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POLICY #8.2.1
SUBJECT: Education Benefits

I. PURPOSE

Southern Utah University is committed to professional development and offers a Tuition Waiver for eligible employees and their family members to support an environment of life-long learning.

II. REFERENCES

  1. Southern Utah University Policy 5.32 Part-Time and Temporary Employment
  2. Southern Utah University Policy 6.0 Definition of Faculty
  3. Southern Utah University Policy 6.42 Program and Course Fees
  4. Southern Utah University Policy 11.8 General Student Fee Advisory Board
  5. Utah System of Higher Education Policy R511 Tuition Disclosures and Consultation

III. DEFINITIONS

  1. Adjunct Faculty: An individual having professional or specialized training, employed on a temporary or Part-Time basis to provide instruction or instructional related services for one or more credit bearing courses.
  2. Dependent: An unmarried child (son, daughter, stepchild, foster child) age 26 or under, or an adult disabled child as qualified by the IRS.
  3. Full-Time Benefit-Eligible Employee: A faculty member currently under contract for nine (9) or more months, or a staff member employed at 0.75 FTE or greater. These individuals are also eligible for University fringe benefits including medical insurance, life insurance, long-term disability, retirement, leave accruals, etc.
  4. General Student Fees: Fees charged to students in addition to any matriculation and/or Tuition to support student organizations, student activities, and intercollegiate programs such as intramural sports or visiting academics.
  5. Part-Time Benefit-Eligible Employee: An individual employed less than 0.75 FTE and greater than 0.50 FTE who is also eligible for University fringe benefits including medical insurance, life insurance, long-term disability, retirements, leave accruals, etc.
  6. Program Fees: Fees assessed per credit hour on courses offered by a particular academic program to cover costs such as equipment and maintenance, software, student support, computer lab attendants, and other program support that cannot be covered by state appropriations and Tuition.
  7. Self-Support Fees: Fees charged by self-support operations on campus such as parking, housing, or extended education. Self-support programs are not receiving state general fund appropriations and instead collect fees to pay the full cost of the program.
  8. Special Course Fees: Fees established by each course for the cost of providing the supplies or resources for the instruction of the material.
  9. Spouse: An individual to whom an employee is lawfully married under state law.
  10. Tuition Waiver: A waiver granted by the University that reduces the amount of University charges to the eligible individual. The waiver will eliminate the applicable cost of Tuition but cannot be used for any other educational expenses such as books and fees.
  11. Tuition: Cost assessed for enrollment in credit-bearing courses as established by the Utah Board of Higher Education. Tuition does not include General Student Fees or charges specific to programs or courses.

IV. POLICY

  1. Full-Time Benefit-Eligible Employees
    1. Full-Time Benefit-Eligible Employees and their Spouse qualify for a full Tuition Waiver (regardless of their place of residency). General Student Fees are waived when taking nine (9) or fewer credit hours per semester but are charged in full when taking 10 or more credit hours per semester.
    2. Full-Time Benefit-Eligible Employees may apply to their department head or immediate supervisor to complete up to six (6) clock hours of academic work in a work week during the employees' regular working day hours. These accommodations must not interfere with their contractual agreement and obligation to the University and are at the discretion of management in consideration of department workload and other available resources to ensure department responsibilities are appropriately fulfilled. Following approval by the immediate supervisor, the application and authorization for Tuition Waiver form must be submitted to the respective Vice President or Dean for the opportunity to review, comment, suggest changes, and ultimately approve or deny the request.
      1. If the course is specifically related to earning a degree and/or the employee’s job duties (as determined by the employee, the intermediate supervisor, and the department head), three (3) clock hours of work per week may be taken on a released time basis, and the employee will not be expected to make up the time.
      2. Any academic time taken outside of the provisions outlined above requires the employee to make up the time within each week or have their compensation reduced, as approved by the supervisor.
      3. Employees may, with the approval of their supervisor, use their lunch hour or time before and after their regular working day hours to make up released time. Break time may not count as an offset against released time or made up time.
    3. Following retirement, a Full-Time Benefit-Eligible Employee and their Spouse are eligible for a Tuition Waiver under the provisions of this Policy.
    4. Qualifying Dependents of Full-Time Benefit-Eligible Employees will owe Tuition at half of in-state or online Tuition rates with additional Tuition charges being waived. This provision does not include a waiver of fees. Tax implications may apply to children who no longer qualify as an IRS eligible Dependent (age 24 and above).
    5. Full-Time Benefit-Eligible Employees, their Spouse, and their Dependents qualify for a half Tuition Waiver for up to 30 clock hours of instruction per week through Southwest Technical College.
  2. Part-Time Benefit-Eligible Employees
    1. Part-Time Benefit-Eligible Employees are eligible to receive a Tuition and General Student Fee waiver for six (6) or fewer credit hours per semester. Classes must be taken outside of normal working hours.
    2. Part-Time Benefit-Eligible Employees will receive a half Tuition Waiver for up to six (6) clock hours of instruction per week through Southwest Technical College.
  3. Adjunct Faculty

    Adjunct Faculty employees teaching Part-Time are eligible to receive a Tuition and General Student Fee waiver for three (3) or fewer credit hours per semester in which they teach.
  4. Policy Provisions
    1. The application and authorization for Tuition Waiver form must be obtained by the person receiving the waiver and appropriately signed and submitted to Human Resources prior to the last day to withdraw from the class with 100% refund.
    2. Eligibility for the Tuition Waiver will be determined by Human Resources based on the employee’s employment status and the Dependent’s eligibility status on the first day of class. Waivers will be applied to the employee or student’s account by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office or the Cashier’s Office.
    3. Coordination of other Tuition Waivers or scholarships when determining the order of application will be subject to the rules and procedures governing each funding source.
    4. Employees and family member that fall into more than one (1) employee group may not stack Tuition Waivers. The Tuition Waiver with the greatest benefit will be applied.
    5. Unless otherwise excluded by the Administration, employee and Dependent waivers are available for all educational and general SUU credit courses, including summer courses, online education, and evening course offerings. Contact the Human Resources office for questions about excluded programs.
    6. All Special Course Fees will be the responsibility of the employee, Spouse, or Dependent taking the course.
    7. Classes that are solely fee-based (such as study abroad, community engagement, etc.) or have no institutional Tuition applied will not be eligible for the Tuition Waiver. Non-credit or self-support classes are subject to all non-credit or Self-Support Fees.
    8. Tuition Waivers cannot exceed full Tuition. Contact the individual department or the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office for rules regarding academic, department, and endowment scholarships.
    9. Waivers for graduate classes over a certain dollar amount and waivers for children over the age of 24 may be subject to IRS income taxes which will be incorporated into the regular payroll process when applicable.

V. RELEVANT FORMS/LINKS

VI. QUESTIONS/RESPONSIBLE OFFICE

The responsible office for this Policy is the Vice President for Finance. For questions about this Policy, contact the Office of Human Resources.

VII. POLICY ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT DATES

Date Approved: November 2, 1990

Amended: March 3, 2000; June 13, 2013; December 4, 2014; August 12, 2021