Federal Work-Study Program Community Service Waiver Requests

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Posted Date April 01, 2026 Author Federal Student Aid Electronic Announcement ID CB-26-07 Subject 2026–27 Federal Work-Study Program Community Service Waiver Requests

Section 443(b)(2)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) and the corresponding regulations at 34 CFR 675.18(g) set forth the Federal Work-Study (FWS) community service expenditure requirements that an institution must meet unless the school is granted a waiver from the secretary.

FWS Community Service Expenditure Requirements

An institution participating in the FWS Program is required to expend at least 7% of its FWS federal allocation to pay the federal share of wages to students employed in community service jobs in an award year. A school is also expected to provide the institutional share of wages to students employed in community service jobs. In addition, one or more of the school's FWS students must be employed as a reading tutor for children in a reading tutoring project or performing family literacy activities in a family literacy project [34 CFR 675.18(g)(1)].

A school that fails to meet one or both of the FWS community service requirements may be:

• required to return FWS federal funds in an amount that represents the difference between the amount the school should have spent for community service and the amount it actually spent;
• subject to a substantial fine; and/or
• subject to other sanctions, including a Limitation, Suspension, and Termination (L, S, & T) proceeding, through which the school could be denied future participation in the FWS Program, and possibly other Title IV, HEA programs. FWS Community Service Waiver Request

The secretary may waive one or both community service requirements for a school if the school demonstrates that enforcing the requirement(s) would cause a hardship for students at that school. The fact that it may be difficult for the school to comply with the requirement(s) is not in and of itself a basis for granting a waiver [34 CFR 675.18(g)(2)]. In the past, the secretary has approved a limited number of waivers for schools that were able to demonstrate an exceptional circumstance. These include, but are not limited to:

• Small FWS Allocation – The supporting information submitted by the institution noted that 7% of the school's allocation provided only enough funds for a student to work in a community service job for a short period of time. Therefore, the school was unable to find placement for a student in a community service job.
• Rural Area - The institution is located far from the type of organization that would normally provide community service jobs. Information provided showed that the school’s students lacked the means of transportation to get to the location of the community service jobs. In a similar waiver request in which transportation did exist, the school provided documentation that showed that the transportation costs were extremely high for the students.
• Specialized Program - The institution offered only a single program of specialized study that required its students to spend extensive amounts of time in classroom and non-classroom academic activities. The school provided information that demonstrated that this specialized educational program did not allow its students to have time for performing community service jobs at the time those work opportunities were available.
• FEMA-Declared Disaster – The school is unable to meet the community service requirements due to the impact of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-declared disaster, as explained in Dear Colleague Letter GEN-17-08. Submission Requirements for a 2026–27 FWS Community Service Waiver Request

A school must submit its waiver request to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) electronically via the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) website. To submit the request:

1. Log into the COD website.
2. Select the “School” link from the top navigation bar.
3. Select “Campus-Based” from the left navigation menu.
4. Select “Forms and Waivers” from the left navigation menu, then select “Manage Application.”
5. From the Manage Application page, locate the Community Service Waiver and select “Create.”

The institution’s waiver request must specify whether the school is requesting a waiver of the 7% community service requirement, the reading tutors of children or family literacy project requirement, or both. It must also include detailed information to demonstrate that complying with the requirement(s) would cause hardship for the school's students.

The deadline for electronic submission of a school's 2026–27 FWS community service waiver request is 11:59 p.m. Eastern time (ET) on Monday, April 20, 2026.

The COD System must accept completed submissions by midnight ET. We will not consider waiver requests received after April 20, 2026.

Determination Notification of the FWS Community Service Waiver Request

No later than June 26, 2026, we will notify each institution that submitted a 2026–27 FWS community service waiver request of our determination.

The notification email is sent to the school’s financial aid administrator, as provided in the school’s most recently submitted Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate.

In the email, we will inform the institution that we have posted the secretary's determination regarding the school's waiver request to the COD website.

To review the Secretary’s determination:

1. Log into the COD website.
2. Select the “School” tab from the top navigation bar.
3. Select “Campus-Based” from the left navigation menu.
4. Select "Self-Service" on the left navigation menu.
5. Select “Notifications” to view a copy of your school’s FWS community service waiver letter. Contact Information

If you have additional questions about the FWS community service expenditure requirements or the procedures for requesting a waiver, contact the FSA Partner and School Relations Center at 1-800-848-0978. The contact center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. You may also email CODSupport@ed.gov.