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Student Employment
Student employment at Heinz College includes federal work study, non-federal work study and federal community service work study. To be eligible, you must receive a work award as part of your admissions and financial aid process, or during the teaching assistant (TA) selection process for the second year.
Continuing students must meet satisfactory academic progress requirements to be eligible for federal work study including federal community service work study. Work study employment, with the exception of federal community service work study, is restricted to employment within Heinz College. Work study recipients apply for the jobs that interest them. Students may search and apply for work study positions through the university's Tartan Trak system. The pay rate for work study employment is typically $12 per hour. You may earn up to your maximum award amount and are paid bi-weekly.
Federal Community Service Work Study (FCSWS)
Types of Work Study Jobs
Research Assistants (RA)
- Positions in which students assist faculty with research.
- Award for particular research/faculty member may be included with offer of admission.
- All work study awardees receive a list of eligible RA positions at the beginning of the academic year.
Office Assistants
- Positions in which students work within the School's administrative offices assisting staff.
- All work study awardees receive a list of eligible positions at the beginning of the academic year.
Teaching Assistants (TA)
- Positions available to students in their final two semesters of study.
- TAs aid instructors by grading homework and exams, conducting review sessions and tutoring.
- First-year students apply during the Spring of the first year and, if hired, are notified prior to the start of the next academic year.
- TA positions qualify as federal work study employment and TA wages earned count as federal work study earnings for federal aid eligible students.
Management Apprentices (MA)
- Positions available to second-year MAM students.
- MAs work in administrative positions in local cultural organizations to gain experience in arts management.
- Many MA positions qualify as federal community service employment.
- Interested MAM students should contact the Director of the MAM program.
Federal Work Study
- Recipient must be enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program of study on at least a half-time basis.
- Recipient must be eligible for federal financial aid.
- Recipient must be a U.S. citizen or federal-aid-eligible non-citizen.
- Highest consideration is given to applicants who complete the financial aid application process by the suggested deadline.
- To apply, students must submit the FAFSA and Heinz College Financial Aid Application and must have financial need. Students seeking Summer 2009 Federal Work Study positions must complete the 2008-2009 and the 2009-2010 Heinz College Financial Aid Application and FAFSA.
Non-Federal Work Study
- Limited number of awards available to students who are not eligible for federal work study.
- Awarded at the time of admission based on academic merit (except Teaching Assistantships which are only available in the final 2 semesters of study).
- No separate application process.
Federal Community Service Work Study (FCSWS)
Student Guidelines
The Federal Community Service Work Study program (FCSWS) is a federally subsidized work program which provides eligible students the opportunity to work for a public or 501 (c) 3 non-profit sector organization whose mission and work benefit the community. Heinz College participates in the FCSWS program during both the academic year and Summer semesters. The typical wage is $12 per hour with the qualified employer paying 25% of the hourly wage.
Student Eligibility at Heinz College
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Generally must be enrolled on at least a half-time basis (18 or more units) at Heinz College. Students may be eligible for FCSWS during periods of non-enrollment such as for the Summer semester, provided they are planning to enroll on at least a half time basis in the next semester.
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Must have a federal work study award.
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Must be a U.S. citizen or federal-financial aid-eligible non-citizen.
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Must submit the FAFSA and Heinz College Financial Aid Application and must have financial need.
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Federal guidelines state: “Work performed must improve the quality of life for community residents, particularly low income individuals, or solve particular problems related to their needs”. These are generally nonprofit 501 (c) 3 or public organizations. Employers are required to sign a contract with Carnegie Mellon.
Work hours eligibility
- Academic year- generally 6-10 hours per week and a maximum of 250 hours for the academic year @ $12 per hour while enrolled on at-least-a-half-fime basis;
- Summer (if student is not enrolled during the Summer but expected to enroll on at-least-a-half-time basis in the Fall) - maximum of 40 hours per week and a maximum of 400 hours for the Summer @ $12 per hour;
- Summer (if student is enrolled during the Summer on at-least-a-half time basis) - approximately 6-10 hours per week and a maximum of 125 hours @ $12 per hour. Student must be awarded a Summer work study award. In order to be eligible for Summer Federal Community Service Work Study the student must be enrolled on at least a half-time basis in the prior Spring and subsequent Fall semesters.
Steps in the Approval Process
1. After meeting eligibility requirements and upon receiving a job offer from a public or nonprofit employer, ask the employer to complete and sign the Federal Community Service Job Description Form and email the form to the Heinz College Financial Aid Office at hzfinaid@andrew.cmu.edu.
2. Fill out the first section of the Student Information Form and drop off the form in the Heinz College Financial Aid Office, Hamburg Hall 1118-1119. The Financial Aid Office will complete the “Hiring Supervisor” section and will submit the form to the Office of Fiscal Management upon job approval.
3. If you have never worked on-campus, please stop by the Heinz College Office of Fiscal Management, Hamburg Hall Room 1107 to receive detailed information about getting set up on the payroll system at Carnegie Mellon.
4. Students are notified via email as soon as the position is approved. Students must not begin working prior to notification by the Heinz Financial Aid Office that the position has been approved. Heinz College is not responsible for paying wages to students who begin working prior to job approval if the job is subsequently determined as ineligible.
