS is offered based on funding availability. Students must have been enrolled during the Fall semester of the academic year or intend to enroll in the upcoming Spring Semester. Students do not have to be enrolled during intersession to be eligible for FWS.
- During intersession and summer students can work up to 40 hours a week if they are not enrolled in classes.
Can a student’s Federal Work-Study award change during the academic year?
Yes. Occasionally, the Office of Student Financial Support will need to revise the award amount for the academic year based on changes in financial circumstances or receipt of additional financial resources, such as outside scholarships. When a student’s Federal Work-Study award changes, an email is sent to the student indicating that their financial aid offer has been revised and may be viewed on SIS (Student Information System). The employer will be notified if the changes impact the student’s eligibility to participate in the FWS program.
Documents and Forms
What documents are employers required to submit?
- Federal Work-Study Agency Information Form: Employers will use this form to provide background and contact information for their organizations.
- Federal Work-Study Student Job Request Form: A job request/description must be on file for every job role you intend to hire students to work. If all students will be performing the same role under the same title, one job request form can be submitted for the role.
- Federal Work-Study Program Off-Campus Agreement: The agreement outlines the details of the Johns Hopkins University Federal Work-Study program including the rate of reimbursement for which your organization has been approved.
- Federal Work-Study Authorization form: Before a student begins working for your organization, you and the student must also complete and submit a Federal Work- Study Authorization form. This form can be obtained from the Office of Student Financial Support. The Federal Work-Study Authorization form indicates the amount of the student’s Federal Work-Study award, the type of Federal Work-Study program for which the student is approved (Federal Work-Study, Community Service, America Reads), the remaining eligibility and the award deadlines. If the Federal Work-Study award of a student changes, it is the responsibility of the student to notify you of the changes and submit a revised Federal Work-Study Authorization form to your office.
How do I obtain Federal Work-Study Authorization form for a student?
Students can access their Federal Work-Study Authorization form through their Student Information System (SIS) account. The student must go to myJHU and sign in to SIS, select the appropriate academic year and click on the Federal Work Study Authorization Form. This form can be saved as a PDF to provide/email to the employer. If a student is unable to access their form, please e-mail ASENSFSFWS@jh.edu to request a Federal Work-Study Authorization form. In your request, please include the student’s first and last name and their JHU e-mail address.
What are some other resources that I will need as the employer?
Job Posting and Hiring
What tasks am I responsible for as the employer?
- Interview, hire, train and supervise student employees
- Establish student work schedules that do not conflict with their class schedule or exceed the weekly hour limit.
- 20-hour weekly limit while enrolled in classes
- 40-hour weekly limit during intersession and summer only when not enrolled
- Define the student’s duties and responsibilities as a member of your staff
- Approve and sign student’s timesheets through Timesheet X
- Monitor student earnings
How do I post a job?
You may post a job on our SMILE website. If you need additional instructions or need to determine the salary requirement for a job, please refer to https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/studentemployment/ under the Employer tab.
Award Management
How can I assist my student with monitoring their earnings?
Students can view their most up to date award amount through their Student Information System (SIS) account. They should compare their award amount to their earnings they are reporting via TimesheetX to track how much of their award is still available to earn. If a student is ever unsure or has questions, you or the student can email the FWS Manager Andrea Lewis at ASENSFSFWS@jh.edu.
What happens if a student exceeds their FWS award?
It is the responsibility of the student and the supervisor to track the student’s hours worked and their earnings. If a student exceeds their allotted award the employer will receive a communication. Students must be paid for all hours worked and it will be the responsibility of the employer to cover the full amount of the overage.
Travel Grants
What is the eligibility for the travel grant?
- Students must be receiving need based financial aid from Johns Hopkins University
- The job position must be off campus and approved by Student Financial Support
- Due to limited funding, students with an off-campus community service FWS position will be given priority, especially those roles that involve reading/math tutoring, mentoring, or post-secondary advising
Can FWS students receive assistance with their travel costs to and from work?
The Office of Student Financial Support provides a semester local travel grant for students working in off-campus community service roles. Eligible students can receive a travel grant of $150 a month, totaling $675 for a typical 4.5-month semester, and a summer semester grant of $450. This amount is based on the cost of a monthly MTA pass in the Baltimore area and the occasional use of ride-share services like Uber and Lyft.
Do FWS students need to apply for the FWS Travel grant?
No. The Office of Student Financial Support will review all actively working FWS students for travel award eligibility at the beginning of each semester.
How do FWS students access their FWS Travel grant?
The FWS Travel grant is posted to students’ billing account and a refund is then processed directly to the student based on their refund elections in their Student Information System (SIS) account.
Paying the Employer Share
My organization is partnering with JHU to pay our students workers. What is the process for remitting the payment for our share of the student earnings?
At the end of each semester an invoice will be sent to each partner detailing the total earnings and employer share for each student worker and the total amount due to JHU.
How often will my organization need to remit payment for our employer share?
Payment will be required at the end of each semester and employers will have 45 days to submit their payment.
Where should payments be sent for the employer share?
Please make your check payable to Johns Hopkins University – SFS. Then mail your payment along with your invoice to:
Johns Hopkins University – SFS
3400 N. Charles Street
Levering Hall Suite 115
Baltimore, MD 21218
Can I pay the invoice in installments?
All payments are due in full within 45 days of the invoice date. If you need assistance with payment arrangements, please contact Student Financial Support at asensfsfws@jh.edu.
What happens if I don’t pay the invoice on time?
Late payment may result in a loss of eligibility to participate in the Federal Work-Study Program in future terms. If payment issues are not resolved, this could impact students’ ability to continue working with your organization. Please make sure to meet the deadline to avoid these disruptions.
Can we make payments using our business credit card?
At this time, only check payments can be accepted.
Who should I contact if I have questions about the payment process?
For any inquiries related to billing or payments, please contact Student Financial Support at asensfsfws@jh.edu .
Continued Partnership
My organization currently partners with JHU, what will I need to do to continue my partnership for the next year?
We value your partnership, and we are excited to have you continue to partner with us. The Federal Work-Study manager will reach out to you via e-mail to confirm your continued participation. At that time, you will be asked to submit the following:
- An updated Federal Work-Study Program Off-Campus Agreement
- An updated Federal Work-Study Student Job Request Form.
- Once you begin hiring students for the new academic year, you will also need to submit all hires (new and returning) via the FWS Hired Students and Award Conversion Request Form.
