Benefits
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Tuition Reimbursement and Remission

Tufts offers two programs to assist with continuing education for benefits-eligible staff and their families:

  • Tuition Reimbursement allows benefits-eligible staff members to take courses outside Tufts University related to maintain or improve job-related skills.
  • Tuition Remission allows benefits-eligible staff and their families to take courses at Tufts.
Tuition Reimbursement (non-Tufts courses)
Tuition Remission (Tufts courses)

Staff Tuition Reimbursement

The university's Employee Tuition Reimbursement Program enables full-time staff to maintain or improve the skills they need to perform their jobs. The program covers tuition for courses or programs at accredited institutions other than Tufts University and must be related to your current job.

If you wish to take a course at Tufts, you should apply for the Tuition Remission Program.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the program you must:

  • Be actively employed as a full-time benefits-eligible staff employee
  • Have completed one year of full-time service before the course begins

What Is Covered?

If you are eligible, the university will reimburse 100% of approved tuition costs up to a maximum of $4,000 in a fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) for qualifying, job-related courses. The following are examples of courses or programs that qualify:

  • Regular courses taken for credit at accredited schools, colleges or universities
  • Courses credited toward a high school diploma or equivalency certificate
  • Correspondence, university extension, or continuing education courses
  • Courses at certain non-accredited institutions provided they are widely recognized in their field and grant degrees or certifications indicating satisfactory completion
  • Review courses and examinations for initial trade or professional license or certifications
  • Job-related degree programs

Please note: A course or degree program that helps to prepare you for a future job at Tufts or elsewhere will not qualify for tuition reimbursement.

How to Apply

Applications for Tuition Reimbursement must be submitted to Tufts Support Services no earlier than two months prior to the start of class, but no later than fifteen (15) days before the start of the class/program. Approval is subject to the terms of the Staff Employee Tuition Reimbursement Benefit Program. To apply:

  1. Complete the Tuition Reimbursement Application (PDF) (supervisor’s signature required)
  2. Attach an official course description from the school website/brochure/catalog
  3. Attach verification of the tuition cost (per credit hour or per course – fees not covered) from the school's website, brochure or catalog
  4. Submit your completed application Tufts Support Services by email

How to Get Reimbursed

Once you have completed the course you must submit the Request for Payment Form (PDF) to Tufts Support Services within 60 days of the completion of your course. The form must be accompanied by:

  • Proof of payment of tuition charges (i.e. student account statement of tuition charges and payments from the institution, copy of a canceled check, credit card receipt)
  • Proof of Satisfactory Course Completion indicating that you Satisfactory have achieved a passing grade or course certificate

Requests for reimbursement will be processed and returned to the employee within a reasonable processing time. After processing is complete, reimbursement will be included in the employee’s paycheck.

The maximum reimbursement per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) is $4,000. The date of the actual reimbursement will determine the fiscal year to be affected.

Tuition Reimbursement Plan Guidelines (PDF)

Tuition Remission

Tufts encourages eligible employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and eligible dependents to take advantage of the Tuition Remission Program to discover new worlds and new perspectives. You can use this program to further your career, pursue a degree or certificate program, or simply take a course you've always wanted to take at Tufts.

Eligibility

Employees

To be eligible for the Tuition Remission Program you must have been continuously employed as a benefits-eligible employee for at least three months as of the first day of the semester applied for, and be in one of the following eligible employee classifications:

  • Exempt or Non-Exempt Employees regularly scheduled to work 17.5 hours or more a week.
  • Faculty Member with at least a half-time, two-semester appointment. (Half-time generally means a regularly scheduled teaching load of at least three courses per academic year. Refer to your specific school’s faculty handbook for details.)

Post-doctoral employees are not eligible for this program.

Spouses and Domestic Partners

This benefit is available to spouses/domestic partners of full-time and part-time benefits-eligible employees who meet the above eligibility criteria.

Dependent Children

This benefit is available to dependent children of full-time, active, regular benefits-eligible employees, and the dependent children of the employee’s spouse/domestic partner, who have been employed for at least five (5) consecutive years as full-time benefits-eligible employees as of the first day of the semester applied for.

For eligibility or taxation questions contact Tufts Support Services (TSS) by email or call 617-627-7000.

Applying for Tuition Remission

We have moved the Tuition Remission Application to an online application.  Starting Fall 2022, all tuition remission applications must be submitted using the online Tuition Remission Application.

We strongly recommend that you review the brief training overview below prior to submitting your application so you know what to expect.

Overview:  Tufts Tuition Remission for Employees

Matriculated Students (enrolled in a degree or certificate program)

  1. To begin your registration process, review the course offerings on the Tufts Student Information System.
  2. When you're ready to apply, complete the online Tuition Remission Application. Please have all the necessary information you need to apply readily available.
  3. If you are an employee taking classes, your supervisor will receive a notification to approve your request (Supervisors, please review the Supervisor Guide to Tuition Remission)

For registration, tuition, or billing questions contact studentservices@tufts.edu.

Non-Matriculated Students (not enrolled in a degree or certificate program)

  1. To begin your registration process, review the course offerings on the Tufts Student Information System.
  2. When you're ready to apply, complete the online Tuition Remission Application. Please have all the necessary information ready.
  3. If you are an employee taking classes, your supervisor will receive a notification to approve your request (Supervisors, please review the Supervisor Guide to Tuition Remission).
  4. After approval, course registration is completed via University College. You will receive a link with instructions with your approval. 

For registration, tuition, or billing questions contact studentservices@tufts.edu.

Tax Exclusion

  • The online application will prompt you to decide whether you wish to apply for tax exclusion when taking a graduate-level, job-related course.
  • You must provide a justification for why you believe the course to be job-related.
  • Your supervisor will receive an email to confirm that the course should be considered job-related.
  • The payroll office will make the final determination and inform of the decision.

The application for tax exclusion is required every semester you wish to be excluded from tax liability. This applies even if you are enrolled in a degree or certificate program.

Submission Deadlines

Non-matriculated Students (non-degree)

Matriculated Students (degree)

Questions

For questions regarding registration, tuition, and billing contact Student Services at 617.627.2000 or questions regarding Tuition Remission eligibility or taxation contact Tufts Support Services at 617.627.7000

Tuition Remission Program Guidelines (PDF)

Taxes

In order to qualify for a tax exemption, you must complete and submit the Tuition Remission and Tax Exclusion Form every semester. Please see the Tuition Program Taxation Guidelines (PDF) for more information.

Employees

  • Undergraduate courses for employees are excluded from taxation.
  • Graduate courses for employees are excluded from taxation if the course is considered job-related to your current position.
  • Non-job-related graduate courses for employees are excluded from taxation up to $5,250.00 per calendar year.

Please note: A course or degree program that helps to prepare you for a future job at Tufts or elsewhere does not qualify as job-related.

Spouses

  Undergraduate courses for spouses are excluded from taxation. Graduate courses for spouses are taxable to the employee.

Dependent Children

  • Undergraduate courses for dependent children of benefits-eligible employees (and their spouses dependent children) are excluded from taxes.
  • Undergraduate courses for dependent children of domestic partners are federal and state taxable to the employee.
  • Dependent children are not eligible to enroll in graduate-level courses under the tuition remission program.

For eligibility or taxation questions contact TSS Tufts Support Services by email or call 617-627-7000.

Provided by Human Resources