3.42 / Tuition Assistance Program for Employee

Effective: May 10, 2001Last Revised: December 01, 2018

  1. Purpose

    The purpose of this policy is to implement State law regarding the payment of tuition and other education expenses of eligible Wichita State University employees.

  2. Policy Statement

    The University may pay, from available appropriations, the actual cost of tuition and required fees in order to provide education or training for Eligible Employees, when such Enrollment is determined to be of value to the University.

  3. Definitions

    • Eligible Employee - University non-teaching employees who hold at least a half-time (0.5 FTE) benefits-eligible position. Assistance is not payable to employees on unpaid leave. Employees must have a current performance evaluation of “satisfactory”, “meets expectations” or an equivalent rating, or be pursuing training or education directly related to a specific performance deficiency.

    • Enrollment - Enrollment in for-credit courses at Wichita State University.

  4. Procedures

    1. Employees must satisfactorily pass all courses with a “C” or better while receiving assistance for undergraduate coursework, or a “B” or better for graduate courses. Failure to meet this requirement will make the Employee ineligible for tuition assistance until the Employee has satisfactorily passed another qualified course of the same number of hours at the Employee's expense.

    2. A University course be considered to be of value to the State and the University and thus eligible for tuition assistance if it is determined that the course can be credited towards a degree, will provide professional growth or development for the Employee, or is job-related training.

    3. Subject to availability of funds, assistance is limited to the cost of resident tuition up to a maximum of seven (7) credit hours per semester for undergraduate programs or certificates, six (6) credit hours for graduate programs or certificates, or two (2) badge courses per semester. Assistance is limited to tuition cost only and does not include books, student fees or housing.

    4. Tuition assistance is based on the hours of enrollment on the last day for 100% tuition refund each semester. If courses are added after the last day of the 100% refund period, no additional funds will be disbursed. If a course(s) is withdrawn, it must be done before the last day of the 100% refund period for tuition assistance funds to be applied appropriately.

    5. Human Resources, in collaboration with Financial Aid, will determine eligibility for applicants of the tuition assistance program.

    6. Employees must submit a completed application form to Human Resources by the specified deadline for each semester.  Late applications will be denied and there will be no exceptions.

    7. In the event insufficient funds are available to fund all tuition assistance requests, the decision of which applications will be approved will be determined by Human Resources.

    8. Release of an Employee to attend University classes or seminars during regular work hours is subject to the requirements and discretion of the Employee's supervisor and budget officer. Release time may be granted to Employees to take one course or seminar per semester. Makeup time is not required for academic classes or seminars related to the Employee's job or performance, as determined by the Employee's supervisor and budget officer. Release time for classes, which are not directly related to the Employee's job or performance, must be unpaid, made up, or charged to vacation leave with the supervisor's approval. There is no appeal for release time beyond the decision of the Employee's budget officer.