This Electronic Announcement provides information about the application process for schools interested in participating in the Work Colleges Program under the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program for the 2021–22 Award Year. To participate in this program the school must comply with all provisions of Section 448 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), and the applicable program regulations included in Subpart C of 34 CFR Part 675.
Any school interested in participating in the Work Colleges Program for the 2021–22 Award Year (including schools that are currently participating in the 2020–21 Award Year) must apply no later than March 1, 2021. This deadline applies to both the electronic submission and the required signed paper copy (signed by the school’s Chief Executive Officer /CEO).
Note: The Work Colleges Application is not an application to participate in the FWS Program.
Applying for Participation in the Work Colleges Program for the 2021–22 Award Year
A school interested in participating in the Work Colleges Program must submit a completed "Institutional Application and Agreement for Participation in the Work Colleges Program" for the 2021–22 Award Year to the Department of Education (the Department) electronically via the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) website. To access the application, log in to the COD website, and from the School tab select the Campus-Based option from the left menu. From the Campus-Based home page, select “Forms and Waivers,” and then “Manage Application.”
Instructions for completing the application are on the COD website.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Signature Required
In addition to electronic submission, the completed application and agreement must be printed and signed by the school’s CEO. The CEO is the person designated as such on the school’s Program Participation Agreement (PPA/ECAR) as submitted through the Department’s Electronic Application for Approval to Participate in the Federal Student Financial Aid Programs (E-App) at https://eligcert.ed.gov.
To access the signature page, from the “Forms and Waivers” page, click on “Download Form/Signature Page.” Signature pages must be postmarked by March 1, 2021.
The original signature must be mailed or delivered to:
United States Department of Education
Federal Student Aid
Grants & Campus-Based Division
Work Colleges Program
830 First Street, NE, Rm 63C5
Washington, DC 20202-5453
If the printed and signed application and agreement is to be delivered by a commercial courier, you must use the address provided above, except the zip code will be 20002.
Approval of the Application and Agreement
If a school's application and agreement is approved, we will notify the school’s Financial Aid Administrator via email by April 2021. In the email, we will inform the school that its 2021–22 Statement of Account is available for viewing on the COD website. The Work College award will be reflected as an increase to the school’s FWS Program award.
Contact Information
If you have questions about the information in this announcement, contact the COD School Relations Center at 1-800-848-0978. You may also email CODSupport@ed.gov.