- Students hired through the FCSWS program are required to fill out bi-weekly timecards that have been signed by their supervisor. All timecards for FCSWS must be submitted to the Heinz College Financial Aid Office either in person, Hamburg Hall 1118A, or by fax to 412-268-7036. Please note that ONLY timecards for FCSWS must be turned in to the Financial Aid Office. Time cards for all other work study employment are turned into the Fiscal Management Office. Detailed information regarding pay periods, the timecard process, and where to pick-up paychecks may be obtained from Heinz Office of Fiscal Management.
FCSWS Frequently Asked Questions
May I start to work before the position has been approved?
No. You may begin working only after notification from the Heinz College Financial Aid Office that your position has been approved. It generally takes 3-5 business days for positions to be approved.
May I accept an additional stipend from my employer that is unrelated to my FCSWS compensation?
No, you must not receive any additional compensation while you are receiving FCSWS.
What happens if my earnings exceed my FCSWS award?
Your employer is responsible for paying 100% of your salary if your earnings exceed the work study award/allotted hours (average 150 hours per semester during the academic year).
May I accept a work-study on-campus job and a FCSWS job off-campus?
Students usually may not receive more than one type of work award or work in more than one position during the same academic year. Exceptions, such as changing positions within an academic year, changing from a federal work study position to a federal community service work study position, etc., must be pre-approved by the Heinz College Financial Aid Office before beginning work.
May I register for direct deposit?
Yes. Complete a direct deposit form at Payroll Services (4516 Henry Street, First Floor). Remember to pick up your first paycheck (even if you have signed up for direct deposit) at Cash Operations (Warner Hall basement, room A11).
If I already have had a FCSWS position in the past, do I need to repeat the same process for my new position?
The FCSWS contract applies to a specific time frame, generally Fall and Spring OR Summer, but NOT both. A new contract is required for new positions or to continue in the same position beyond the academic year or the Summer, whichever time period is covered in the initial contract with the employer. Once a contract expires because the student earns the full work study award or because the applicable period of enrollment has ended, a new contract must be signed in order for a student to continue working, provided the student has a work study award. A student must not begin working or continue working unless a valid FCSWS contract is in effect. It is not required to complete any addittional paperwork with Payroll Services once that process has been completed for another position.. For each FCSWS position, you must submit the following to the Heinz College Financial Aid Office::
- FCSWS Approval Form (completed, signed, and submitted by supervisor)
- Student Information Form (completed and submitted by student)
How does my employer learn more about the FCSWS program?
Your employer may contact Julie Glaser to learn more about the FCSWS program.
Employer Guidelines
The Federal Community Service Work Study (FCSWS) program is a federally subsidized work program which provides eligible students the opportunity to work for public or 501 (c) 3 non-profit organizations whose mission and work benefits the community. In most cases, the salary is $12 per hour with the qualifying employer paying the 25% "non-federal share" of the hourly wage. Students must not receive compensation from the employer beyond the 25% non-federal share paid by the employer. Eligibility/Federal guidelines state:
- The job/internship, must have a direct impact on improving the quality of life in the community.
- The organization must be a non-profit (501 (c) 3) or public organization.
- The student must have a federal work study award.
- Carnegie Mellon's contract must be signed by the eligible organization in order for the student to participate. The contract is specific to the FCSWS program. No other contracts, either at the request of the employer or the student, are signed by Carnegie Mellon University relative to the FCSWS program.
Hiring a Student
- Send an electronic copy of the job description to the FCSWS Coordinator at jglaser@andrew.cmu.edu, The FCSWS Coordinator works with Career Services to advertise the position to Heinz College students
- Interview students who have applied for the position, and select the student with a work study award, you wish to hire.
- Complete and submit the one-page Federal Community Service Job Description Form to jglaser@andrew.cmu.edu providing the finalized job description, contact information, and FCSWS checklist.
- The Carnegie Mellon Director of Student Employment reviews to ensure federal guidelines are met, and contacts the employer to discuss and finalize a contract between Carnegie Mellon and your organization.
- Once the contract is signed by the employer and received and approved by Carnegie Mellon, the student may begin working.
- The employer agrees to pay 25% of the agreed upon hourly wage for the student salary; the Federal government subsidizes 75% of the student salary up to the student's federal work study eligibility. The hourly wage is generally $12 per hour. Students must not receive compensation beyond the work study wage.
- Generally a student receives a $3,000 work study award for the Fall/Spring 9-month academic year and up to $4,800 for the Summer semester. The Summer award amount depends on the student's Summer enrollment status.
Monitoring Student Hours
- Monitor student working hours and sign bi-weekly timecard issued by Carnegie Mellon.
- The student submits the signed timecard to the Financial Aid Coordinator by 3:00 p.m. on the date due. It is suggested that employers keep copies of timecards for their records.
- Carnegie Mellon bills the employer monthly for the 25% non federal share of the student’s hourly wage based on timecard records.
- The employer is responsible for paying 100% of wages that exceed the student’s work study award.