Employee Tuition Benefit (ETB) Policy

Policy Number: #600

Responsible Executive(s):

  • Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Responsible Office(s):

  • Office of Human Resources

Date Adopted: 01-01-2021

Date Revised: 07-28-2021

A. Purpose

The University provides a tuition benefit for employees, their spouses and children (defined as a biological, legally adopted, or stepchild of the employee) enrolled in select Regis University undergraduate programs and for employees attending select Regis graduate programs.

All general applicable admissions, academic progress, and registration requirements must be met. The benefit amount is prorated for employees and dependents of employees whose full-time equivalency is at least .50 and less than .75 (three-quarter time).

The employee may, with the supervisor’s approval, enroll in a maximum of nine credit hours of undergraduate work or six credit hours of graduate work per semester. Spouses and dependent children of the employee may receive an Employee Tuition Benefit (ETB) for a maximum of 18 credit hours a semester per recipient. Qualified ETB recipients may receive need-based financial assistance in conjunction with the tuition grant. ETB will be reduced for students receiving tuition assistance from another employer. Total tuition assistance in combination with ETB cannot exceed actual tuition charges.

B. Eligibility

Employees

  1. After six months of employment for undergraduate, courses;
  2. After one year of employment for graduate and certificate courses - EMPLOYEES HIRED AFTER 8/1/21;
  3. A temporary employee working full-time who subsequently moves into a regular, approved budgeted position may count the time spent in the temporary position for ETB eligibility.

Dependents

Dependent children are eligible to receive ETB after the employee has completed two years of consecutive and benefit-eligible employment at Regis University. ETB dependent eligibility lasts for seven years following high school graduation. Dependents may not apply ETB toward undergraduate courses during the Regis College summer term sessions.

Spouses are eligible to receive ETB for their first baccalaureate degree within the University provided the employee has worked for the University a minimum of two years. A temporary employee working full-time who subsequently moves into a regular, approved budgeted position may count the time spent in the temporary position for ETB eligibility.

Affiliate Faculty – Are not eligible for the ETB benefit. They are eligible under a separate policy managed through the Office of the Provost.

C. Programs

FACHEX/Tuition Exchange
The University participates in the Faculty and Children Exchange (FACHEX) and the national Tuition Exchange programs for dependent children. Any dependent child of an employee whose FTE is 1.0 and who is eligible for the ETB benefit at Regis University may apply for tuition grants through these programs. Awards of undergraduate degree program tuition grants are made by the participating college or university to which the student applies and are subject to award parameters established by that institution:

  • Dependent children are eligible to be considered for FACHEX/TE certification for up to seven years after high school graduation. Extensions for wartime military service may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • FACHEX: Due to the high demand of the FACHEX program, typically 2 certifications are made per program per year (4 total). Certifications are based on total length of service of the 1.0 FTE employee at Regis University.
  • Tuition Exchange: Financial Aid may certify any eligible dependent for Tuition Exchange. If a Tuition Exchange offer is granted to the dependent at the school of their choice and they accept, the employee is responsible for the annual Tuition Exchange Certification fee charged to Regis University for their dependent. This is in addition to any fees charged at the institution the dependent has chosen to attend.

Certification to participate in FACHEX or TE does not guarantee a tuition waiver at the dependent’s school(s) of interest. FACHEX and TE awards are competitive and each school has their own selection criteria. Please see the financial aid guidelines regarding each of these programs.

Continuing Education for Professional Development
Employees participating in a professional development plan (must be approved by Human Resources) are eligible to take designated work-related courses, including those within a certificate program, with approval from their supervisor, associate vice president or dean and human resources. Employees are limited to one course per term. Course fees are paid by the department. If this is done as an audit, registration will be allowed the first day of class, if approved by the instructor of record.

Tuition Support for Doctoral Studies
To facilitate educational and professional development goals of its staff, Regis University may provide limited financial support to employees who pursue doctorates at other educational institutions. The amount of support provided to the employee is limited to the lesser of the budget availability of funds per the individual budget manager or the cost of tuition at the educational institution up to a maximum of $1500.00 per calendar year.

The employee’s supervisor and the appropriate budget manager, if not the supervisor, must approve the request for tuition support. The cost of support will be deducted from the department’s annual consumable budget allocation.

The employee will submit to the Payroll Department a completed stipend form for the amount of tuition reimbursement, along with verifying proof of payment and proof of a satisfactory passing grade. These stipends are taxable to the employee, but the employee may consult with his/her tax advisor to determine if they are deductible. The employee’s supervisor, or the appropriate budget manager, if not the supervisor, must sign the stipend form. Employee advances will not be given for tuition support.

Employment Separation from Regis University EFFECTIVE WITH FALL 2021 TERM
When an employee separates employment from the University and is currently enrolled in a course, the tuition benefit is still in effect if the separation date falls after the add/drop period.

Employees that voluntary separate from Regis University within one year of their degree completion date will be responsible for reimbursing the University for a percentage of the tuition costs of the most recent term (the percentage will be based on the amount of time between the last day of the course and the separation date, i.e. term ends May 1st, separation date of November 1st – 50% of the final term tuition is due for reimbursement). When possible, this amount will be deducted from the employee’s final check.

PROCEDURES

Registration
Course enrollment must be at the required minimum in order for an employee to receive the ETB for the course. First priority will be given to non-employee students to ensure there are enough regular paying students in the course to cover instructor and course costs.

Note: This does not apply to dependents taking undergraduate courses.

Fees – ON HOLD – WILL REVISIT WITH FALL 2022 TERM*
*Until then fees will remain at $25 per credit hour.

Employees
Tier fee structure based on employee's salary at the start of the term:

  • Up to $50,000: $25.00 fee per credit
  • $50,001 to $75,000: $50.00 fee per credit
  • $75,001 and higher: $75.00 fee per credit

Dependents
Tier fee structure based on employee's salary at the start of the term:

  • Employee Salary up to $50,000: $25.00 fee per credit
  • Salary $50,001 to $75,000: $50.00 fee per credit
  • Salary $75,001 and higher: $75.00 fee per credit
  • FAFSA application required
  • Analyze FAFSA data after first year to make future recommendations

Any unpaid fees still due at the end of the term will be deducted from the employee’s next paycheck. Additionally, outstanding fees may result in suspension of the tuition scholarship.

Participants in the FACHEX or Tuition Exchange programs are responsible for the applicable institution fee requirements.