Procedure IV.4000.P.a, Tuition Reimbursement and Spouse/Dependent Tuition Discount

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Purpose

The College will reimburse active, full-time, employees who have completed six (6) months of continuous service at the time of enrollment for classes taken at San Jacinto College. Subject to the availability of funds, the College will reimburse tuition and related charges up to $1,800 each fiscal year. The College will also offer discounted tuition to an employee's eligible spouse and dependents.

Associated Policy

Policy IV.4000.P, Tuition Reimbursement and Spouse/Dependent Tuition Discount

Procedure

Employee Tuition Reimbursement 

• Employees may receive up to $600 for each of three reimbursement periods, not to exceed $1,800 each fiscal year. See reimbursement period dates below. The College will allocate and distribute reimbursement on a first come, first served basis.
• The College will budget reimbursement funds each fiscal year or as authorized by the Board of Trustees.
• For credit courses, reimbursement will be paid after classes are completed and a grade of “C” or better has been awarded. For continuing education (CE) courses, the College will reimburse employees after classes are completed and the requirements of the class have been mastered or the CE credits have been awarded.
• The College will not reimburse employees for auditing courses.
• The College covers the cost of books, supplies, and related charges if an itemized receipt for payment is provided.
• It is at the discretion of leadership whether an employee may be released during standard working hours to attend a class. The adjusted schedule must account for the total hours required for the employee’s position.
• Out-of-district tuition will be waived; however, the Registrar's office must be notified of residency status prior to payment of tuition and any related charges.
• Funds are not available to waive tuition charges for family members.
• Employee tuition cannot be paid or reimbursed from the College’s departmental budgets.
• Free courses do not fall within this procedure.
• Courses paid for by grants or scholarships are not eligible for reimbursement under this procedure.
• Reimbursements must occur within the fiscal year in which classes are taken.

To receive tuition reimbursement, employees must follow the following steps:

1. As soon as the employee registers for the course(s), they must complete and submit an Employee Tuition Reimbursement Form to Human Resources, Benefits. All forms will be logged by date of receipt to assess the potential reimbursements requested. As the submitted forms near the allotted dollar limit the College allotted for employee tuition reimbursement, Human Resources, Benefits will notify the employee that reimbursement may not occur due to limited funds.
2. Employees must submit grades or CE requirements to Human Resources, Benefits by the deadlines listed below:

Grades submitted after the deadline date may not be processed until the next reimbursement period and only if funds are available. The date of the original submission (step 1) and the date of grade submission (step 2) will be considered in determining the order of reimbursement until all available funds are expended. Tuition reimbursement may not cross fiscal years.

Spouse and Dependent Tuition Discount

Spouse and dependents of eligible, full-time employees qualify for a tuition percentage discount of approximately $30.00 per semester credit hour, to be deducted from in-district, out-of-district, or out-of-state rate, as applicable. This discount does not apply to dual credit enrollment.

For a spouse or dependent to be eligible, the employee must have completed six months of employment for their dependent to qualify for the discount.

For eligibility purposes, the College will use the same spouse and dependent eligibility criteria as defined by the ERS Dependent Eligibility Chart, located at https://ers.texas.gov/Benefits-at-a-Glance/Dependent-eligibility-chart…. A spouse or dependent does not need to be covered under the employee's health care plan to be eligible for the tuition discount.

If an employee or dependent is later determined to be ineligible, the discounted fees must be repaid to the College.

Process Steps

1. To request the spouse/dependent tuition discount, the employee must complete the Spouse and Dependent Tuition Discount Request form each semester. The form is located at internal.sanjac.edu/College Resources/Forms-Documents/HR and Payroll Forms. The completed form will be automatically routed to the employee's leader for approval.

2. Once the form is received by the leader, the leader should confirm that the employee has worked at the College for a minimum of six months and approve the form confirming eligibility.

3. The approved form is automatically routed to the selected Campus Business Office that will ensure the necessary steps are taken to apply the discount.