The university provides tuition benefits for eligible employees and retirees who are admitted to and enroll in university courses. Full-time employees and eligible retirees may also use the benefit to pay for tuition for a spouse and children, subject to the conditions set forth in this policy.

Eligible Adjunct Faculty means a faculty member who is contracted to teach an undergraduate or graduate for-credit course or courses on the Provo campus, at the Salt Lake Center, or via BYU Online and has taught a minimum of six credit hours per year in each of the two consecutive years (24 months) prior to the term or semester of Tuition Benefit request.

Eligible Part-Time Staff means an employee who has worked at the university for each of the two consecutive years (24 months) prior to the term or semester of the Tuition Benefit request, averaging at least 22 hours per week.

Eligible Military Personnel means military personnel assigned to the university and classified as full-time faculty.

Eligible Retiree means a retiree eligible for campus benefits under the Campus Benefits and Recognition Award Policy.

Employee Tuition Benefit means the Tuition Benefit used for the enrollment of an employee or retiree with campus benefits (see Campus Benefits and Recognition Award Policy).

Full-Time Employee means a full-time employee whose classification is listed in the Eligible Employees section below.

Tuition Benefit means direct pay or reimbursement for university tuition costs.

Employees in the following classifications are eligible to receive a Tuition Benefit:

• Full-time faculty
• Full-time visiting faculty
• Full-time research associate
• Full-time research staff
• Full-time post-doctoral fellow
• Eligible Military Personnel
• Eligible Adjunct Faculty—Employee Tuition Benefit only
• Full-time exempt staff
• Full-time non-exempt staff
• Eligible Part-Time Staff—Employee Tuition Benefit only
• Eligible Retiree

The university provides Tuition Benefits to Full-Time Employees and Eligible Retirees as indicated in the following chart. The Tuition Benefit may be used only at BYU, unless specifically listed.

* An Eligible Military Personnel’s Tuition Benefit may be used to pay for his or her child’s tuition at BYU but not at BYU–Hawaii, BYU–Idaho, or Ensign College.

Eligible Part-Time Staff are eligible to receive the Employee Tuition Benefit, provided their two-year employment anniversary is on or before the Academic Calendar add/drop deadline.

Eligible Adjunct Faculty must have an active contract for the semester(s) they use the Employee Tuition Benefit.

The university provides Tuition Benefits to Eligible Part-Time Staff and Eligible Adjunct Faculty as indicated in the following chart:

The Tuition Benefit does not apply to

• BYU–Idaho Online classes,
• BYU–Pathway classes,
• noncredit courses,
• certification courses,
• Education Week classes,
• Conferences and Workshops seminars or conferences not offered for university credit,
• fees of any kind (including fees associated with academic courses),
• private lessons,
• course materials (e.g., books, manuals, syllabi, food), and
• travel costs (including foreign excursions for graduate programs).

In addition to the restrictions detailed above, the following are key limits on the Employee Tuition Benefit.

Daytime Class Attendance

Employees must obtain approvals from their supervisor and dean or director before enrolling in classes that begin before 5:00 p.m., classes identified as TBA in the class schedule, thesis hours, or dissertation hours. Non-exempt staff who are approved for enrollment in these classes are expected to make up any work time missed to attend classes and to comply with applicable wage and hour laws. Exempt staff who are approved for enrollment in these classes are required to fulfill all the regular expectations of their job during any period of enrollment.

Credit Hour Limits

Some credit hour limits apply to the Employee Tuition Benefit. See the Employee Tuition Benefit Procedures.

Other Educational Institutions

The university will not pay for employees to earn academic credits at other institutions. On rare occasions when a campus unit has identified a unique business need, the campus unit may request that the university provide an Employee Tuition Benefit as an exception to this rule by submitting the “Request for Educational Assistance at Other Universities” form to the Tuition Benefit Office (see Employee Tuition Benefit Procedures).

The maximum amount that may be paid in relation to an employee’s pursuit of a degree or training at another university is $5,250. See Section 127 Education Assistance Plan for coverage related to these benefits.

