Graduate Studies has allocated Federal Work-Study (FWS) awards to graduate programs to be used for Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) positions during the 2024-25 academic year.  This allocation is designed to give graduate programs additional funds that may be used for the support of quality graduate students who show financial need.  The Graduate Financial Aid Office (FAO) manages the awarding process. 

Work Study Deadlines for 2024-25

Forms and Online Resources

• 2024-25 Work Study Guidelines 
• 2024-25 Academic Year GSR Cost Calculator
• To determine if an academic graduate student meets the minimum financial need eligibility requirement to qualify for Work Study, use banner form RPAAWRD and the 2024-25 Work Study Calculations worksheet
• Work-Study Employment Request Form - Graduate Student Researchers
  • Please note, only graduate program coordinators should submit the "Work Study Employment Request Form" to Financial Aid after units have been allocated.
• Work Study GSR Timesheet

Financial Aid & Scholarships Office Information

• What is Work-Study?
• Work-Study for Graduate Student Researchers
• Work Study Process Flow for Graduate Student Researchers
• Work Study Workshop Presentation (from September 14, 2023)

GSR Policy

• APM UCD Appendix II-B, Appointment of Graduate Students to Academic Positions

Cost Sharing of Work Study (2024-25)

For a graduate student hired under the Federal Work Study Program, the costs are shared as follows:

A GSR hired at 25% FTE, or above, with a gross quarterly salary of $5,016 or less (or $10,032 or less when awarded two units of FWS):

• 75% of the salary will be covered by FWS funds from the US Department of Education.
• 75% of the Tuition & Fee remission will be covered by UC Davis central campus funds.
• 25% of the salary, 25% of the Tuition & Fee remission, 100% of vacation, sick, and holiday pay, and 100% of any applicable nonresident supplemental tuition (NRST) remission will be charged to the salary fund source (affiliated department account or an individual faculty research grant).  Nonresident supplemental tuition would only be applicable for first-year, domestic, students who have not established CA residency.
• If your salary fund source is an eligible extramural research grant, the buy-down program will rebate 25% of the Tuition & Fee remission expense and 25% of the NRST remission expense (if applicable) that was charged to the salary fund source.

The amount of salary cost that can be covered by FWS funds per quarter is capped at $3,762 for one unit (75% of $5,016) and $7,524 for two units (75% of $10,032). Should a program decide to hire a student participating in the FWS Program at a GSR step and FTE that pays a gross salary above $5,016 for the quarter (or above $10,032 when awarded two units of FWS), the program is responsible for covering all of the salary cost above $3,762 (or $7,524 if awarding two units).

Grant cost-accounting generally requires that charges be in proportion to the effort devoted to that project.  Thus, when a GSR appointment is split between multiple fund sources, the apportionment of benefits costs must be allocated according to the FTE allocated to each fund source, as reflected by the percentage appointment.  For GSRs participating in the FWS Program, this policy requirement has an impact on the cost sharing of Tuition & Fee remission between Central Campus funds and the program fund source.

For example, if a program decides to award one unit of FWS to a 25% FTE GSR at the GSR Salary Point 4 rate, this would result in gross salary expense for the quarter of $5,405 (using 2024-25 salary rates).  For one unit of FWS, $3,762 of the salary is covered by FWS funds.  $3,762 is only 70% of the total salary cost of $5,405.  Tuition & Fee remission must follow the salary apportionment according to the distribution of total FTE.  Therefore, in this example, 70% of the Tuition & Fee remission cost will be allocated to Central Campus funds and 30% will be assigned to the program salary fund source.

In summary, if you choose to pay a student participating in the FWS Program a gross salary above $5,016, your program fund source will be responsible for the salary cost above $3,762 and more than 25% of the Tuition & Fee remission.  The individual gross salary paid will determine the remission cost above 25% for which your fund source will be responsible.