The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program provides more than $1 billion in support annually to more than 450,000 college students with financial need nationwide. Despite its scale and longevity, systematic evidence on the program’s implementation and impact remains limited.
Drawing on student surveys, interviews with students and college personnel, and administrative data, this brief describes the implementation and evolution of FWS at undergraduate institutions within the City University of New York (CUNY) system during and after the pandemic, highlighting aspects of program operations and adaptability that have implications for understanding the program nationally.
Among other topics, the findings discuss the pandemic’s influence on program participation, post-pandemic administrative adjustments, program management variation among colleges, student access barriers, and potential academic advantages of FWS jobs compared to outside employment. The authors find that the complex structure of the FWS program can be a double-edged sword: It creates a heavy workload for administrators and may be mysterious for students, but the flexibility it permits also gives campuses opportunities to modify the program.
Some of the steps taken by CUNY campuses after the pandemic to increase FWS uptake—including more proactive marketing of the program, using tools to streamline paperwork, and increasing the hourly wage—may be valuable strategies for other institutions. This new phase of program evolution could also be leveraged to further connect with broader efforts to expand work-based learning opportunities and internships tied to students’ field of study.