ARTICLE 24 - TUITION REMISSION

  1. In addition to Section B below, the Employer agrees to maintain all other tuition benefits which employees covered by this Agreement enjoyed under policies and agreements with the Employer immediately prior to the effective date of this Agreement; these benefits shall not be limited or precluded by the provisions of this Article.
  2. Full-time Employees
    1. Eligibility
      1. All full time professional and classified employees of the University who are paid from the AA Subsidiary Account, and who have completed at least six (6) months of service (or in the case of faculty, one academic semester) as of the date of enrollment, shall be eligible for systemwide tuition remission benefits. Employees on paid leave of absence or industrial accident leave remain eligible during the period of any such leave. Employees on unpaid leave shall remain eligible for a maximum of one calendar year. Retired or former employees shall not be eligible; however, the spouse and dependent children of retired, former, or deceased employees may retain eligibility under certain conditions (see c, d, and e below).
      2. The spouse and dependent child or children of any eligible employee shall also be eligible for systemwide tuition remission benefits. A "dependent child" shall mean any natural, adopted or step child who is claimed as a dependent on the eligible employee's Federal Tax Return for the tax year immediately preceding enrollment. No employee's child beyond the age of twenty-five (25) shall be eligible for tuition remission; however, that in exceptional circumstances and for good reason the President or Chancellor of the public college or University may waive this age limitation for an employee's child who continues to meet the IRS standards of dependency.
      3. If an eligible employee retires while a child or spouse is enrolled in a program of study or degree program, the spouse or child may complete such program with tuition remission, provided that enrollment is continuous.
      4. If an eligible employee who has completed at least five (5) years of full time equivalent service dies, the surviving spouse and children shall be eligible to enter and/or complete one full program of study or degree program with tuition remission. The term "program" as used in this Section d and the above Section c shall include, but not be limited to, any program of study begun at a Community College and continued without interruption through the bachelor's degree at a State College or University.
      5. If an eligible employee leaves the employment of the University under conditions other than those described in c and d above while a spouse or child is enrolled in a course/program, the spouse or child may complete the semester already begun. At the end of the semester his/her eligibility for tuition remission terminates.
    2. Applicability Tuition remission shall be provided to eligible employees, their spouse and dependent children as follows:
      1. For enrollment in any state-supported course or program at the undergraduate or graduate level at any Community College, State College, or University excluding the MD Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, full tuition remission shall apply.
      2. For enrollment in any non-state-supported course or program offered through continuing education, including any community service course or program at any Community College, State College, or University, fifty percent (50%) tuition remission shall apply.
      3. Tuition remission shall apply to non-credit as well as credit-bearing courses.
    3. Limitations
      1. Employees (or their spouse or dependent children) receiving tuition remission are responsible for the payment of all other educational costs, including fees (application, laboratory, etc.), books, and supplies.
      2. Employees (or their spouse or dependent children) must apply for admission and meet all admissions standards for the desired course/program.
      3. Admission to all course/programs in continuing education is on a space-available basis. Further, each local campus administration reserves the right to cancel any continuing education course in which a minimum number of full tuition paying students, as determined by the administration, has not enrolled.
      4. Tuition remission benefits are non-transferable.
    4. Certification Process To qualify for tuition remission, an employee must take the following steps:
      1. Apply for, and be admitted to the desired course/program.
      2. Complete a "Certificate of Eligibility for Systemwide Tuition Remission" (Available in Human Resource and USA/MTA Offices) and have it signed by his/her department head or Supervisor and by the Personnel Administrator of the University. If the tuition remission is to be used by the employee's spouse or dependent child, the name and relationship of this individual should be indicated on the Certificate. The Certificate should be completed as far in advance of the date of enrollment as possible.
      3. Submit the completed Certificate of Eligibility with his/her tuition bill to the college or university at which he/she plans to enroll. The employee (or his/her spouse or dependent children) must remit payment at the same time for costs not covered by tuition remission.
      4. It is the responsibility of the employee to insure that the Certificate of Eligibility is approved in a timely fashion. Retroactive tuition rebates will not be made except in unusual circumstances beyond the control of the employee.
    5. Interpretation of this Policy The Chancellor of Higher Education or his designee shall have the sole authority to resolve any dispute concerning the interpretation and application of this policy. The Chancellor of Higher Education may amend or modify this policy from time to time as he deems appropriate and necessary. No dispute or claim of benefits arising from this policy shall be the subject of a grievance or arbitration procedure.
  3. Part-time Employees
    1. Eligibility
      1. All part-time employees who are members of the collective bargaining unit, who are paid from the AA Subsidiary Account, and who have completed at least six months of full-time equivalent service as of the date of enrollment, shall be eligible for systemwide tuition remission benefits. All regular part-time employee who are not members of a collective bargaining unit, who work at least one-half of the hours of a full-time position, who are paid from the AA Subsidiary Account and who have completed at least six months of full-time equivalent service as of the date of enrollment, shall also be eligible for systemwide tuition remission benefits.
      2. The spouse and dependent child or children of any eligible part-time employee shall also be eligible for systemwide tuition benefits. The age limitation and IRS dependency standards set forth in the Systemwide Tuition Remission Policy shall apply to children of eligible part-time employees.
    2. Applicability Tuition remission shall be provided to eligible part- time employees, their spouse and dependent children as follows:
      1. For enrollment in any state-supported course or program at the undergraduate or graduate level at any Community College, State College, or University, excluding the MD Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, fifty percent (50%) tuition remission shall apply.
      2. For enrollment in any non-state-supported course or program offered through continuing education, including any community service course or program, at any Community College, or University, twenty-five percent (25%) tuition remission shall apply.
      3. Tuition remission shall apply to non-credit as well as credit-bearing courses. In all other respects, the provisions of the Systemwide Tuition Remission Policy shall be of application to eligible part-time employees.

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