Carolina Works is also a type of financial aid program, very similar to the FWS program. CW students are paid competitive wages in exchange for working in one of a variety of sanctioned positions with on-campus entities or off-campus community service partners, just like in FWS. Also, like FWS, the CW program strives to provide you with employment opportunities which will support your academic and professional development as well as deliver a paycheck.

The main difference between CW and FWS is that CW funding goes to support students who demonstrate financial need but do not qualify for FWS funding and is comprised entirely of institutional funds. All students who participate in summer Work-Study receive CW awards since FWS awards are only available during the academic year.

FWS awards are provided if you indicate you are interested in participating in the program on your FAFSA and show sufficient need. You’ll need to submit a FAFSA and indicate “yes” when asked if you are interested in the work-study program.

CW awards are provided to you based on nominations from WS Supervisors and requests from eligible students until all funding has been exhausted.  If funding remains after all nominees have been awarded, our office will select additional students who have indicated an interest in participating in work-study as noted by the FAFSA.  Typically, CW awards are provided to you if you show financial need on your FAFSA but do not qualify to participate in the FWS program.

While we’re happy to provide WS funding to interested students, our budget is limited.  If you didn’t indicate you wanted a work-study award on your initial FAFSA, but are interested in the program, send an email indicating this to work-study@unc.edu.  If we have remaining funding, we’ll update your award.

Eligibility for WS awards are determined on an annual basis.  It is possible to be eligible in one year and not the next. If you demonstrate sufficient need on your FAFSA and indicate an interest in the WS program you should automatically receive work-study funding.  If you did not receive a WS award but received either Federal Direct Subsidized Loan funds or UNC Loan funds, you are eligible to participate in the WS program if those loan funds are converted into work-study funds.  For assistance with the conversion process or to request more information, send an email to work-study@unc.edu with your request.

One Work-Study offer is given to a student for the Fall and Spring. Students can use this Work Study offer at any point in the Fall and/or Spring. Unused offers do not carry over into summer or following terms and they do not impact future Work Study eligibility.

Summer Work Study offers operate separately from Fall Spring Work Study offers.

Work Study offers are given annually to students based on their specific financial aid eligibility determined by FAFSA completion. This is why a new hire record is required in JobX for each Fall+Spring term, and each summer term. You must apply for a Work Study job each Fall/Spring term, and each summer term, even if you are returning to the same job from term to term. Students Work Study offers may be different from one term to the next term depending on their annual FAFSA completion and aid eligibility.

You can only hold one WS position at a time.  You may choose to change positions during the academic year or between years, but cannot simultaneously hold two or more WS jobs without violating program regulations.

If you are interested in working additional hours or obtaining a second position, you are allowed to take up a non-work-study job in addition to your work-study position.  However, we do not recommend that you work more than 20 hours per week across all positions while taking classes full time as studies show this consistently has a negative impact on well-being and academic performance.

Multiple documents will be required to complete onboarding:

• For I-9 verification, please see the USICS’s page on acceptable documents.
• For federal payroll withholding sign-up, you will need to complete a W-4.
• For state payroll withholding sign-up, you will need to complete a NC-4.
• For direct deposit enrollment for on-campus positions, visit the finance website for more information. You will need to have access to a bank account to complete the direct deposit form and may need to provide a voided check.

On average, you will work between 10 and 12 hours per week.  However, the exact number of hours worked will depend on your individual needs and the position.  Under program regulations, you cannot work more than 20 hours per week during the Fall and Spring terms.  In contrast some positions do not require you to work any hours during specific weeks at points during the academic year.

If your employer wants you to work more hours be sure to check the original job posting and hours section for your position. If the job posting stated 8-10 hours a week and you are working within that, no changes are needed. If the supervisor communicates that they need you to work more hours then the original job posting, have them reach out to us for help in hiring additional work-study students who are still searching for employment. If you are wanting to work the additional hours but are worried you will exceed your offered work-study award offer, please reach out so we can help you to plan.