EMBA Program

Employees who have been admitted into the Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program are approved to follow the EMBA program schedule. Employees must complete an Employee Tuition Benefit Authorization form prior to beginning the program. The Tuition Benefit will pay for the tuition charge for all credits taken each semester or term in accordance with the program schedule. Employees (including military personnel) in the EMBA program may not register for any other classes for the duration of the program.

Independent Study

An eligible employee may receive reimbursement for Independent Study courses

• if the employee is actively employed at the time of enrollment and upon successful completion of the course, and
• up to the credit hour limit (see Employee Tuition Benefit Procedures).

An employee can apply for reimbursement upon successful completion of each course.

An employee can assign the Independent Study course credit hours to any semester or term (1) in which the employee has not already reached the credit hour limit and (2) that falls within the time frame in which the employee completes the course.

A Full-Time Employee may use the Tuition Benefit for a spouse or child as detailed below.

Limits on the Tuition Benefit for a Child

Full-Time Employees and Eligible Retirees may use the Tuition Benefit for a child enrolled in an undergraduate program to cover fifty percent of the tuition charges until the child

• reaches the age of 30;
• completes a bachelor’s degree from any university; or
• reaches the 152-credit hour limit.

The 152-credit hour limit includes any credits earned at an accredited Church Educational System (CES) institution of higher education (i.e., BYU, BYU–Hawaii, BYU–Idaho, or Ensign College) and credits that a student enrolled in but did not earn because of withdrawals, incompletes, failed classes, and repeated classes. The 152-credit hour limit does not include credits transferred from non-CES institutions or received for language tests or for Advanced Placement tests.

Married Children

A child’s marital status does not affect the child’s eligibility for the Tuition Benefit. The Tuition Benefit cannot be used for the spouse of a Full-Time Employee or Eligible Retiree’s child (i.e., a son- or daughter-in-law).

Stepchildren and Adopted Children

The Tuition Benefit may be used for a stepchild and an adopted child of a Full-Time Employee or Eligible Retiree in the same way as for a biological child. The Tuition Benefit may not be used for a stepchild whose legal parent is divorced from the Full-Time Employee or Eligible Retiree, unless the employee has financial responsibility for the stepchild. An employee seeking to apply the Tuition Benefit to a dependent stepchild should contact the Tuition Benefit Specialist to have the benefit applied.

Under certain circumstances, the Tuition Benefit may be used for students who are not legally adopted children of university employees (e.g., individuals reared and supported by university employees over a period of years). Employees seeking to apply the Tuition Benefit in this situation should contact the Tuition Benefit Specialist.

Children of Two Full-Time Employees or Eligible Retirees

A child of two Full-Time Employees or Eligible Retirees receives only the half-tuition benefit. The Tuition Benefit of the employee parent with the longest service time at the university applies to the child.

Deceased Full-Time Employees and Eligible Retirees

The university offers the Tuition Benefit to a surviving spouse or children after the death of a Full-Time Employee if (1) the Full-Time Employee passed away while in active employment or on approved university leave (see Staff Leaves Policy), and (2) the Full-time Employee met the Tuition Benefit eligibility requirements at the time of death.

The university offers the Tuition Benefit to a surviving spouse or children after the death of an Eligible Retiree.

The Tuition Benefit amount for children of deceased Full-Time Employees and Eligible Retirees increases to full tuition. All other limitations apply per the chart in the Full-Time Employees and Eligible Retirees section.

In the event of the surviving spouse’s remarriage, the Tuition Benefit does not apply to the new spouse or children that come into the family through the new marriage or are born to the surviving spouse and his or her new spouse.

Divorce

The university reserves the right to discontinue a spousal Tuition Benefit during and after a divorce proceeding.

The Tuition Benefit may be taxable for employees when used to pay for graduate programs (see Section 127 Education Assistance Plan) or to pay for children who do not qualify as dependents of a BYU employee for tax purposes (see Employee Tuition Benefit Procedures).

For every individual who receives the Tuition Benefit but is not an active employee, the university is required to file a 1099-MISC tax form with the Internal Revenue Service reporting the value of the Tuition Benefit as income to the individual.