<p>How does the FAFSA determine if a person is eligible for work study?</p>
<p>The FAFSA does not determine if you are eligible for Work Study. The college does that. If you have financial NEED as evidenced by the FAFSA, your school could award you Work Study as part of your financial aid package. If you do not have financial need for a school, you will not receive Federal Work Study in your award.</p>
<p>Work Study monies are given to the colleges and the colleges determine who gets them, and how much, if anything.</p>
<p>FAFSA determines EFC. If you qualify for subsidized Stafford loans, you probably will qualify for work study, but the amount may vary.</p>
<p>If you have determined need according to FAFSA EFC, then you MIGHT get awarded work study.</p>
<p>However, schools have limited W-S, so some only award it to those with lowish EFCs to help them meet need and to lessen their gap.</p>
<p>however, if you don’t get work-study, nothing prevents you from getting a part-time job yourself. Often there are off-campus jobs and sometimes there are on-campus jobs that don’t involve work-study.</p>
<p>And, you can work over the summer.</p>
<p>Also, make sure you complete your financial aid application forms as early as possible. Work Study funds are limited…meaning schools get only a certain amount to dole out, and once it’s given out…it’s gone.</p>
<p>Re: “lowish EFC” students receiving Federal Work Study. I’m going to guess that this varies by school. We did NOT have a lowish EFC, but when we had two kids in college, our youngest was given a Work Study award which they continued (and increased) all four years). Our older child never qualified for W-S even WHEN his sister was in college. Different colleges.</p>
<p>Right…depends on the school. </p>
<p>Don’t know how it all works, but I can imagine that larger schools that may have a good number of lowish EFC kids attending, may “run out” of work-study before getting to those with higher EFCs who still have need. Might also depend on whether the school has much institutional funds to give in lieu of larger W-S awards.</p>
<p>I remember someone posting that her school didn’t award w-s to anyone with an EFC over 10,000.</p>