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About the Community Work-Study Program
The Community Work-Study (CWS) Program engages community partners and students in meaningful work experiences that not only help partners reach their organizational goals, but also help students learn and develop through community-based, real-world experiences. Approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit and government agencies can hire students and only pay 25% of their wages, with the federal government subsidizing the remainder.
Approximately 3,000 IU Indianapolis students are offered work-study awards each academic year as part of their financial aid packages. CWS is part of the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program by the U.S. Department of Education.
If you are interested in becoming an approved CWS agency, or if you have questions about the program, please contact the Office of Student Employment.
Become an approved agency
To be considered an approved agency for the Community Work-Study Program, your organization must be a nonprofit or a government entity. You must go through the application and vetting process to be eligible to hire students with work-study awards. The process includes the completion, signing, and submission of several documents for IU’s compliance officer to review. The review takes approximately two to three weeks after you send in all required documentation.
If your organization is approved as a CWS Program employer, your organization will be assigned an IU account number. You will also receive a letter and information via email from the IU Indianapolis Office of Student Employment regarding your account number, recruitment, and hiring work-study-eligible students.
If you are interested in learning more about this program, or if you have any questions about this process, email fwsjobs@iu.edu for more information and guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Each time you hire a student, you will receive an invoice via email from IU for 25% of the student's Federal Work-Study Program award limit. Student work-study award limits vary and will be stated on their Federal Work-Study Program authorization form, which the student will receive electronically. For example, if a student’s work-study award limit is $3,000, you will be invoiced $750; the payment will go into your IU account. Each time a student is paid, a withdrawal will be made from your IU account to cover your portion of the student’s wages for that pay period. Any unused amount in your account will be refunded upon request or will remain as a credit in your account.
Paychecks are issued by the IU Indianapolis payroll office. If the student has not signed up for direct deposit, the student will receive a university-issued Visa debit card, and the paycheck will be deposited onto that card. Once your agency is approved, you will receive a tutorial on the Kuali Time system.
Your organization determines students’ hourly pay rates. Per federal and IU regulations, students must receive at least $10.15 per hour. Pay must be commensurate with that of other employees who are doing the same work but do not have work-study awards. A pay rate should always be determined by the value of the job, not by the size of the work-study award. Please contact fwsjobs@iu.edu if you want to discuss pay rates further.
Students may earn as much of their work-study award amount as specified on the Federal Work-Study Program authorization form. Gross pay is used in calculating how much the student has earned. For example, if a student has an award of $3,000 and has a pay rate of $10.15 per hour, the student may work a total of 295 hours over the course of the Federal Work-Study Program eligibility period to earn their entire work-study award. If a student earns more than their work-study award amount, the CWS employer will be responsible for 100% of the student’s wages beyond the award amount, and the student's CWS position will be immediately concluded.
Students record hours worked by logging into IU’s online Kuali Time System via a computer or other internet-enabled device at your agency. You, as the employer, will also go online to approve each student’s time sheet at the end of each pay period. The pay periods are two weeks long.
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IU Indianapolis
Office of Student Employment
University Tower, Suite 202
911 W North St
Indianapolis,
IN
46202
USA
Monday: 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Tuesday: 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Scheduled appointments: Varying times during operating hours In-person drop-in hours: Please call or email us to make an appointment. Drop-in appointments will resume in August.