Federal Work-Study

The FWS program provides Bowdoin (and other colleges) with federal funding to provide campus jobs to students with financial need. Students can then earn money to help pay for educational expenses.

In order to receive FWS funding, you simply need to complete the FAFSA. Note: Some students who do not qualify for a Bowdoin grant could potentially qualify for FWS.

For students receiving Bowdoin aid: The dollar figure you see on your student aid package is an estimated academic year earnings expectation. You may earn more or less. Check with the Office of Student Aid directly to learn the total amount of your FWS eligibility for the year.

Yes! All students at Bowdoin may work on campus regardless of their financial aid status (up to twenty hours per week during the academic year and up to forty hours per week during breaks). Students with FWS eligibility as part of their aid award may or may not choose to work on campus. If you choose not to work, you would need to find other ways to pay for your remaining educational expenses.

One significant benefit to you is that you will be able to apply for some of the community service jobs offered through the McKeen Center that are available only to students with FWS eligibility. Otherwise, there are no differences in the jobs on campus.

No, FWS is not a grant (you have to earn it) or a loan (you don’t need to repay it). FWS money is disbursed to you, the student, in wages earned through an on-campus job at Bowdoin. If you don’t work, you won’t receive any FWS wages.

Please note that your student wages are never directly applied to your Bowdoin bill. You will be paid an hourly wage that will be directly deposited into a personal bank account that you elect. If you want to apply your earned wages toward your Bowdoin billed expenses, you must pay the bursar.

Your billed and unbilled expenses that aren’t met through grants or scholarships are your responsibility. You should talk with your family or a student aid counselor if you have questions about developing a plan to pay for your expenses.

The formula for determining eligibility for FWS is as follows: Cost of Attendance (COA) minus Federal Expected Family Contribution (EFC) minus additional aid (e.g., a Bowdoin grant, state scholarships, grants, and some loans) equals your remaining need-based aid eligibility. This eligibility may be filled by a combination of need-based loans (typically a Federal Direct Subsidized Loan) and/or Federal Work-Study. A student has some flexibility to either reduce loans and work for the money, or reduce FWS eligibility in favor of increasing a student loan.

Yes. Even if you receive financial aid at Bowdoin, you may not be eligible to receive FWS funds. Federal aid regulations do not permit us to provide aid that exceeds the cost of attendance. See the FWS calculation above.

Your FWS eligibility may change over the course of the academic year. You may have borrowed a student loan, earned wages that exceeded your FWS eligibility, or received additional grants or aid. The Office of Student Aid calculates FWS eligibility every semester.