What is Federal Work Study?
Federal funds pay a portion of the wages of financially needy students who are working on campus or at designated local community service jobs. A U.S. student typically has a Federal Work-Study allocation in his/her financial aid award. At Bennington, this means that the student may earn up to the amount indicated (usually $1,900 per year, about nine hours per week). Bennington does not assign FWS jobs. Students apply for the jobs they choose. Some students earn less than the allocated amount or do not choose to use the FWS allocation at all. Workers are paid every two or three weeks. The job opportunities are many and vary from traditional library or food service positions to building drama production scenery or helping teach an after-school arts program. There are a limited number of regular student payroll jobs for students who do not qualify for the Federal Work-Study program. We do not guarantee a student an on-campus job. [Back to Top.
Students may be eligible for part-time employment through the Federal Work Study (FWS) program. Students may work up to 20 hours per week and earn a monthly paycheck. Federal Work Study awards are determined by financial need (by completing the FAFSA) and available to students enrolled in six (6) or more units per semester. Refer to your award notification to see if you qualified for work study. If you do, come into the financial aid office for a work application.
Federal Work Study will appear on the award letter of students who are eligible to participate in the program. Work study is money you earn by working on campus, while enrolled in school, that will help pay your educational expenses. Wages and earnings from employment through the work study program are not credited to students’ accounts in the Business Office. A paycheck will be received every two weeks for actual hours worked.
