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U.Va. Human Resources
Educational Benefits Policy: Employee Tuition Waiver
Employees to Whom this Policy Applies:
Full-time and part-time salaried faculty, classified staff, and medical center employees. Part-time is defined as at least 20 hours per week or 50% effort excluding students.

Policy:
The University of Virginia is committed to the continued professional and personal development of faculty and staff. Full-time and part-time salaried faculty, classified staff and medical center employees may enroll in one course per academic semester without paying tuition and normally required fees. Part-time is defined as at least 20 hours per week or 50% effort excluding students.

Roles & Responsibilities:
The UHR Faculty and Staff Career Services Division is responsible for all policies related to this program, is ultimately responsible for program compliance, is the source for tuition waiver-related information and is the final decision-making authority for the appeals process associated with tuition waiver policy.
Student Financial Services, The School of Continuing & Professional Studies (SCPS), the Summer Session Office, and the McIntire Graduate MIT Program Registrar administer the tuition waiver processes and ensure that all tuition waivers are appropriately applied and correctly submitted and processed. Tuition Waiver forms are submitted to one of these offices.
Employees initiate the tuition waiver process. Supervisors approve tuition waiver requests. Together, Employees and Supervisors agree on appropriate work schedules to accommodate class attendance. If they agree that attendance for a job-related course for full-time employees will take place during working hours, the Department Head must approve this decision.

Forms:
"Employee Request for UVA Tuition Waiver" is used to apply for a Tuition Waiver.

General Information:
Courses taken under this policy are subject to the following conditions:
  • The tuition waiver form must be submitted before the end of the semester registration period. The waiver cannot be used after the end of the registration period. A new form must be submitted every semester that a course is taken.
  • Courses may be job-related or not job-related. Job-related is defined as education related to the employee's current job. This includes education related to new methods or equipment, new skills and knowledge, and maintenance of established standards. "Job related" can include job-related degree programs. Job-relatedness is determined by the employee's supervisor, but may be reviewed by the Director of the UHR Faculty and Staff Career Services Division.
    NOTE: If a classified staff or medical center employee attends more than three semester credit hours during working hours, he/she is considered to be on official educational leave with partial pay for the time of absence. (See the Educational Aid Policy for more information.)
    A full-time classified staff or medical center employee who registers for a course that is more than three semester credit hours may, with supervisor approval, attend three semester credit hours as "hours worked" and make up the remaining credit hours by choosing to take annual leave to attend the course or adjusting his/her work schedule so the course is attended outside of working hours.
  • Tuition waiver must be taken for a grade (versus ungraded), credit (if credit versus non-credit) or pass (versus fail). Tuition waiver is not authorized for non-credit or audited courses.
  • Eligibility: The employee must be either a: full-time salaried faculty, classified staff or a medical center employee who has been employed by the University for at least one year of continuous salaried service from the date of hire to the last date to add into the course; OR a part-time salaried faculty, classified staff or medical center employee who has been employed by the University for at least 2 years of continuous salaried service from the date of hire to the last date to add into the course. Part-time is defined as at least 20 hours per week or 50% effort excluding students.
    The last date to add into a course is based on what course the employee enrolls in and is determined by the registration office where he/she enrolls (Student Financial Services, School of Continuing & Professional Studies (SCPS), McIntire Graduate MIT Program, or Summer Session).
  • Eligible employees must meet the usual course entry requirements administered by the Schools and/or the Summer Session. The discretion normally exercised by faculty and administrators in admitting any student into any course is not to be constrained by this policy.
  • Eligible employees may have tuition and normally required fees waived for one course and required lab/discussion group for each semester (fall, spring, summer). Tuition is calculated at the in-state rate. Required fees for the purposes of this policy are those fees defined by the registration office to be required, includes activity fees and school fees that are applicable to employees. This policy does not cover non-credit courses, personal instruction (e.g., music lessons), or independent study. Non-topical research (dissertation) credits are not covered, but the regular fees associated with dissertation credits are covered.
    The McIntire Graduate MIT Program waives tuition and fees differently than explained here. For complete details, go to Employee Tuition Waiver Addendum: Tuition Waiver Information for McIntire School of Commerce Graduate MIT Program.
  • Fees other than those normally required are not covered (except for dissertation credits as described above). Book or study material costs are not covered by this policy. Application fees, special course fees, drop fees, processing fees and readmission fees are to be paid by the employee.
  • If the employee wishes to change their tuition waiver request, a revised tuition waiver request should be submitted.
    Examples of when to submit a revised tuition waiver request include: a change in the number of hours for which the employee is enrolled; a change in course registered for; or when a course is dropped within the drop period. As an example in the latter case, in addition to completing the appropriate paperwork to drop a course (within the appropriate timeframe) with the registration office, a revised tuition waiver request would be submitted to the registration office. Submitting a changed tuition waiver request may change the value of the waiver.
  • To retain eligibility for the tuition waiver, a course must be completed with a grade of C- or better (or pass if pass/fail or credit if credit/no credit) to be considered a passing grade. If the employee does not pass the course or does not complete the course within the required timeframe, or drops a course after the last drop date, the employee will be billed for their tuition and must reimburse the University of Virginia within the stated period on the invoice. If payment is not forthcoming, the University may deduct payment from the employee's paycheck.
    It is the employee's responsibility to be aware of the drop date for his/her course. The drop date is based on what course the employee enrolls in and is determined by the registration office where the employee registers (Student Financial Services, SCPS, or Summer Session).
    The employee may appeal their invoice to the UHR Division of Faculty and Staff Career Services (FSCS). FSCS is the final decision-making authority in the appeals process.
  • Applicants may not enroll in any class section if they displace regularly enrolled students. Class size will not be increased to accommodate the enrollment of employees under this policy.
  • If a course is job-related and offered during working hours, supervisors are encouraged to excuse a full-time classified or medical center employee from duties to attend no more than three semester credit hours per semester (fall, spring, summer). Supervisors may permit full-time classified employees and medical center employees to attend a class as "hours worked" and not require that leave be used. Supervisors are encouraged to adjust work schedules as far as practical to permit attendance. Department Head approval is required when a full-time employee attends a class during working hours.
  • If a course is not job-related, full-time classified employees and medical center employees must adjust their work schedules as needed to take the class during non-working hours or use leave time. Supervisors are encouraged to adjust work schedules as far as practical to permit attendance.
  • Full-time classified employees and medical center employees may use Tuition Waiver as part of a Resident Study Program. Resident Study is outlined in the Educational Aid Policy.
  • Part-time classified employees and medical center employees must attend courses during non-working hours. Supervisors are encouraged to adjust work schedules as far as practical to permit attendance.
  • The dollar value of the waived tuition may be considered taxable income, depending on the total value of your education benefits. Contact your payroll office for more information.
Related Programs:
The terms of use and procedures for submitting Tuition Waiver forms differ for Employees matriculated in the McIntire School of Commerce Graduate MIT Program. See Employee Tuition Waiver Addendum: Tuition Waiver Information for McIntire School of Commerce Graduate MIT Program for more information.
In addition to Tuition Waiver, an employee may receive tuition reimbursement or assistance for additional courses. Tuition Reimbursement is described in the Tuition Reimbursement Policy and Tuition Assistance is described in the Tuition Assistance Policy. Tuition reimbursement or tuition assistance and tuition waiver may be used concurrently but not for the same course.

