College Work-Study (CWS) - University of Houston
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College Work-Study (CWS)

College Work-Study (CWS) is a financial aid program that provides funds for students with a demonstrated need to work on-campus (or off-campus, at approved sites).

For more information on work-study, visit the Scholarship and Financial Aid website.

Timeline - Spring 2025

Date Event Description
Ongoing Virtual Self-Paced CWS Supervisor Training (T.A.P.)

Faculty/Staff can Click here for Instructions for accessing the T.A.P. training

*Note: To hire CWS-eligible students, supervisors must complete this training annually.
Ongoing Departments can begin posting Spring CWS jobs in Cougar Pathway
February 7, 2025 Last day employers to post a CWS job in Cougar Pathway
January 13, 2025 CWS Spring Start Date for Student Employees
May 8, 2025 CWS Spring End Date for Student Employees

Eligibility - Student eligibility for hiring

Student Status CWS NCWS
International Student No Yes
Full Time: Undergraduate Student Yes Yes
Full Time: Graduate Student Yes Yes

Employer Type - Identify your employer type

  1. UH Staff or Faculty are considered On-campus College Work-Study employers and may follow the process outlined below. 
  2. Off-campus employers (Non-profits) are considered Off-campus College Work-Study employers and have a separate process. Off-campus CWS employers must BEGIN by reaching out to workstudy@uh.edu to learn about the specific process and required paperwork.

Process - How to hire a CWS student

  1. Complete the annual CWS Supervisor T.A.P. Training
    • Important Note: Must be completed once per academic year by the hiring manager and/or student supervisor
    • Effective September 1, 2024, the self-paced training in PASS can be requested using the code: UC2501  
    • Within 24 hours the training will populate within your TAP icon within AccessUH
    • Complete the virtual training (quiz too!) and you will be sent the agreement form within 1-2 business days
    • Steps:
    • PASS > Training
    • Request Training Enrollment
    • Search by Course Number
    • Type: UC2501 (AY 24-25 only) and click Search
    • Click View Available Sessions, click Session "0001"
    • Within section detail, click [Continue]
    • Then click [Submit]
    • **This will be an ongoing training for the 2024-2025 academic year
    • Instructions for accessing the T.A.P. training
  2. Complete the agreement form  and send it to the work-study office (provided after training)
    • Sign up for a Cougar Pathway account / Log into Cougar Pathway.
    • Post a job in Cougar Pathway
      • Instructions for posting a job
      • After the position is posted within Cougar Pathway, all qualified students will be able to review and apply with an approved resume.
    • Review and interview candidates(s)
    • Offer CWS job to the final candidate(s) within Cougar Pathway.
      • The student must accept the position within 2 weeks or before the CWS deadline, whichever comes first.
    • Once the student has accepted the position, the Program Authorization Form (PAF) will be automatically sent via email. Questions about this document can be referred to workstudy@uh.edu.
    • Follow your department/college hiring policies. Questions about your specific process should be directed to your DBA. Items that must be completed PRIOR to the student working, include:
      • Background check must be initiated by the department for the student employee
      • I-9 must be processed (Visit here for more info)
    • Notify all applicants you have selected a finalist and that they were not selected for the position.
    • Email hireuh@uh.edu to close your position if it has not already expired

Questions or concerns?

Reach out to the University Career Services Student at  hireuh@ uh.edu