Maintained for Historical Purposes

This resource is being maintained for historical purposes only and is not currently applicable.

Summary: Extension of the Deadline Date for Submitting a Request for a FWS Community Service Waiver for the 2007-2008 Award Year

Publication Date: May 11, 2007

Author: Jeff Baker, Director Policy Liaison and Implementation, Federal Student Aid

Summary: Extension of the Deadline Date for Submitting a Request for a FWS Community Service Waiver for the 2007-2008 Award Year

Posted on 05-11-2007

On May 10, 2007, the Department published a Notice in the Federal Register [72 FR 26610] extending the deadline date for the receipt of a request for a waiver of the community service requirements under the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program for the 2007-2008 Award Year. The original deadline date for the submission of the waiver requests was April 27, 2007. It is now May 31, 2007.

It is important that an institution participating in the FWS Program for the 2007-2008 Award Year remember that it must meet the community service requirements unless it has a waiver. We will be carefully reviewing the community service activities of each institution for the 2007-2008 Award Year and will take enforcement action as appropriate.

An institution may be granted a waiver of the FWS community service requirements if the Secretary determines that enforcing the requirements would cause a hardship for students at the institution. In the past, waivers have been granted for reasons such as -

  • When the institution had a very small FWS allocation, (approximately $18,000 or less);
  • When the institution was in a rural area that was located far away from the types of organizations that provide community service jobs and the students either lacked a means of transportation or the transportation costs were very high; and
  • When the institution offered only a single program of specialized study that required its students to participate in extensive curriculum and classroom workloads.

An institution must submit a waiver request in order to receive a waiver. For example, an institution with an allocation of $18,000 or less must submit a request if it wants a waiver. The Department does not just automatically provide a waiver to an institution because its allocation was small.

If you have any questions on applying for an FWS community service waiver for the 2007-2008 Award Year, please contact the Campus-Based Call Center at 877-801-7168. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M. (ET).