Work-Study Requirements and Guidelines
Thank you for your interest in participating as a worksite through the UMass Amherst Off-Campus Federal Work-Study (FWS) program. The opportunities you provide students through your agency will help them build invaluable career skills.
The goal of the Off-Campus FWS program at UMass Amherst is to provide opportunities for students to work in community service positions in the local Amherst area. In order to provide students with solid work opportunities, the following goals have been established for our program.
Employers participating in the Off-Campus FWS program at UMass Amherst:
- will provide opportunities for students to engage in meaningful community service functions, with preference given to positions involving direct service
- are committed to a long-term relationship with UMass Amherst to provide student employment opportunities
- will provide opportunities for students to work in positions with strong supervisory/mentoring relationships
- understand and are willing to work within the constraints created by the flexible scheduling needs of students
- understand that FWS eligibility is based on a student's need, not on skills or talent, and are willing to assist less qualified individuals gain the necessary skills needed
For more on how community service positions are defined as they relate to the FWS program, visit the Community Service Information section.
Hiring and Payroll Guidelines
Your agency will not be eligible to hire and begin paying a UMass Amherst student under the Off-Campus FWS program until we have opened an account for your agency and the Student Employment Office has approved your job descriptions (see Registering Your Agency and Hiring Work-Study Students below). UMass Amherst shall be the employer for purposes of our future contractual agreement and shall determine if the students meet the eligibility requirements for employment under the FWS program. UMass Amherst will be responsible for paying students, on an hourly basis, under its normal payroll system.
Note: If a student begins working prior to UMass Amherst approval, your agency will assume responsibility for 100% of this student's pay. In this situation the student will need to be placed on your agency's payroll and paid for all hours worked prior to the start date approved by the SEO.
As a hiring agency under the FWS program, you must submit signed weekly TIME RECORDS to indicate that the students have performed the work satisfactorily. Students are to be paid only for hours actually worked and are not to be paid for holidays, vacation, sick time, etc. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, prohibits employers (and agencies) from accepting voluntary service from any paid employee. Any student employed through the FWS program must be paid for all hours worked.
Your agency will be billed on a monthly basis from the UMass Amherst Controllers Office for your share of the total wages earned by each approved UMass Amherst student employee for the prior month. Your share will be based on the Off-Campus Federal Work-Study category under which your agency qualifies. This category will be determined based on your organizational information.
Contact the SEO at 413-545-1530 for any questions you may have about these guidelines.
Work-Study Limitations
In accordance with the requirements of federal programs, work to be performed under Off-Campus FWS agreements:
- must be either related to the student's educational objectives or in the public interest
- must be governed by employment conditions, including pay, that are reasonable according to the type of work performed, the geographic region, the employee's proficiency, and any applicable federal, state, or local law
- must not displace employees or impair existing service contracts (replacement is interpreted as displacement)
- must not involve constructing, operating, or maintaining any part of a building used for religious worship or sectarian instruction
- must not solicit, accept, or permit soliciting any fee, commission, contribution, or gift as a condition of the student's FWS employment (union dues excluded if paid by all employees)
Further, no work shall be considered in the public interest where:
- it primarily benefits the members of an organization that has membership limitations
- it involves any partisan or nonpartisan political activity or is associated with a faction in an election for public or party office
- it is work for an elected official unless the official is responsible for the regular administration of federal, state, or local government
- it is work as a political aide for any elected official
- a student's political support or party affiliation is taken into account in hiring him or her
- it involves lobbying on a federal, state, or local level
Registering Your Agency and Hiring Work-Study Students
To determine whether or not your agency qualifies for the UMass Amherst Off-Campus Federal Work-Study program, we need the following information:
- a copy of your agency's Federal Internal Revenue Letter of Certificate of Nonprofit status [501(c)(3)] or a copy of your agency's Massachusetts State Tax Exempt Certificate (for Public Agencies or Schools)
- a completed Agency Information Sheet (please make sure you include a daytime phone number where you can be reached). E-mail addresses and a fax number are required
- a job description for each job to be approved for hiring
- completed job posting(s) (these must be pre-approved by the UMass Amherst Student Employment Office along with a Job Description for each job before it will be posted and before you can hire any students to be paid under FWS funding)
- a copy of your agency's informational materials (brochures, handbooks, etc.)
- a list of your agency's current Board of Directors
Please send these materials to:
Student Employment Office
UMass Amherst
243 Whitmore Administration Building
Amherst, MA 01003-8230
Once we receive your documentation, we will review it and respond within a few weeks to let you know the status of your application. This decision will be based on the federal regulations that govern the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program. Upon approval, we will send contracts (agreements) to be signed. Once our office receives a signed contract back from your agency, we will post your job(s) and you will be ready to begin hiring students.
