The Federal Work Study Program is a federal need-based financial aid program which provides funds for students to work within the school or outside of the school with a non-profit organization or government agency. Many students work within the law school as research assistants; while other students work for outside non-profit organizations and government agencies. For assistance with seeking employment, please contact the Law School Office of Career Services.
Applying for Federal Work Study
Students must complete the FAFSA and the Temple Law School Financial Aid Request Form for Returning JD Students. On the form, students can select to be considered for work study for the academic year which consists of the fall and spring semesters; and can also select summer work study which is a separate work study award that is allocated specifically for the summer. Students can apply for one or for both.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for federal work study, you must demonstrate financial need as determined by the information you provide on the FAFSA.
Full-time first year students are not eligible for work study awards and first-year Day Division students are prohibited from seeking any part-time employment while enrolled in school unless special permission is granted. Full-time students can start working in the summer after their first year. First-year day division students who wish to be approved to work must contact the Dean of Students, Jennifer Bretschneider, for approval.
Award Amount and Notification
- The maximum work study award for the academic year is $1500 ($750 per semester).
- The maximum work study award for the summer 2023 is $5250.
- Federal Work Study awards are listed on your financial aid award letter on TUPortal and you must accept the award before you can use it and begin working.
Employer and Work Requirements
- On-Campus – students can work any work study eligible job within Temple University.
- Off-Campus – employer must be a non-profit organization or government agency, including judicial internships.
- The law school off-campus work study program only runs in the summer. In very limited situations, and only when funding is available, off-campus work study may be available during the academic year (fall and spring terms) to allow students to work with the same employer they worked with during the summer. You should contact the Law School Financial Aid Office with any questions.
- All off-campus employers must complete an Off-Campus Federal Work Study Agreement; employers with valid agreements on file must complete an updated schedule for the term during which the student will be employed
- Agreements are sent to employers by the Law School Financial Aid Office when a student applies for the Summer Law Foundation Matching Grant.
- Students can work a maximum of 20 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters and a maximum of 40 hours per week during the summer.
Getting Paid
- Whether the employer is Temple University or an outside agency, students receiving work study must complete Temple University’s payroll process through Temple’s Office of Human Resources.
- Students are paid on a bi-weekly basis for the number of hours they work within a pay period.
- Students working within the law school should contact Cynthia Gale at cgale@temple.edu for information on completing the payroll process.
- Students working off-campus should contact the law school financial aid office at lawFAO@temple.edu
Summer Work Study
Work study is available for eligible students who will be working in qualified summer work study positions during the summer. There are additional requirements and applications needed to apply and be paid for summer work study. Please visit the Summer Work Study page for more information.