Tuition remission for full-time and part-time faculty and staff at the George Washington University will be adjusted to cover 90 percent of tuition compared with 96 percent previously, effective Jan. 1, 2015.
In changes to the plan announced at Friday’s meeting of the Faculty Senate, the university also said it will increase the wait time for new full-time and part-time staff to qualify for tuition remission benefits from three months to six months and cap the total number of credits full-time faculty and staff employees can take under the benefit at 18 per year.
The tuition and credit hours coverage, as with the current benefit, are not to exceed the per credit hour cost or current tuition of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
Tuition remission, which pays a percentage of tuition costs for employees and their dependents who enroll in academic courses, offers an opportunity to take classes across the university’s colleges and schools. In making the change, GW will reallocate about $750,000 toward the university's health plan benefits, also effective Jan. 1.
All other tuition benefits now offered, including current exclusions and limitations for certain academic programs and benefits for spouses and dependents will remain unchanged.
“Tuition remission is an opportunity for our employees and their families to gain a world-class education at a significantly lower cost,” said Sabrina Ellis, the university’s vice president for human resources. “This is a slight change to what is still a very generous benefit.”
The adjustments bring GW’s tuition remission benefit more in line with its peer group of institutions, Ms. Ellis said. Approximately 50 staff took more than 18 credits in 2013, out of 616 staff and 45 faculty members who used the tuition remission benefit.
Benefit changes to tuition remission will affect the spring 2015 academic semester, which starts Jan. 12.