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Federal Work Study

Student Information

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Eligibility

Any student participating in a Federal Work Study position must have a FWS award on their Financial Aid Award for the current academic year they wish to work. If you are planning to return to a position into a new academic year please check that you were awarded Federal Student Aid.  If you have any questions regarding this please reach out to finaid@upstate.edu regarding a students Financial Aid award and eligibility.  Financial Aid Awards are awarded each academic year and are not automatically re-awarded the following year. 

Award

Students are awarded a specific dollar amount for the academic year. Students may work and earn up to that full amount over the course of the academic year (July 1st-June 30th). All Federal Work Study positions will earn $16 per hour. If a student is working a lot and notices that they approaching their maximum award they may reach out to the Financial Aid Work Study Coordinator at finaid@upstate.edu to request an increase in their award. This will be based on available funding that that time.

Positions

All open Federal Work Study Positions must be applied through the Human Resources Website, Page Up System.  Students may search for open positions under the “Student Opportunities” tab and apply to any Federal Work Study Positions.

Please note: If you are a current student and planning to return to your position after the summer months then you do not need to re-apply if you have been in touch with your supervisor regarding your return and you were awarded Federal Work Study.  If you have had any break in service from this position then you will need to re-apply. For any new positions’ students must apply and interview.  If selected for the position the supervisor will inform the FWS Coordinator and you will receive an email regarding the required next steps.

What counts as work?

The federal work study program is a federal fund administered by SUNY Upstate Medical University Office of Financial Aid.  Generally, students can be paid for duties assigned by an Upstate supervisor in an Upstate position.  Supervisors must sign off on work performed on a student's biweekly timesheet.  FWS positions are posted on the careers.upstate.edu page under Student Opportunities.  

 

Some things that do NOT count as work for FWS purposes include:

  • Conference attendance
  • Travel to conferences
  • Work for a supervisor outside Upstate that has not been approved by Financial Aid first
  • Work for another supervisor that you are not hired under

If you are uncertain if work is eligible for FWS, please schedule an appointment with Financial Aid.  

Human Resources and Payroll Paperwork

Once students are selected by their supervisor they will receive an email outlining their next steps regarding the HR and Payroll paperwork.  

  • Students must “accept the position” through their application. This will then active the On-Boarding portal. Please complete all tasks in the On-Boarding Portal.
  • Students must visit the HR department on the 4th Floor of Jacobsen Hall to present valid ID, and complete the I-9 and retirement forms. These forms must be completed in person between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. If you are unable to stop in then please reach out to Elizabeth Jim at JimE@upstate.edu to schedule a time.  A student cannot begin working until this paperwork is completed.   

Acceptable forms of ID can be one of the following

  1. Passport
  2. Driver License & Social Security Card
  3. Driver License & Birth Certificate

Payment

Students must keep track of their hours and report to their supervisors.  Due to some updates and changes we are temporarily using paper time sheets while the new system is being built.  If you haven't already, sign up for Direct Deposit to receive your paychecks quickly and securely.  

Supervisors

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Overview

SUNY Upstate Medical University offers a Federal Work Study Positions for our current students. These students must be awarded a Federal Work Study Award on their Financial Aid Award.  This means that students must have a Federal Student Aid Application (FAFSA) on file with us and be eligible for federal student aid and work study.  All students earn $16 per hour and are awarded a specific amount in their financial aid package.  If a student is working more hours and notices they are approaching the maximum amount they may request for additional funds pending the funding amounts available.  If you’re working with a student and they do not have Federal Work Study on their award please have them reach out to us at workstudy@upstate.edu and we can evaluate their eligibility.

 

What counts as work?

The federal work study program is a federal fund administered by SUNY Upstate Medical University Office of Financial Aid.  Generally, students can be paid for duties assigned by an Upstate supervisor in an Upstate position.  Supervisors must sign off on work performed on a student's biweekly timesheet.  FWS positions are posted on the careers.upstate.edu page under Student Opportunities.  

 

Some things that do NOT count as work for FWS purposes include:

  • Conference attendance
  • Travel to conferences
  • Work for a supervisor outside Upstate that has not been approved by Financial Aid first
  • Work for another supervisor that you are not hired under

If you are uncertain if work is eligible for FWS, please contact workstudy@upstate.edu for further clarification.   

Posting a Position

If you’re interested in hiring a new Federal Work Study please complete the Federal Work Study Job Description form and submit to workstudy@upstate.edu The position(s) will be posted on the HR website under “Student Opportunities”.  

It is the supervisor’s responsibility to check the Page-Up account for any new FWS applications.  Supervisors may interview the students they would like to consider for the position.  If a supervisor would like to hire a student for FWS based on the Page Up application they will need to email Danielle Emeny at workstudy@upstate.edu letting her know who they plan to hire and what their start date will be. Please note: A student is unable to begin working until all of their HR/Payroll paperwork is submitted.

Danielle will then email the student and include the supervisor with the next steps regarding the HR and Payroll forms the student will need to complete. 

Payroll / Hours

Federal Work Study is no longer using Kronos to keep track of the student hours worked.  The IT department is currently creating a new system that can be used in Self Serve.  For the time being, they are currently using a paper time sheet that you can scan or email to STATEPR@upstate.edu For any questions regarding the time sheet please reach out to Susan Higman at higmans@upstate.edu

Updates

If at any time there is a change of employment for the Federal Work study position please let Danielle Emeny know at workstudy@upstate.edu.  This includes if a student has left the position, graduated, withdrew from the university etc.

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