7.6 Educational Assistance Plan (formerly Tuition Remission and Tuition Exchange)

To promote and support the continued educational development of employees and their respective family members, the University makes available Tuition Remission and Tuition Exchange. This program is designed to offset the cost of tuition when eligible employees and/or family members are admitted for enrollment.

Tuition Remission Program

The University makes this program available for study at Piedmont University according to the following stipulations:

Eligibility and Responsibilities:

Current full-time employees who have completed 6 months of employment are eligible to apply for Tuition Remission.
1. Employees are eligible to:
  1. Enroll in up to (six) 6 credit hours per semester for a first Baccalaureate or a first Master’s degree at Piedmont University;
  2. Enroll in non-degree coursework necessary for work assignments upon approval of supervisor;
  3. Enroll spouse and/or qualifying dependent(s) to receive Tuition Remission for a first undergraduate degree with an 18-hour credit limit per semester.
2. Tuition Remission is not available for the following:
  1. BSN (pre-nursing coursework is covered);
  2. Graduate level work in Athletic Training, Counseling and Speech Language Pathology;
  3. Specialist degree; and
  4. Trip course tuition.
3. The proceeds received from all scholarship or gift aid will be used to offset the cost of the applied tuition remission benefit.
4. d. Employee/spouse/dependent students are responsible for all fees, books and other non-tuition related expenses.
5. Recipients of Tuition Remission must maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by Financial Aid standards and social conduct As referenced in the Piedmont University Catalog, Student Handbook and other documents. Failure to do so, will result in cancellation of the benefit.
6. Tuition remission is not available for repeating class(es).
In the event an employee resigns or is terminated from a University position during a semester of receiving Tuition Remission, eligibility for the benefit will terminate immediately if the end of employment date is before the end of the drop/add period. If the end of employment date is after the end of the drop/add period, the benefit will remain in place until the end of the semester.
Tax Considerations:
1. Tuition Remission for Undergraduate or Non-Credit Coursework:
  1. Courses taken for undergraduate credit or non-credit are not subject to tax withholding and imputed income.
2. Tuition Remission for Master’s Level Coursework:
  1. Faculty and staff employees receiving tuition remission for Piedmont University Master’s level coursework enjoy exclusion of up to $5,250 in program costs per calendar year from taxable income (IRS Section 127). In addition, IRS Section 162 determines benefits exceeding $5,250 may be excludable from taxation if the education is job-related as follows:
    1. The coursework maintains or improves skills required by an individual in his employment, trade or business; or
    2. The coursework meets the express requirements of the individual’s employer, law or regulations, status or rate of compensation.
  2. Tuition benefits in excess of $5,250 per year are subject to federal and state income taxes as well as FICA and Medicare unless the education meets 1 or 2 above.
  3. Educational expenses are not excludable from taxation if they are incurred to meet minimum educational requirements for the individual’s current position or to qualify the individual for a position or a new field. In this case the benefit is fully taxable.
Application for Tuition Remission:

Prior to the start of each semester, employees should complete applications (fillable form available in PilgrimNet portal on the Human Resources portal) for themselves and/or an eligible spouse or dependent (to receive this benefit, an eligible child must be listed as a dependent on the employee’s tax return filed with the Internal Revenue Service.) All Tuition Remission requests for a dependent child must include a copy of the top portion of a tax return listing the student as a dependent.

All completed applications should be signed by appropriate persons and forwarded to Human Resources.

B. Tuition Reimbursement for Doctoral Level Coursework

Faculty are eligible for tuition reimbursement of up to $2,000 annually for a period not to exceed six (6) years for doctoral studies. Eligibility is available only for a first doctoral degree.
Tuition reimbursement for doctoral studies is 100% taxable.
To apply for Tuition Reimbursement, contact the appropriate Dean’s Office to obtain/complete/submit a faculty development application.
Assessment of requests and recommendations for payment approval are made in writing by the Office of Academic Affairs to the Controller’s Office.

C. Tuition Exchange Program

Piedmont University has an agreement with the Tuition Exchange Program (TEP) to provide tuition grant assistant opportunities at other participating institutions for faculty, staff and their dependents (spouses shall not be considered as dependents and are therefore excluded under this policy).

In addition, Piedmont University has an agreement with the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) Tuition Exchange Program to provide tuition grant assistance opportunities at other participating institutions for faculty, staff and their dependents (spouses shall be considered as dependents under this policy). This program involves a network of member colleges and universities willing to accept students (tuition-free) from families of full-time employees of other participating institutions. Employees and their dependents are responsible for completing the admission process; however, there is no guarantee a dependent will be able to utilize the program.

The Tuition Exchange Student Eligibility Guidelines for Piedmont University are maintained Financial Aid. Contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@piedmont.edu or (706) 776-0114 for full details.

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Section 7 - Employee Benefits