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HR Policy #60-160 | |||||
| Subject: | Tuition Discount Program for Dependent Children and Spouses |
| Reference: | University Policy |
| Application: | All Employees |
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Effective Date: |
August 21, 1998 |
| Revised Date: | July 14, 2006 |
Dependent children and spouses of regular full-time employees are eligible
to receive tuition discounts for courses taken at Western Kentucky University.
This applies to all courses offered for credit, but does not include
continuing or community education courses and courses offered through overseas
programs. Audit, correspondence and bi-term courses are included in this policy. A 50% tuition discount applies to the
full tuition and mandatory fees for courses taken. Fees which are not considered a part of
this policy include course specific fees, student teaching fees, and other similar
fees.
Dependent Children
Dependent children of regular full-time employees are eligible to receive
a tuition discount of 50% on all undergraduate courses. In order to participate in the program,
dependent children must meet general admission requirements and any specific
program requirements of the University. High school students who take college
work prior to graduation are also eligible for tuition discounts under this
policy (please refer to institutional admission requirements for high school
students).
A
minimum WKU grade point criteria of 2.0 on a 4.0 grade scale must be
maintained. If the GPA falls below
2.0, the dependent child will be ineligible to participate in the tuition
discount program until his/her GPA improves to 2.0. Dependent children who have earned a
baccalaureate degree from another institution may also participate in this
program until the degree requirements for one baccalaureate degree at Western
are met. The tuition discount is renewable each semester by
application.
A
dependent child is defined as one who is an unmarried, natural child, adopted
child, step-child, or legal ward and who (a) is claimed as a dependent by the
employee on the most recently filed federal income tax return and who (b) is
eligible to be claimed as a dependent for the tax year in which classes are
taken. In the case of legal
separation or divorce, a natural or adopted child or legal ward may participate
in this program regardless of which parent declares the child as a dependent for
income tax purposes.
Eligible dependent children may receive the reduced tuition benefit only
for classes which begin subsequent to the employee’s employment date. For purposes of this policy, the employee,
to whom this tuition discount is gained, must be employed prior to
the first official day of the semester in which a course is to be taken. For
the May and Summer terms, individuals must be employed on or before May 1 in
order to be eligible. For the Winter term, individuals must have been employed
on or before the last working day in December of the immediately preceding year.
Should the employee, through whom the tuition discount is gained, terminate
employment during the time a course is being taken or prior to its completion,
the dependent child will be allowed to complete the current semester and continue
to receive the previously approved tuition discount.
Dependent children of full-time employees on an approved leave of absence (including sabbatical leave) are eligible for the discounts under this program for the duration of the employee’s approved absence.
Dependent children receiving less than full institutional tuition scholarships are eligible for the tuition discounts provided herein, however, the combined amount of all institutional tuition scholarships and discounts shall not exceed the total amount of tuition and mandatory student fees. For dependent children who receive full institutional scholarships and whose enrollment begins with the 2007/2008 academic year or after, the tuition discount benefit shall be applied to the dependent child's account prior to the awarding of an institutional tuition scholarship. The sum of the discount and institutional tuition scholarship shall not exceed the total cost of tuition and mandatory student fees. The limits imposed by this policy do not affect institutional scholarships which cover charges other than tuition and mandatory fees (i.e., room, board, meals). Similarly, the limits imposed do not affect those students who receive external scholarships.
Spouses
Legal spouses of regular full-time employees are eligible for a 50 percent tuition discount for up to six (6) credit hours per semester (fall and spring) and up to six (6) credit hours during the Winter and Summer (May included) terms combined (total of 18 credit hours per calendar year). This discount applies to undergraduate or graduate course work. This benefit applies to all courses offered for credit, but does not include continuing or community education courses and courses offered through overseas programs. Audit, correspondence and bi-term courses are included in this policy. The 50 percent tuition discount applies to the full tuition and mandatory fees for courses taken. Fees which are not considered a part of this policy include course specific fees, student teaching fees, and other similar fees.
A
minimum WKU grade point criteria of 2.0 on a 4.0 grade scale must be
maintained. If the GPA falls below
2.0, the spouse will be ineligible to participate in the tuition discount
program until his/her GPA improves to 2.0.
Spouses must meet general admission requirements and any specific program
requirements of the University. For
purposes of this policy, the employee, to whom this tuition waiver is granted,
must be employed prior to the first official day of the
semester in which a course is to be taken. For the May and Summer terms,
individuals must be employed on or before May 1 in order to be eligible. For the
Winter term, individuals must have been employed on or before the last working
day in December of the immediately preceding year.Should the employee, through
whom the tuition discount is gained, terminate employment during the time a
course is being taken or prior to its completion, the spouse enrolled as a
student will be allowed to complete the current semester and continue to receive
the previously approved tuition discount.
Dependent children and spouses of retirees are eligible for tuition
discounts following the same guidelines as regular full-time employees. For purposes of this policy, a retiree
is defined as an individual who has attained official retirement status with
Western Kentucky University.
Dependent children (as defined in this policy) and spouses, of full-time
employees who die while in an active full-time status, shall be eligible for
tuition discounts following the same guidelines as dependent children and
spouses of active full-time employees.
For his/her dependents to be eligible, the deceased employee must have
had at least five (5) years of full-time service with Western Kentucky
University. This benefit shall
apply to all dependent children and the surviving spouse who were qualified
dependents at the time of the employee’s death.
Dependent children of employees having less than five (5) years of
full-time service who are enrolled and receiving benefits under this policy at
the time of the employee’s death, shall continue to remain eligible for tuition
discounts until degree requirements for one baccalaureate degree are met.
Procedure
For
individuals requesting the tuition discount benefits provided by this policy, a
tuition discount form must be completed each semester and forwarded to the
Department of Human Resources for eligibility verification.