POLICY NO: 406
EFFECTIVE DATE: 04/09/2007
TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR FACULTY AND STAFF
The University offers full-time faculty, regular full-time staff and limited service
employees the opportunity to pursue knowledge and to advance their personal and
professional development by providing tuition assistance for credit courses at the
University of Pennsylvania.
Click here to begin using
the online tuition management system. With this easy-to-use online system
you can apply for tuition benefits, as well as track the status and view the
history of requested tuition benefits.
406.1 ELIGIBILITY
406.2 HIRE/TERMINATION DATES
406.3 JOB RESPONSIBILITY
406.4 TUITION AMOUNT
406.5 APPLYING FOR BENEFITS
406.6 TAX LIABILITY
406.7 HEALTH INSURANCE
All full-time faculty in a benefits-eligible title, regular full-time staff and limited service employees, are
eligible for tuition assistance benefits in any school of the University of Pennsylvania
to which they have been admitted.
All staff members affected by position discontinuation and eligible for benefits in
accordance with Policy 628 who were participating in the tuition assistance for faculty
and staff benefit at the time of notice of position discontinuation, will receive tuition
benefits through the end of the semester in which notice of separation was given.
Retired University faculty and staff who meet University eligibility requirements and
retirement criteria, are eligible for the same faculty and staff scholarship benefits for
which they were eligible immediately prior to retirement.
A visiting member of the instructional staff is eligible for tuition assistance only if
specified in the minutes of the Provost's Staff Conference.
Tuition assistance benefits are administered by the Tuition Office in the
Division of Human Resources. The Tuition Office makes final administrative determinations if any questions arise concerning
an individual's employment relationship with the University and eligibility for
scholarship assistance under the program.
Eligible employees hired prior to the cut-off date of a
semester may obtain tuition benefits for the semester in which they were hired. Eligible
employees hired after the cut-off date of the semester cannot receive tuition benefits
until the start of the following term. Employees who terminate prior to the cut-off date
of the semester lose their scholarship. Employees who terminate after the cut-off date of
the semester will receive the scholarship through that semester.
The cut-off dates are:
| Spring semester: |
February 28 |
| Summer Session 1: |
May 31 |
| Summer Session 2: |
July 15 |
| Fall semester: |
October 15 |
Faculty and staff who elect to take courses and receive tuition benefits under this
program must continue to meet the full responsibilities of their University positions.
Employees may attend classes during their normal working hours provided they have received
prior approval from their immediate supervisor and have arranged to make up the work and
any time away from regular hours of business. A supervisor may deny an employee's request
to attend classes during normal working hours, if the supervisor determines the employee's
presence during those hours is essential to the job or the needs of the department.
Eligible faculty and staff may receive tuition assistance for six (6) course units of
tuition, general fees and technology fees over the academic year for credit courses,
courses in the Stretch Program and Math 101. Tuition assistance will be provided for a
maximum of two (2) course units along with the above fees in both the Fall and Spring
semesters. Tuition assistance along with the above fees for up to a maximum of two (2)
course units will be provided during the University's two summer sessions. Course units
cannot be accrued.
To apply for tuition benefits, use the online tuition system at
www.hr.upenn.edu/tuition. You
should apply as soon as you have been accepted into a school’s program.
You must use the online system to apply no later than the following dates:
| Spring semester: |
March 15 |
| Summer Session 1: |
June 15 |
| Summer Session 2: |
August 15 |
| Fall semester: |
November 15 |
Tuition benefits are contingent upon timely application using the online system.
Benefits will not be approved for requests that are submitted after the
deadline dates listed above for a specified term. Failure to file for benefits
in a timely manner may result in the application of late charges to your bill,
for which you will be responsible.
Employees are fully responsible for any tax liability incurred as a result of these
benefits being treated as taxable income to the employee at any time. The University may
report the benefit amount as income to any taxing authority and withhold taxes from such
benefit amounts or from the employee's other salary income. Under current law, graduate
tuition benefits for faculty and staff are subject to federal income tax, FICA (Social
Security tax), Medicare tax and city wage tax to the extent that the
benefits exceed $5,250 per calendar year.
Any applicable taxes are withheld directly from the benefit and the net amount is awarded to
the student as the scholarship. The gross tuition amount subject to taxes and taxes
withheld are reported to the IRS as a part of the faculty or staff member's earnings. The
taxpayer is responsible for making appropriate payroll withholding adjustments, if
desired. The taxpayer is also responsible for settling his/her tax liability on year-end
tax filing.
The University requires full-time students to maintain medical insurance with coverage for inpatient care and catastrophic illness and injury. Student Health Services will automatically enroll and bill students for the Penn Student Insurance Plan if they do not submit a waiver each school year showing that they have other health insurance. This includes faculty and staff members working at Penn. If you have health coverage through Penn’s benefits program or through another source (e.g., spouse’s benefits program), you must submit a waiver to Student Health Services each school year. Please refer to the Student Health Services website for more information
(www.vpul.upenn.edu/shs/).
Applicability: Full-time Faculty, Regular Full-time and Limited Service Staff
Cross-reference: Policy 407, Policy 408, Policy 409, Policy 628
Supersedes Policy Number(s): 406 (08/15/1995, 07/01/1997, 07/01/2004, 05/26/2005, 11/02/2005)