Community Work Study
The Federal Community Work Study (CWS) program provides community-based jobs to eligible 51ÉçÇø students. CWS is coordinated by the Center for Community Engagement and the Office of Financial Aid. This employment and experiential learning opportunity is designed to assist with the cost of your college education, reinforce your educational and career goals, and enable you to engage with the community. Award amounts can vary, but Community Work Study students are typically eligible to work up to 150 hours per semester for fall and spring, and typically 20-36 hours per week during summer at a $11 hourly rate. Remote and in-person work is available, and this program serves students on all 51ÉçÇø campuses.
The Community Work-Study Program allows you to:
- Gain relevant, career-related work experience
- Have direct contact with professionals in non-profit and public service-related fields
- Network with community partners that could help you attain a career post-graduation
- Meaningfully engage with the community
How to Apply for Students and Host Sites
Eligibility
CWS awards are based on the result of the student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Undergraduate, graduate, and professional students are eligible for the program, with final eligibility determined by the 51ÉçÇø Office of Financial Aid. Since this a federally funded program, the student(s) cannot take part in partisan or non-secular activity as part of their CWS job.
2023-2024 Program Dates
- Second Summer Pay Period 2023 6/18/23 – 8/26/23
- Fall Pay Period 8/27/23 - 12/30/23
- Spring Pay Period 12/31/23 - 5/11/24
- First Summer Pay Period 5/12/24 - 6/15/24
Apply or Become a Host Site
For Students
To qualify for a CWS position, a student must be enrolled for the academic semester/year, be in good academic standing, and must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) prior to applying to the program. Students can determine if they are Work Study eligible in the Financial Aid Award Letter they receive from The Office of Financial Aid, or by contacting their Financial Aid Advisor. Students are encouraged to ask specifically if they are eligible for the Community Work Study Program when reaching out to Financial Aid.
The Office of Financial Aid will make the final determination of eligibility based on the FAFSA. Upon placement, students will report their hours via Workforce, with their supervisor verifying their timesheet. While in the program, students will earn $11 an hour and may work up to 10 hours per week during the semester, and up to 36 hours per week during the summer.
Student Application Instructions
Applications to the Community Work Study Program are accepted via GivePulse. If you haven't logged in before, click "Log In" in the upper right corner of our using your OHIO email address and password to log in through OU's Single Sign On.
Once you have created your account, join the . You will be prompted to request membership to the group and submit your PID to verify your eligibility. If determined eligible, you will be admitted into the group where you can then search open positions by clicking the CWS Positions tab above the About section. If a position is still open, an Apply Now button will appear in the top right corner. Once you have submitted your application materials, the host site will reach out to you to coordinate an interview if they are interested in moving forward with your application.
Regional campus students have access to the master list of positions listed in the group and will also find subgroups specific to their campus that appear in the Subgroups section below the About section on the group page. Opportunities from partners in regional communities are cross-posted into these subgroups, and remote opportunities are available to students across the institution.
Once admitted into the program, the CCE will connect students with University Human Resources and schedule a brief orientation session with our staff to introduce students to the program and answer any questions.
For Community Host Sites
To be a host site for the Community Work Study program, the organization must be a nonprofit or government agency. If you are interested in becoming a host site, please reach out to communityengagement@ohio.edu to schedule an orientation meeting and follow the instructions below to post a position.
Step 1:
Option a) If you haven't yet, create a user account on by clicking Sign Up in the top corner and entering your name, email and password. (This email address will be where notifications are sent when students apply to your posting.)
Option b) Reach out to communityengagement@ohio.edu and our staff will add your account manually to GivePulse and the Community Work Study group referenced in Step 2.
Step 2: Once you have an account affiliated with 51ÉçÇø, find and select the Community Work Study Program icon under "Subgroups" on or click this link to request membership to the . You will be prompted to request membership. Scroll down, indicate you are a community partner, and enter N/A for PID and other student-only information.the 51ÉçÇø Give Pulse page
Step 3: Upon membership approval the Community Work Study group, enter the page.
Step 4: On the Community Work Study GivePulse page, navigate to the 'CWS Positions' tab select "Submit Internship" in the top right corner.
Step 5: Complete the form by filling out the position description and details, save and submit. The "internship" will not be published until the CCE reviews the position.
If you are requesting a non-remote student employee, please submit the additional documents requested at the end of the form.
Step 6: The CCE will review your submission and request a CWS placement with your organization to be created with the Office of Financial Aid. We strive to meet the needs of all of our partners, however, there are a finite number of placements available for this program each year, so every request may not be able to be approved.
- Upon approval, you will be notified that your position has been published and your posting will appear in the listing of open opportunities accessible to eligible students. The administrator of the position and CCE staff will receive notifications as students apply to the posting.
- Regional campus affiliates and remote positions will be cross-posted in regional campus subgroups, which allow regional students to browse opportunities specifically in their communities as well as search the master listing.
Step 7: Community partners are encouraged to reach out to applicants and conduct interviews at their convenience as students apply. Once the determination to move forward and hire a student is made, please reach out to Courtney at to formalize the placement with the Office of Financial Aid. The CCE will then follow up with the student to submit necessary paperwork to Human Resources.lefebvrec@ohio.edu