Employee Tuition Assistance Grant                     

 (ETAG)

 

Approved:     Financial Affairs Council, 

                         (Revised October 2001)

Effective Date:    September 1, 1999

Purpose

To identify the appropriate policies and procedures associated with employee and dependent tuition costs at Houghton College.

Policy

I. Overview
The college provides employee and dependent tuition assistance grants (ETAG) as a fringe benefit for certain employees. The amount of assistance provided depends, in part on (1) whether the student is an employee or the dependent of an employee, (2) the employee’s tenure with the college and status as full or part time, (3) the full or part time academic status of the student requesting assistance. An individual is considered a "dependent" of an employee if the individual is claimed as a dependent on the employee's tax return.
 

II. General Rules
 

To qualify for an ETAG from the college for an employee or their dependent, the employee must have served at least two years in the full time employ of Houghton College prior to the commencement of the term. Years of service at another accredited institution of higher education count towards this two year waiting period.

 Alternatively,a new employee with 10 years or more of experience in a field of service determined by the Academic Dean or the Director of Human Resources to be directly related to the purpose for which an employee is hired will be immediately eligible for ETAG benefits.

 This waiting period will be waived for employees taking courses determined by the Director of Human Resources to be job related.  The student must fully comply with the application and acceptance process at the college.  Admission to the college is not guaranteed.  The employee must complete all required financial aid forms within the typical deadline dates associated with such filings.  Tuition assistance covers up to 8 semesters or 125 hours (128 hours for B.Music) whichever is greater. 

 
 

III. Full Time Dependents
 

Employee dependents (as defined by the IRS) will receive an ETAG equal to tuition less $750 per semester, if they meet the following tests:
 

1. The employee has served at least two years in the full time employ of the college prior to the commencement of the term.
 

2. The dependent has been duly accepted by the college for admission and is considered to be a full time, matriculated student. Students who do not require a full load in their last semester may qualify for tuition assistance and be considered part-time students for one semester only.
 

3. The employee has appropriately filed all requisite financial aid applications and forms within the deadlines established.
 
IV. Financial Aid Allocation
 
 
With the exception of the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (NYS TAP), all need and performance based financial assistance provided from third parties to the dependent will be available for the dependent to use for tuition, room, board, books and other educational costs beyond those covered by the ETAG. Amounts received for the NYS TAP will serve to partially offset the college’s contribution toward the ETAG.
 

V. Part Time Students

Full and part time employees will be eligible for a 100% tuition discount.  Employees taking a course during normal working hours must receive the approval of their supervisor prior to registering for the course. Hourly staff employees who spend time in class during normal working hours must make up the time during the same work week. Supervisors, at their sole discretion, have the authority to waive the requirement to make up hours if they believe the class is job related and will improve employee’s ability to perform their duties. Administrative (salaried) employees are expected to work the number of hours necessary to successfully perform their job.

Dependents of employees may take courses on a less than full-time basis and receive a 90% discount. Dependents who are high school students will receive a 100% discount.

The following courses are exempted from employee tuition assistance for part-time students (either employees or dependents):

      Music - All Applied Courses
  Art - All Courses except Art History and Appreciation
  Physical Education - All applied courses and those requiring an activity lab.
     Other - Tutorial, independent study, student teaching, field internships, audits of computer course


VI. Tuition Assistance for P.A.C.E.
A full time employee or full time employee's spouse who desires to enroll in a P.A.C.E. cohort beginning in the spring will be eligible for an ETAG if they are the first employee to be admitted to and request tuition assistance for that cohort. Any additional employees in the same cohort must receive permission from the Director of Human Resources. The ETAG applies only to tuition and will result in a $500 tuition charge for each of the three terms. All other costs will be borne by the student.