While the majority of WS positions are for Fall & Spring, you can work in only one semester if you choose to do so.  Each job posting will state whether it is for the Fall, Spring, or the full Academic Year.

Most CW positions are also for the Fall & Spring, but some may offer a separate Summer work opportunity.  However, only students who are enrolled during the summer term are allowed to hold summer work-study jobs.

If you participate in the FWS or CW program during the Fall and/or Spring terms and will be enrolled at UNC during the summer you may qualify to participate in the Summer WS program.   As funding for this program is limited and reliant on donor and employer support, UNC can not guarantee the program will be offered to all qualifying students each year.

If you qualify for available funding you will receive a Summer Carolina Works award as part of your Summer term aid package.  If you will attend UNC during the Summer term but do not receive a Summer CW award you can contact work-study@unc.edu for reconsideration of funding.  Where possible, the WS Team will attempt to provide Summer CW funds to students requesting aid.

WS positions are normally for the academic year, meaning you work from the time you are hired until the end of the Spring term.  However, you can return to the same position in future aid years if you find it to be a good fit and have work-study offered to you.

Both students and supervisors have the right to cease employment at any time.  If you are unhappy with your position, you are free to leave and search for another job at any point during the academic year after providing notification to their supervisor.

WS earnings are a form of financial aid, and, therefore, can be used to pay for any college-related expense.  This can include charges paid directly to the university as well as charges paid to non-university entities for other expenses related to attending school such as books, food, rent, transportation, medical expenses, or basic living expenses. Although WS earnings can be used to pay university charges, earnings are paid out over the academic year as you work rather than being paid out in a lump sum at the beginning of the term.  These funds are not usually available to assist with initial Cashier’s bills which occur at the beginning of the academic term.

Earnings are not intended to cover expenses unrelated to college.  Therefore, using WS earnings to cover such items as vacations or gifts would not be in keeping with program guidelines. You are not required to submit documentation regarding how their WS earnings are used.

WS earnings are subject to federal and state taxes, just like earnings through any other employer.  However, you may be able to reclaim part or all of your taxed income by filing a tax return.

If you utilize your full WS award before the end of the year will need to cease work through the WS program in order to prevent a violation of program regulations.  In some cases, you may be able to continue working for your employer once WS funding is exhausted if the department is willing to pay out of their own departmental funds.

Yes, you have the option of converting your WS award into a student loan using the Work-Study to Loan Conversion Request Form found on our forms page.  The WS Team will provide the best possible loan option at the time of conversion, and you can choose whether to accept or decline the new loan funding.

It depends. In the Spring semester, if federal funding allows, students who have earned their full Work-Study award and have unaccepted need-based loan offers may be eligible for a Work-Study award increase. If you have earned your full Work-Study award amount and do not plan to accept a need-based loan from your financial aid offer, please email our team to see if there is eligibility for award increases.

If reported on the FAFSA as work-study income, WS earnings will not affect the need calculation performed by the FAFSA.  Properly reported WS earnings do not impact the amount of aid you can receive in a future aid year.

To submit a termination request for a student, please use this form. Note, this form should only be used if the student quits the position, was hired on accident, and the termination is understood between both the student and supervisor. Please review the form for more information.

In order to be considered community service, the job has to be in an area that is open, accessible, and used by the community at large. Community service includes a whole host of jobs and is not limited to reading tutors. On the other hand, reading tutors may provide tutoring to some group that would not be considered part of the community. For example, a school population is not considered “open, accessible, and used by the community at large,” and therefore, in this context, is not considered a community.

Guidance from the federal handbook regarding off-campus organizations can be found in this document.

Federal financial aid is not available to DACA students.

However, at Carolina DACA students can request Carolina Work-Study as long as they have eligible work authorization. They can apply to Carolina Works positions and earn work-study funds via a bi-weekly paycheck. Check out the request form to learn more.