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Utah Valley University
Policies and Procedures

Title Tuition and Fee Waivers for Employees, Retirees, and Dependents Number 357
Section Human Resources Approval Date Aug 14,2008
Subsection Compensation and Benefits Effective Date Aug 14,2008
I. Purpose
  1. To provide institutional employees and their dependents opportunities for continual educational development through the use of tuition and fee waivers.
II. Terms
  1. Adjunct faculty:  A faculty member holding a part-time teaching assignment who is paid either by the contact hour per semester, or by an hourly wage rate for credit courses.

  2. Deceased employee:  A FTBE employee who dies while actively employed at the institution.

  3. Dependent:  Dependents of a FTBE employee include unmarried dependent children from birth to the 26th birthday and the employee’s spouse. Unmarried children may include stepchildren, children legally placed for adoption, and legally adopted children. This does not include children that have been previously married and are now divorced. Dependent status ends if the child is removed from placement prior to being legally adopted.

  4. Disabled employee:  A FTBE employee disabled while actively employed at the institution.  Disability is based on approval of disability benefits under the institution’s Long Term Disability or Worker’s Compensation plans.

  5. Fees:  Fee waiver extends only to official general student fees published in the class schedule.  Fees do not include: concurrent, off-campus, off-budget, lab, course, global aviation, study abroad, distance education, late, add, online and other miscellaneous fees.

  6. Full-time benefits-eligible employee (FTBE):  A salaried employee who works 75% or more full-time equivalent (FTE) hours annually.

  7. Hourly employee:  A regular part-time employee (non-faculty) paid from the exempt/nonexempt salary schedule.  Not included:

    1. Students
    2. Work-study
    3. Temporary employee whose position is expected to last fewer than six months.

  8. Retired employee:  An employee is considered to have official institutional retirement status when the employee discontinues FTBE employment as a faculty or staff employee of the institution with a minimum of 10 years of service, and is:

    1. At least age 57 with a combined age and years of service that equals 75 or greater, or
    2. Any age with at least 30 years of service, or
    3. Age 62.

  9. Self-support credit courses:  Courses offered for credit which:

    1. Are creditable toward a Board of Regents approved degree/award program,
    2. Waive Board of Regents approved regular tuition and fees,
    3. Assess a special tuition rate, and
    4. Rely on special tuition rates for revenue

  10. Tuition:  The institution’s regular tuition only for either credit or audit classes.  Tuition does not include the payment of charges for non-credit classes.

III. Policy
  1. The institution provides eligible employees and their dependents opportunities for continual educational development through tuition and fee waivers.  The institution complies with IRS tax codes regarding tuition reimbursement.

IV. Procedures
  1. Work/Class Schedule

    1. After receiving appropriate supervisor approval, FTBE employees may register for one class (up to 3 credit hours) during regular working hours provided the hours are made up at other times.  If a supervisor requests that an employee take a class as a requirement of the job, the time does not need to be made up.
    2. Hourly employees must schedule their classes outside their work schedule, or negotiate a work schedule that will not be in conflict with desired classes.

  2. Coordination of Benefits

    1. Tuition and fee waivers may not be redeemed for cash.
    2. Tuition and fee waivers take precedence over scholarships.

  3. Eligibility

    1. FTBE employees are eligible to receive tuition waiver benefits:

      1. If their hire date is on or before the first day of classes for the semester in which the tuition waiver is to be used.
      2. Until the end of the semester in which the employee terminates from the institution.

    2. Adjunct faculty employees are eligible to receive tuition waiver benefits:

      1. Each semester they are actively employed with the institution.
      2. Eligibility ceases at the end of the semester in which the employee terminates from the institution.
      3. Dependents of adjunct faculty are not eligible for a tuition waiver.

    3. Hourly employees are eligible to receive tuition waiver benefits:

      1. After 6 consecutive months of employment in which they worked a minimum of 475 hours.
      2. Eligibility is determined on or before the first day of classes for the semester in which the tuition waiver is to be earned.
      3. Eligibility ceases at the end of the semester in which the employee terminates from the institution.
      4. Dependents of hourly employees are not eligible for tuition waivers.
      5. Eligibility requirements must be met each semester.

    4. Retired and disabled FTBE employees are eligible to receive tuition waiver benefits.
    5. Dependents of tuition waiver FTBE employees, retired employees and/or deceased or disabled employees are eligible to receive tuition waiver benefits:

      1. Upon approval of the supporting FTBE employee, retired employee or disabled employee.
      2. Until the end of the semester in which the dependent no longer meets eligibility requirements.
      3. A spouse of a deceased FTBE employee ceases to meet dependent eligibility requirements at the end of the semester in which he/she remarries.

  4. Undergraduate Tuition Benefits:

    1. Eligible FTBE employees:

      1. Receive a waiver of full tuition and general student fees.
      2. Receive up to 18 credit hours per semester.

    2. Eligible dependents of FTBE employees:

      1. Receive a waiver of full tuition only.
      2. Receive up to 18 credit hours per semester.

    3. Eligible adjunct faculty:

      1. Receive a waiver of tuition and general student fees.
      2. Receive up to the number of credits taught in the semester.
      3. May use a tuition waiver during the semester in which it was earned or during the semester immediately following (i.e., Fall to Spring, Spring to Summer and Summer to Fall).

    4. Eligible hourly employees:

      1. Receive a waiver of tuition and general student fees.
      2. Receive a maximum of one class or 3 credit hours, whichever is greater, per semester.
      3. May use a tuition waiver during the semester in which it was earned or during the semester immediately following (i.e., Fall to Spring, Spring to Summer and Summer to Fall).

    5. Eligible retired or disabled FTBE employees receive the same tuition and fee waiver they were eligible for as an active employee.
    6. Eligible dependents of deceased or disabled FTBE employees or retired employees receive the same tuition waiver they were eligible for while the FTBE employee was an active employee.

  5. Graduate Tuition Benefits:

    1. Tuition waivers for graduate courses are not provided.

  6. Other/Limitations/Taxation Issues:

    1. Tuition waivers can be used for self-support credit classes included in the standard registration process.
    2. In cases where an individual is eligible for both a tuition waiver and an institutional scholarship, the tuition waiver will be applied first.  A tuition waiver benefit will not result in a cash credit (maximum of 100% tuition paid).
    3. Only one eligibility classification may be used to obtain a tuition waiver.
    4. Certain educational benefits received by employees, spouses and/or dependent children may be taxable under current IRS rules.  If IRS rules stipulate that all or a portion of a  tuition waiver benefit received is taxable, the institution will add the taxable value of the waiver received to the employee’s wages in box 1 of the employee’s W-2.
    5. Tuition waiver forms may be found in the Human Resources Department or on the Human Resources web page.
 
Cara O'Sullivan, Policy Officer | mailto:cara.osullivan@uvu.edu | (801) 836-7355
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