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Federal Work Study Program

The Federal Work Study (FWS) is a federal financial aid work program funded by Loyola University New Orleans and the United States Department of Education. Loyola administers the FWS program in accordance with the laws, federal regulations, and instructions issued by or on behalf of the Department of Education, as well as its own institutional policies. The program provides students with demonstrated financial need the opportunity to apply for and obtain jobs where they can earn money to help with tuition and expenses as well as gain valuable work experience and develop career ready skills.

Student eligibility to participate in the Federal Work Study Program is determined yearly based on the information provided on the FAFSA and is awarded via the student's Federal Financial Aid Package. To view your financial aid award, login to LORA Self Service (via SSO). 

Along with all on-campus student employment opportunities, all jobs available to Federal Work Study eligible students are posted on Handshake, Loyola's job and internship board. To access Handshake, login to SSO and click the Handshake icon. Please note that students must apply and be hired in order to earn their federal work study funds. For more information about the Federal Work Study Program, applying to jobs, and more, please see our FAQs and important information and resources below.

If you have any questions about the Federal Work Study Program, please contact the Student Employment Coordinator at studentemployment@loyno.edu. 

Federal Work Study Wage Rate:

All new federal work study eligible students are required to participate in one Federal Work Study Orientation Session (either in-person or online). Federal Work Study Orientation sessions will provide eligible students with more information about the Federal Work Study Program and how to navigate the hiring process at Loyola University New Orleans.

 

If you have not already been offered a work study award but are interested in working during the 2024-2025 school year, you may submit an interest form to have your eligibility reviewed. 

Before submitting this form, please check your financial aid package on LORA-Self Service to see if you have already been offered a work study award. You are required to accept the work study award on your financial aid package before you will be able to apply for a job. 

Note: you must be signed into your Loyola email account on the particular browser to access the interest form.

Filling out the interest form does not guarantee you will be awarded work study but will notify the Office of Financial Aid of your interest so they can review your eligibility. In addition, please note that Federal Work Study eligibility is not guaranteed each school year, even if you have been awarded it in the past. 

Students who have completed the interest form for the 2024-2025 school year will be notified via email of their eligibility. New work study awards for eligible students will be added and students will be notified after September 20, 2024.

The 2024/2025 FWS Interest Form Is Now Closed

The Community Based Federal Work Study (CBFWS) program allows students to earn Federal Work Study awards – which are a part of your financial aid package – by working at partnering non-profit agencies in the local community. Students who qualify for need-based federal work study funds can earn $13 per hour working in CBFWS jobs. Please see a list of CBFWS Employers

For more information, please visit the Community Based Federal Work Study Website. For additional questions please contact the person about CBFWS:

  • Typhanie Butler
    • ocelts@loyno.edu

All available Federal Work Study positions are posted on Handshake, Loyola's job and internship board. Watch the video below to learn how to find and apply to Federal Work Study opportunities on Handshake.

 

After your information has been submitted the supervisor,  studentemployment@loyno.edu will contact you with the instructional email on next steps to start working. You will need to complete the following steps:

  • Attend an FWS Orientation or Complete the Online FWS Orientation
  • Complete the COVID Mitigation Training via Canvas
  • Complete required student pre-employment paperwork in NeoGov (HR will send you an activation link that you have 24 hours to access)
  • Acquire required identification for your application to be submitted to Human Resources
    • This is very important! Without the identification, you cannot complete the hiring process
    • Human Resources Office, Thomas Hall, 4th floor
    • Campus Map

Once you have completed all of the requirements, you and your supervisor will received an email approving you to start working and specifying the earliest date you can start working by. The email will come from studentemployment@loyno.edu. It usually takes about 1-2 days to receive this email after you have completed all of the required steps below: 

  • Attend an FWS Orientation or Complete the Online Orientation
  • Complete the COVID Mitigation Training via Canvas
  • Complete required student pre-employment paperwork online through NeoGov (HR will send you a portal link to your Loyola email)
  • Acquire required identification and submit to Human Resources, Thomas Hall, 4th Floor
    • This is very important! Without the identification, you cannot complete the hiring process
    • Campus Map

 

Most student employees work an average of 10 hours a week. You may not work more than 26 per week. Working hours can vary from early morning to late evening and weekends depending on the hours of operation in each department and the student's availability.

No, you may only have one Federal Work Study Position at a time. However, you may switch jobs between semesters or years. Please note to switch positions, you must apply to another position and be offered the job. This is dependent on the availability of jobs. 

In order to complete your student pre-employment paperwork through NeoGov, Human Resources will send you a link to activate your profile. You have 24 hours to activate the NeoGov link.

The Pre-Employment Paperwork consists of:

  • Institutional Forms
    • Drug-Free Workplace Policy
    • Workplace Violence Policy
    • Confidentiality Statement
    • Payroll Authorization (Where your money goes)
      • You have two options to determine where your money earned from the Federal Work Study Award goes. It can be applied to your direct deposit or student account bill.
        • You can change the designation at any time during the academic year. To do this you must resubmit this form to Human Resources (Room 102, Mercy Hall).
  • Tax Forms
    • W-4 (Federal Tax Form)
    • L-4 (Louisiana State Tax Form)
      • Unfortunately, it is illegal for employees of Loyola University New Orleans to provide advice on how to fill out tax forms to students. So please defer to your parents, caregivers, legal guardians, or any appropriate individual that can guide you on how to complete tax forms. 
  • I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification)
    • This form is important and it is what delays students the most. Please review the second page of the I-9 to see the required identification for your application to be submitted. 
      • Please note you must provide the physical identification. The Human Resources Office will not accept scans, photos, faxes, or anything else that is not the actual identification (i.e., passport, social security card, original or certified copy of a Birth Certificate)
        • Without this, you will not be able to submit your pre-employment paperwork regardless if you completed everything else. So please be sure to communicate with your parents, legal guardians, or caregivers to ensure that this you can receive these important documents to start working. 

Once you have been approved to work, please be sure to watch this video demonstration on how to find your timesheet and enter time on LORA-Self Service. If you have any issues seeing your timesheet, please contact studentemployment@loyno.edu & hrdept@loyno.edu

As a student in the Federal Work Study Program, you have the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of opportunities. Jobs at locations on-campus and off-campus may complement the your educational or career goals, but all provide you the opportunity to explore interests and gain experience. All tasks performed by student employees are essential to the efficiency and effectiveness of the operation of the University and the surrounding community.

On-campus jobs include working in the computer and educational labs, university and law libraries, and departmental and administration offices.

Off-campus jobs are handled through the Community Based Federal Work Study (CBFWS) program. These include working in schools, community centers, and other organizations that serve the needs of the community. Students are required to coordinate their own transportation to and from these sites.

 ​​​​​​Federal Work Study Students are paid on a bi-weekly (every other week) basis.

A student's main objective is to pursue an education. In view of this priority, a student may elect to cancel their Work Study award and stop working. Please consult with your supervisor to determine if a schedule change could remedy the issue. If not, please let them know you plan to stop working. 

Once that's done and you have decided to leave the Federal Work Study Program, please also notify Human Resources (hr@loyno.edu) and the student employment coordinator (studentemployment@loyno.edu) via email. This will complete the termination process.

Employment in a foreign country is not permissible under the Federal Work-Study Law.

Loyola University's Federal Work-Study Program is administered without regard to race, creed, color, sex, non disqualifying disability, or national or ethnic origin.

 

Did you know that by being enrolled at a university and being employed in the Federal Work Study Program potentially qualifies you for SNAP ? 

To learn more, please watch this workshop video providing an overview SNAP and the application process: