Federal Work-Study (FWS) is a financial aid program through which the federal government subsidizes the compensation of appointed students who qualify for FWS on the basis of financial need. Federal Work-Study funded graduate assistantship appointments are a special subset of the traditional FWS program, using FWS funds for a portion of the assistantship stipend. The nature of work and financial compensation is the same as that for other graduate assistantships. The value of the assistantship is included as part of the student’s total financial aid package and can therefore affect the student’s eligibility for other aid, particularly student loans.
Federal Work-Study Funded Graduate Assistantships are need-based assistantships. Therefore, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine if they are eligible to be appointed to a FWS funded position.
Eligibility for Federal Work-Study does not guarantee that a student will receive an assistantship appointment. Students should check with their departments about the availability of assistantships. If a FWS funded graduate assistantship is not available, a student may still be eligible for other aid, and should check with the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA).
Questions about Federal Work-Study may be addressed to student employment in the Office of Student Financial Aid at (217) 333-0600 or studentemploy@illinois.edu.
The campus tuition waiver policy applies to FWS funded assistantship appointments. The full policy can be found in the Graduate College Handbook. Questions about the policy can be directed to the Graduate College at 333-0035 or grad@illinois.edu. Please see the University Bursar for tuition waiver taxation information.
This program is jointly administered by the Graduate College and the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA).
Eligibility Criteria for Graduate Students
- Be U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens;
- Be enrolled as degree candidates in the Graduate, Law, or Veterinary Medicine Colleges and registered for at least 12 hours per term;
- Be free from educational loan default;
- Demonstrate financial need. The needs-analysis formula used to determine a student's aid index (SAI) is determined by the federal processor. The SAI is then subtracted from the Cost of Attendance (COA) budget for graduate students (determined by the OSFA) to arrive at the student's financial need.
Steps for Students
1. Complete and submit the 2026-2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
For the fastest results, file the FAFSA electronically. FAFSA on the Web may be accessed from the OSFA website or directly at the FAFSA website.
In response to the completion of the FAFSA, the Office of Student Financial Aid issues an electronic financial aid notification. The initial notification will not include the award of a Federal Work-Study funded appointment. If the FWS funded appointment is approved by the Office of Student Financial Aid, a revised electronic financial notification will be sent to you.
2. Identify a FWS funded position within your department or with another unit on campus
The appointing unit will complete and submit a FWS Funded Graduate Assistantship Appointment Request Form to the OSFA by the deadline. FWS funded graduate assistantship descriptions carry a "pending availability of funds" notice, and therefore cannot be interpreted as a firm commitment on the part of the department.
The Office of Student Financial Aid will review the FWS Funded Graduate Assistantship Appointment Request Form to determine eligibility for FWS funding. If the FWS funded appointment is approved, the Office of Student Financial Aid will issue a revised financial aid notification.
3. You may need to file a Special Circumstances Form with OSFA
Students whose income has decreased significantly after filing the FAFSA should file a Special Circumstance form with the Office of Student Financial Aid. (OSFA). Graduate students rarely benefit from this process and should only file the special circumstance application if they are being considered for GAANN funding or Federal work study. See instructions on this process. Please allow three weeks for the process to be completed.
Information for Departments
Procedures and Deadline for Requesting a FWS Graduate Assistantship
- The assistantship must require duties consistent with those performed by other teaching, research, graduate (administrative), and pre-professional graduate assistants.
- Provide the FWS Student Information to all students for whom the unit intends to submit an Appointment Request Form.
- For each student under consideration for a FWS funded graduate assistantship, a completed Graduate Assistantship Appointment Online Request must be submitted by the appointing unit to the Office of Student Financial Aid by April 24, 2026.
Graduate Assistantship Appointment Online Request Form
The FWS Graduate Assistantship Appointment Request Form should only be completed for those students whose appointment meets the eligibility criteria above, who have completed a FAFSA, and who are willing to accept an FWS-funded graduate assistantship position if an appointment is approved.