Online Federal Work Study Student Orientation

Welcome to the Federal Work Study Program. Watch the video below to begin the First-Time Federal Work Study Student Orientation.

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 University New Orleans 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. 

Your eligibility to participate in the Federal Work Study Program is determined yearly based on the information you provide on the FAFSA and is awarded in your Federal Financial Aid Package. To view your award, login to LORA Self-Service (via SSO) and view your award to see if Federal Work Study has been awarded to you this year.

If you have questions about your Federal Financial Aid package, please contact Financial Aid at 985-235-0742. 

After applying to for the available FWS positions that interest you, be sure to regularly check your @my.loyno.edu email. Federal Work Study supervisors will email you to schedule brief interviews. Be sure to respond in a timely manner to schedule your interview. 

Once you have interviewed, a supervisor/department may offer you a position. This offer may come to you verbally first, but it will also be sent to you formally via email. To formally accept the position, respond to the offer email accepting the position. This will prompt the supervisor to submit your information for hiring. You will be contacted by studentemployment@loyno.edu with next steps you need to complete. We will review these next steps below.

Please regularly check your @my.loyno.edu email and spam to ensure you don't miss any important communications. 

No, you may only have one Federal Work Study student employment position at a time. 

If you receive offers from multiple departments, you may only accept one.

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. 

After your supervisor has submitted your information for hire, you will receive an email from studentemployment@loyno.edu with instructions on the next steps you will need to take before your can begin working. You will need to complete the following steps:

• 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
• Acquire required identification for your application to be submitted
  • This is very important! Without the identification, you cannot complete the hiring process
• Submit Pre-Employment paperwork at Pre-Employment Paperwork Processing at the Human Resources Office, Mercy Hall, Room 102
  • Campus Map

NOTE: You may only start working once you and your supervisor receive an email from studentemployment@loyno.edu notifying you of your approved start date. This email will be sent once you have completed all steps required to be hired.

The onboarding paperwork consists of a series of tasks administred through a platform called NeoGov. Human Resources will send you a link to access your onboarding checklist.

• Institutional Forms
  • Drug-Free Workplace Policy
  • Workplace Violence Policy
  • Confidentiality Statement
  • Payroll Authorization (this form determines where your money goes)
    • You have two options. Money you earn from working at your Federal Work Study job may be applied directly to you student account bill or directly deposited into your bank account.
      • You may 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 to students on how to fill out tax forms. Please consult with your parents, caregivers, legal guardians, or any appropriate individual for advice or guidance as you complete these 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.  
    • 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 identification, you will not be able to submit your pre-employment paperwork regardless if you completed everything else. Please be sure to communicate with your parents, legal guardians, or caregivers to ensure that you have these documents in your possession. 

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
• Acquire required identification for your application to be submitted
  • This is very important! Without the identification, you cannot complete the hiring process
• Submit Pre-Employment paperwork at Pre-Employment Paperwork Processing at the Human Resources Office, Mercy Hall, Room 102
  • Campus Map

Most student employees work anywhere from 8-12 hours per week. 20 is the maximum number of hours you are allowed to work in one week. 

Once you have earned your full FWS award, you must immediately stop working. Please carefully track your hours and money earned with your supervisor, so you do not work more hours than your award allows.

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

Each Spring your supervisor will complete a formal evaluation of your performance. However, your supervisor should provide you with consistent and ongoing feedback throughout the year. If you have questions about your performance, feel free to check in with your supervisor at any time.

Federal Work Study (FWS) student employees may be terminated from their job at any time. Common reasons leading to termination include (but are not limited to):

• Excessive tardiness and/or absences
• Failing to notify your supervisor when you are unable to come into work
• Falsifying information on your timesheet
• Unauthorized disclosure of confidential information
• Continued, ongoing unsatisfactory job performance
• Failure to comply with departmental/office rules and regulations
• Unsatisfactory GPA

If your school work becomes too overwhelming or you feel like you are unable to continue working for any reason, you may resign from your student employment position. We understand that a student's main objective is to pursue an education.

If you would like to resign from your position, 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.

*Please note, if you stop working, you will not receive the remainder of your Federal Work Study Award. Your Federal Work Study Award is "earn as you work." If you do not work in a position, you will have no way of earning the money associated with this award.

If you have any questions about the Federal Work Study Program, please contact the Student Employment Coordinator at studentemployment@loyno.edu. To schedule an appointment, click here.

If you have any questions about your financial aid award, please contact Financial Aid at finaid@loyno.edu or 504-865-3231. To schedule an appointment with Financial Aid, click here.