HR0331 – Educational Assistance (Student Fee Discount) for Spouses and Dependent Children of Employees

HR0331 – Educational Assistance (Student Fee Discount) for Spouses and Dependent Children of Employees

Objective:

To assist regular employees by providing a student fee discount for their spouses and dependent children who are classified as undergraduate students at the University of Tennessee and to encourage such qualified students to attend the university.

Policy:

General Guidelines

1. Regular full-time employees are eligible for a student fee discount for their spouses and dependent children who have been admitted to the university as undergraduate students through standard admission procedures. Spouses and dependent children of regular part-time employees who have one or more years of regular continuous service with The University of Tennessee working a minimum of 50 percent time shall receive a pro rata discount based on the percent of effort currently worked by the employee. For purposes of this policy, dependent children are defined as:
   1. Persons who are 26 years of age or under and who are the employee’s natural children, legally adopted children, stepchildren, and children for whom the employee was a legal guardian at the time the child reached majority age (18 years of age or graduation from high school, whichever is later).
   2. Other persons who are 26 years of age or under and living in a parent- child relationship with the employee, who is a biological relative.
2. The University will require satisfactory proof of the relationship or criteria qualifying an employee for eligibility under this policy.
3. The amount of the student fee discount shall be no more than 50 percent of the undergraduate in-state maintenance fee. The waiver shall not be applicable to out-of-state tuition or to a separately assessed activities fee. The amount of the discount shall be calculated to the nearest even dollar.
4. The student fee discount for eligible spouses and dependent children shall be applicable only to undergraduate students at The University of Tennessee Knoxville, the Colleges of Allied Health and Nursing in Memphis, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and the University of Tennessee at Martin. Eligible spouses and dependent children may enroll in any number of courses up to and including full-time study. The student fee discount will not be provided for correspondence and non-credit courses.
5. Eligible spouses and dependent children may choose to enroll at the institutions listed in Section 4 of this policy; however, the employee’s responsible budget entity must bear the cost of the fee discounts. Charges to restricted accounts will be handled in the same manner as fee waivers for employees.
6. Spouses and dependent children of regular faculty and staff members and of visiting faculty members are treated as in-state for fee purposes. Spouses and dependent children of medical residents and interns are also treated as in-state for fee purposes; however, the spouses and dependents of residents and interns are ineligible for any educational assistance discounts.
7. The status of the employee on the published first day of classes for each term shall be used to determine eligibility and the amount of the student fee discount to be waived. Any change in employee status after the first day of classes shall not affect eligibility or the amount of the fee discount for that term. For employees who meet eligibility requirements after the first day of classes, this benefit will be available at the beginning of the term immediately following attainment of eligibility. Campus human resources offices shall be responsible for certifying employee eligibility for benefits under this policy.

Leaves of Absence

8. Employees who are on leaves of absence with pay and those on leaves of absence without pay due to an on-the-job injury or family and medical leave will retain eligibility for this benefit. The employee’s percent of effort immediately prior to the effective date of the leave of absence shall determine the amount of the student fee discount to be waived. Employees on other types of leaves of absence without pay will not be entitled to this benefit.

Benefit Coordination

9. If a regular employee of the university also qualifies under this policy as an employee spouse or dependent child, HR0330 – Educational Assistance (Fee Waiver) which applies to university employees, takes precedence.

Benefits for Eligible Dependents of Retirees or Employees Who Die in Active Service

10. The following provisions govern the continuation of fee discounts to spouses and dependent children of eligible faculty and staff who after August 1, 1985, retire from the university or die while still employed.
    1. Spouses of employees who had 10 or more years of regular continuous full-time service with the university immediately preceding retirement or death are eligible for the fee discount for 5 years from the date of death or retirement of the employee. Dependent children of such employees are eligible for the fee discount through age 26.
    2. Spouses of employees who had less than 10 years of regular continuous full-time service with the university immediately preceding retirement or death are eligible for the fee discount for two years from the date of retirement or death of the employee. Dependent children of such employees are eligible for the fee discount for two years or through age 26 whichever comes first. A twenty-five percent (25%) discount is available through age 23 for children of full-time university (or state of Tennessee) employees who are killed on the job or in the line of duty or who die while employed full-time.
    3. Spouses of employees who had 10 or more years of regular continuous part-time service immediately preceding retirement or death are eligible for the fee discount on a pro rata basis for two years from the date of retirement or death of the employee. Dependent children of such employees are eligible for the fee discount on a pro rata basis for two years or through age 26 whichever comes first. The pro rata discount will be based on the percent of effort worked by the employee at the time of retirement or death.

Reciprocal Fee Discount Program with Tennessee Board of Regents and Locally Governed Institutions

11. Employees or retirees who qualify for the University of Tennessee Student Fee Discount for Spouses and Dependent Children are also eligible for this discount at any Tennessee Board of Regents and Tennessee Locally Governed Institution (including all state supported four- year senior institutions, community colleges, and technical institutes, and area vocational technical schools). If eligible, a spouse or dependent must be admitted to a Tennessee Board of Regents institution as an undergraduate student through standard admission procedures as specified by the institution. The employee’s responsible budget entity must bear the cost of the fee discount.

Fee Discounts for Tennessee Hope Scholarship Recipients

12. An employee’s spouse and dependent children who are eligible for educational assistance (student fee discount) and are also recipients of any of the Tennessee Hope Scholarships are eligible for both benefits in full without coordination of benefits or any reductions applied.

Procedures:

To view links to campus policies and procedures, click here:

https://policy.tennessee.edu/campus-policies-procedures

FORMS:

• HR0331-Request for Student Fee Discount for Spouse and Dependent Child

Responsible Official & Additional Contacts

Responsible Official and Contacts may have responsibilities that include monitoring compliance with the policy, accuracy of policy subject matter, organizing policy training, and updating the policy. Dependent’s are responsible for applying to the university, enrolling in classes, and completing the waiver.

[Knoxville]

Subject Matter	Office Name	Telephone Number	Email/Web Address
Policy Clarification and Interpretation	Human Resources	(865) 974-6642	hr@utk.edu Home

[Chattanooga]

Subject Matter	Office Name	Telephone Number	Email/Web Address
Policy Clarification and Interpretation	Human Resources	(423) 425-4221	sara-j-harper@utc.edu https://www.utc.edu/finance- and-administration/human- resources

[Southern]

Subject Matter	Office Name	Telephone Number	Email/Web Address
Policy Clarification and Interpretation	Human Resources	(931-424-7379	jhlubb@utsouthern.edu

[Martin]

Subject Matter	Office Name	Telephone Number	Email/Web Address
Policy Clarification and Interpretation	Human Resources	(731) 881-7850	Mwashin24@tum.edu https://www.utm.edu/offices-and-services/human-resources/

[System Administration]

Subject Matter	Office Name	Telephone Number	Email/Web Address
Policy Clarification and Interpretation	Human Resources	(865) 974-8170	sytemhr@tennessee.edu Human Resources

[UTHSC]

Subject Matter	Office Name	Telephone Number (xxx) xxx-xxxx	Email/Web Address
Policy Clarification and Interpretation	Human Resources	(901) 448-5600	hr@uthsc.edu https://www.uthsc.edu/hr/