The Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program is a federally funded financial aid program that provides part-time employment opportunities to eligible students with financial need. The program allows students to work part-time on any COTC campus to help pay educational expenses while gaining valuable work experience.

Students are paid for the hours they work and receive their earnings in the form of a paycheck. Federal Work-Study funds are not applied directly to a student’s tuition or institutional charges. Students may use their earnings to help pay educational expenses such as tuition, books, transportation, housing, and personal expenses.

Eligibility for Federal Work-Study is determined annually based on a student’s financial need as demonstrated on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), the availability of federal funding, and institutional awarding policies. Receiving a Federal Work-Study award does not guarantee employment. Students must apply for and be hired into an eligible work-study position.  If you are eligible for Federal Work Study, you should see the amount you qualify for on your Financial Aid Notification on MYCOTC.  If you need assistance determining whether you are eligible for Federal Work Study, contact Student Financial Services.

Because funding is limited, students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA as early as possible each year and apply for available work-study positions promptly.

Student Employment

Students who are interested in working on a COTC campus can view open positions and apply.

When students apply, jobs on campus will have categorization: 

• FWS positions are Federal Work Study and only students who are eligible for Federal Work Study can apply for these positions.
• Wage positions are open for any student to apply (students do not have to be eligible for Federal Work Study to apply to Wage positions).
• Some jobs on campus have the same application and hiring process, while other jobs have a different application and hiring process. The jobs will be categorized: Area 1 or Area 2.

In most cases, students who apply for a job on campus will be asked to interview with staff/faculty from the department hiring.

Students who interview are not guaranteed employment. 

Student employment can be dependent upon various things: 

• How many student employees a department wants or needs to hire. 
• How many students apply for a position.
• Whether a student meets the requirements for the position. 
• Student conduct during the interview. 

Learn more about student employment