POL 05.05.03 - Tuition and Fees Waiver

Authority:

Chancellor

Responsible Office:

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources

Date Established:

10-01-2001

Last Revised:

04-26-2022

1. PURPOSE

1.1 The purpose of the Tuition and Fees Waiver privilege is to provide an opportunity for an eligible employee to have the tuition and fees waived for a course taken at any of the constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina system. The waiver of tuition and fees for faculty and staff shall be limited to three (3) academic courses during the university's academic year, which begins with a Fall term through a Summer II term, with the exception of sworn Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) who may enroll in an unlimited number of academic courses per academic year. Participation is voluntary and courses may be taken for professional, career development or for personal interest, provided such enrollment does not interfere with normal employment obligations.

2. POLICY

2.1 North Carolina General Statute section 116-143, authorizes the Board of Governors to provide a waiver of tuition and fees for faculty and staff within the UNC System. The Board of Governors exercised that authority and delegated to the President the authority to issue rules and regulations to implement the waiver of tuition and fees. The President issued regulation 1000.2.2.1, which permits each institution to establish a tuition and fee waiver policy by action of the Board of Trustees. This policy is established under that authority.

2.2 The policy and procedures described herein apply to all “employees” as defined by UNC Policy 1000.2.2.1[R].

2.3 The policy applies to academic courses, undergraduate and graduate, available at UNCP as well as other institutions that are a part of The University of North Carolina system. Application or pre-registration procedures may differ among the UNC institutions. The tuition and fees waiver may be used to enroll in an academic course at any campus of the University of North Carolina. Faculty and staff members exercising this privilege are subject to the policy and regulations of the individual institutions.

2.4 The waiver is applicable to academic courses that are audited, as well as those taken for academic credit. It is the employee's responsibility to comply with applicable procedures at the institution the course is waived.

2.5 Tuition (defined herein to include tuition and regular student fees as established by the enrolling institution) may be waived for up to three (3) academic courses (not to exceed four (4) credit hours per course) per academic year and are available during any semester, with appropriate management approval. The waiver may cover more than one (1) academic course in a given fall or spring semester, but not more than one (1) academic course may be taken during summer I or II terms. The tuition and fees waiver applies to summer school, and only one (1) course may be waived for summer terms. The maximum number of courses an employee may waive is three (3) per academic year, with the exception of sworn Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) who may enroll in an unlimited number of courses per academic year.

2.6 Enrollment in courses should occur outside the employee's normal working hours and should not interfere with satisfactory performance of normal employment obligations. If a course is directly related to an employee's job requirement and/or is a requirement for completion of a degree, the Vice Chancellor and/or Dean may authorize an exception (limited to one (1) exception per academic semester). Employees must maintain permanent, benefits eligible status (75% time, thirty (30) hours per week, or more) for the entire academic semester, during which the course is taken. If an employee's work schedule changes to less than thirty (30) hours per week during the period of attendance, or if the employee separates from permanent employment during the period of attendance, the employee will be responsible for all or part of the tuition for the entire academic semester even if he/she officially withdraws from the course, as provided in the policies and procedures established by the division of Finance and Administration, Controller's Office of the enrolling institution. (Refer to section 2.12)

2.6.1 An exception must be documented in a written plan which describes how the missed work time will be made up, either by working a flexible schedule and/or by using accrued leave. If the course(s) allowed is taken off campus, the hours away from the work location shall not exceed the hours required to take the same or similar course on campus. If additional time off is required, it shall be documented in the written plan as flexible work hours or reported as leave.

2.7 The employee must maintain minimum scholastic requirements, as stated in the enrolling university's academic catalog, to participate in the tuition and fees waiver program.

2.8 Application for tuition and fees waiver must be made at least two (2) weeks prior to the beginning of each semester. The application must be approved by the employee's supervisor, the appropriate department head, and the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources.

2.9 Employees are eligible for tuition and fees waiver regardless of any award of financial aid (Pell Grant, Scholarship, etc.).

2.10 Tuition and fees waiver is not granted for other course related expenses such as transportation, graduation, laboratory, registration, materials, examinations, supplies, textbooks, or any other special fees.

2.11 If a participating employee does not continue in eligible employment status throughout the entire academic semester during which the tuition and fees waiver had been requested, the following conditions shall apply:

2.11.1. If the participating employee wishes to continue course enrollment, the employee shall be responsible for the prorated amount of the in-state or out-of-state tuition and fees for the total number of credit hours, which will be charged to the employee's (student) account, OR

2.11.2. If the participating employee withdraws from course enrollment immediately coincident with the discontinuation of their eligible employment status, the employee (student) shall not be held responsible for the tuition and fees, OR

2.1.3. If the participating employee's employment ends due to reduction-in-force (RIF) [SHRA employee] or for budgetary reasons [EHRA] prior to the completion of the course, this payment requirement shall not apply. This exception does not apply to the end of a time-limited or fixed term contractual appointment.

2.12 The tuition and fees waiver is considered reportable taxable compensation subject to social security, federal and state tax withholding if the value of the benefit exceeds the IRS established limits. Depending upon prevailing tax laws, for each calendar year, the tuition benefit amount over the IRS threshold will be reported as income on the employee's W-2 form.

3. PROCEDURES

3.1 Prior to applying for tuition and fees waiver for a course, the employee must apply to the institution offering the academic course and be accepted by the Office of Admissions of said institution. It is the employee's responsibility to meet admission requirements for enrolling in the institution.

3.2 The University of North Carolina at Pembroke Tuition and Fees Waiver application form is available from the Office of Human Resources or on the OHR website. If enrolling at another UNC institution, the employee may be required to provide an original form. The employee will need to complete the form and submit for approval, in accordance with the instructions on the waiver form.

3.3 The waiver form must be approved by the immediate supervisor/manager and the appropriate department head/vice chancellor prior to submitting it to the Office of Human Resources for approval and processing. If the employee is taking a course at another UNC institution, the Office of Human Resources will send the approved tuition and fees waiver form to the employee. The employee must submit the form to the enrolling institution.

3.4 Upon receipt of the waiver form, a Human Resources designee will review the form to determine that the eligibility requirements for this tuition and fees waiver are met by the employee. If the individual is eligible for tuition and fees waiver, the Office of Human Resources will retain an original copy of the authorized form, return a copy to the employee, and send a copy to the university's Bursar's Office. If the employee is ineligible for tuition and fees waiver, the application form will be returned to the employee through the appropriate department head with a reason for the denial.

3.5 Employees enrolled in classes at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke will register for academic courses in accordance with instruction for the program under which the employee is admitted (or pre-register if currently enrolled). After receiving the semester's billing statement, the employee should review the billing statement to ensure the tuition and fees waiver was applied appropriately and contact the university's Bursar's Office, if a discrepancy is discovered.

3.6 Employees who decide to withdraw from a registered academic course are required to follow the established procedures for withdrawal from the class, as outlined in the enrolling university's academic catalog.

3.7 If the employee is enrolling at another UNC institution, an original waiver form (or similar form required by the respective institution) shall be returned to the employee. An original copy of this form shall be filed with UNCP's Office of Human Resources. All contact with other UNC institutions shall be between the applicant (employee) and the enrolling institution.

Related Policies:

• UNC Policy Manual Section 1000.2.2 – Policy on the Waiver of Tuition and Fees for Faculty and Staff
• UNC Policy Manual Section 1000.2.2.1[R] – Regulation on Waiver of Tuition and Fees for Faculty and Staff

Additional References:

• N.C. General Statute § 116-143
• UNCP Application for Faculty/Staff Tuition Waiver