Tuition Waiver Procedures:
Note: The tuition waiver form must be completed before the end of the semester registration period. The waiver cannot be used after the end of the registration period. A new form must be submitted every semester that a course is taken. Tuition Waiver Procedures differ for the McIntire Graduate MIT Program.
  • Employee completes the Employee Request for Tuition Waiver and obtains necessary management approvals. The form is available at the end of this policy document.
  • Supervisor and employee discuss and agree on appropriate work coverage. If course is job-related, and employee will be taking class during working hours, a department head signature is required (full-time classified staff and medical center employees only).
  • If employee is full-time and course is not job-related, employee takes course during non-working hours or supervisor and employee agree on adjusted work schedule so that course is taken during non-working hours, or employee may use leave. If part-time, the employee must attend course during non-working hours. Supervisors are encouraged to adjust work schedules as far as practical to permit attendance.
  • Employee submits completed form with all supervisor/department head approvals and submits to the registration office where enrollment takes place.
  • The registration office reviews the tuition waiver form, applies the tuition waiver, and verifies information. The employee receives a copy of the tuition waiver. Employees may view their account status through web ISIS at http://www.virginia.edu/isis.
  • The registration office provides a copy of the tuition form to the UHR Faculty and Staff Career Services Division where it is reviewed for policy compliance and retained.
  • At the end of the semester, the registration office where the employee registered identifies those employees who did not successfully pass the course with a C- or better, have an Incomplete after the deadline, or dropped after the last drop date. Those employees are obligated to pay the University the dollar value of the tuition waiver.
  • The registration office where the employee registered will issue an invoice to the employee for the amount due. Until the amount has been paid, the employee will be blocked from registering for additional courses.
  • An employee may appeal the invoice to the Director of UHR Division of Faculty and Staff Career Services. One appeal may be made:
    1. Within 15 working days of invoice date, the employee may submit in writing a letter of appeal to the Director of Faculty and Staff Career Services (University Human Resources, 914 Emmet St, Room 220B, Box 400127 explaining the reason for the appeal and providing documentation to support his/her appeal.
      Example of a valid appeal: course grade was Incomplete. Employee subsequently completes course, gets C+ grade (which is higher than the minimum acceptable C-, so tuition waiver eligibility is maintained) from instructor and provides proof of same. Example of invalid appeal: Course grade was below C-. Documentation is memo from supervisor that employee was too busy at work and didn't have time to complete assignments and it was too late to drop the course.
    2. The Director of Faculty and Staff Career Services reviews the appeal, makes the final decision within 15 working days of receipt of appeal, and notifies employee, supervisor and registration official in writing of decision.
    3. If appeal is in employee's favor, the invoice is canceled and registration block is removed from employee's student account.
    4. If appeal is denied, employee pays invoice for tuition waiver within 30 days from notice of denial of appeal.
    5. Upon receipt of payment, registration block is removed from employee's student account. Registration office notifies UHR Division of Faculty and Staff Career Services that appeal is resolved.
    6. If employee does not pay within 30 days, registration office may request appropriate payroll office to deduct waiver amount from next paycheck and copies UHR Employee Career Services on request.
    7. If requested, payroll office deducts waiver amount from employee's next paycheck and transfers funds to registering office, adjusts employee's education benefit taxable income, and notifies registration office and UHR Division of Faculty and Staff Career Services that deduction was made.
      Upon receiving notice payroll deduction, registration office removes block from employees student account and notifies UHR Division of Faculty and Staff Career Services that appeal is resolved.


Employee Request for UVA Tuition Waiver

Issued by: University Human Resources, Division of Employee Career Services
Referenced Form: Employee Request for UVA Tuition Waiver
Issue Date: July 1, 2002
Also See: Tuition Assistance Policy, Tuition Reimbursement Policy