Tuition Benefits for Dependent Children
Eligibility
For employees hired September 1, 2018 and after, the tuition benefit is available to the dependent children of:
- Tenure and Tenure-Track Faculty and Full time Administrators and Staff (whose positions are budgeted to work at least 1,770 hours per year).
- Temporary positions are not eligible for this benefit, including grant-funded positions, sabbatical replacements, visiting professors, coaching interns, teaching assistants and native speakers.
- There will now be a 5-year waiting period for eligible employees who are hired on or after September 1, 2018.
- In the past, the 2-year waiting period could be waived for Faculty and Administrators and the benefit was taxable to them during that time. The waiver of the waiting period will no longer apply.
For employees hired before September 1, 2018, the tuition benefits is available to the dependent children of:
- Full-time Faculty, Administrators and Staff (whose positions are budgeted to work at least 1,770 hours per year).
- There is a 2-year waiting period for this benefit; however, for Faculty and Administrators the waiting period may be waived in the first two years and will be considered taxable income.
Dependent Children
- For employees hired after August 1, 1998, dependent children must be either naturally born or legally adopted in order to qualify for tuition benefits
- Must be unmarried
- Must be a candidate for first undergraduate degree
- Must meet the admissions requirements of the institution to which they are applying
- Must meet all application deadlines
Age Limitation
The purpose of the tuition benefit is to assist College employees in the education of their children who complete secondary school and who shortly thereafter pursue a four-year college or university course. Thus, eligibility of a student beginning their undergraduate education is without limitation, beyond that previously enumerated, to the age of twenty-one years. After that age, the Educational Benefits Committee, consisting of the Vice President for Enrollment and Education, the Executive Vice President and the Provost, will decide the question of eligibility as it relates to each applicant. In reaching their decision, they shall consider the educational objectives of the applicant, the circumstances contributing to the delay in beginning undergraduate work (for example, the delay was caused by military service) and their marital and dependency status.
Global Study
Effective Fall 2027, dependent children of employees will no longer be eligible to study globally through the College’s tuition benefit program. Employees may reach out to the Center for Global Education at 717- 337-6866 if they have questions or wish to consider other options for participation in study abroad.
Death or Long-term Disability of an Employee
The dependent children of qualified employees who have completed seven (7) years of full-time continuing service and who die or who are totally disabled while in active service at the College, will be eligible to receive the tuition benefit to which they would otherwise be entitled.
Tuition Remission
Dependent children of College employees who have been admitted to Gettysburg College in accordance with the same regulations as those applied to other applicants, are eligible to receive full remission of tuition and mandatory fees. The tuition remission will be automatically processed based on information provided by the Financial Aid Office. Dependent children and their parent(s) must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by February 2 during the initial admission process. The Financial Aid Office will notify the student if a FAFSA is required in subsequent years.
Tuition Grant
Dependent children of College employees who have been accepted for admission at another qualified institution will receive from the College as a payment on their tuition charges a grant paid to the student’s institution. The amount of the grant will be 30% of Gettysburg College’s tuition and mandatory fees. The total amount of such tuition grant, when added to all other financial aid grants awarded to such child, shall not exceed the total cost of attendance for tuition, mandatory fees, room, board, textbooks and required course materials. The benefits provided under any one or both of these programs are limited to four full-time academic years, or the equivalent thereof, of undergraduate work in an accredited four-year college or university while the student is in candidacy for the bachelor’s degree. Distance learning is not covered by this benefit.
Dependent children of eligible College employees may enroll at Gettysburg College as guest students if they are approved by the Director of Admissions as meeting the standards required of other guest students. During the regular academic year, the College will remit tuition up to two courses per term taken for credit by such guest students, but will charge all other fees applicable to such students. If the dependent children are subsequently admitted to candidacy for the bachelor’s degree at Gettysburg College or any other accredited four-year college/university, any course in any one term or summer taken as a guest student under the provisions of this paragraph will be counted as a quarter semester against the student's eligibility for tuition aid as a degree candidate as defined above in this section.
Dependent children and their parent(s) must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by February 2 during the initial admission process. The Financial Aid Office will notify the student if a FAFSA is required in subsequent years.
Students receiving outside awards or grants must report these amounts to the Human Resources and Risk Management Office. These outside awards may be used to cover the cost of room, board, mandatory fees, required texts or other required course materials. If the total amount of aid received, including the Gettysburg College Tuition Remission or the Gettysburg College Grant exceeds the cost of attendance at Gettysburg College or another institution (tuition, room, board, mandatory fees, texts and required course materials), the Gettysburg College Tuition Remission or Gettysburg College Grant will be reduced accordingly.
Tuition Exchange
PURPOSE: The purpose of the Tuition Exchange program is to facilitate the exchange of students among member institutions. Tuition Exchange membership confers only the right to apply for a scholarship; it does not guarantee either that the employing institution will be able to support all eligible employees in a given year or that the institutions to which a student applies will accept the student into the Tuition Exchange program.
Direct questions to the Tuition Exchange liaison officer, Andrea Keller at extension 6582 or email akeller@gettysburg.edu.
For more information visit the Tuition Exchange Website.
GETTYSBURG COLLEGE SELECTION GUIDELINES
The scholarship awarded to dependents of Gettysburg College employees shall be limited to a total of eight (8) semesters for each employee's family, i.e., an employee with two or more children may opt to receive the scholarship for one dependent for eight (8) semesters or two dependents for four (4) semesters each or any other configuration which does not exceed the eight (8) semesters per family.
If slots are open and exports are needed to improve the exchange balance, then consideration will be given to employees who have already used the 8 semesters of eligibility. The second child may participate in the TE program; however, renewals may be contingent upon the projected exchange balance in any given year. Under no circumstances will one (1) child receive more than eight (8) semesters of Tuition Exchange Scholarship.
If slots are filled and exports are limited, then the seniority of the employee will be considered.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Applications may be obtained from the Tuition Exchange liaison officer.
Employees interested in the program should contact the TE officer in March or April of the student’s junior year or September of the senior year of high school. At that time, a preliminary application form will be sent along with the program’s list of participating schools. All application forms should be forwarded to the TE officer by December 15 of the student's senior year of high school.
Please email hr@gettysburg.edu to request the Tuition Exchange Application.
Once the application and dependent information are received, the TE officer confirms that the candidate meets the requirements set forth in the campus TE eligibility policy. The form is then forwarded to the importing institution. The application will be acknowledged by that institution when received. Once the decision has been made whether to accept or reject the student, the student and the exporting TE officer will be notified (usually by March 30- if not, contact the TE officer.) After being notified, the student is to notify the exporting TE officer whether or not he/she will attend the institution where accepted.
RENEWALS
The Tuition Exchange Scholarships are awarded for 8 semesters of undergraduate study. However, eligibility of the employee and dependent must be recertified each year. TE scholars should check to be sure that their sponsoring liaison officer has submitted, by January 30, the recertification and renewal form requesting their scholarship's renewal for the next academic year.
STANDARDS FOR ADMITTANCE
New applicants for TE scholarships must meet the admissions criteria for the institution, and may have to meet more demanding standards if the institution has initiated these to select among TE applicants. Renewing TE export students must maintain the academic and behavioral standards required of all students by their host college and other standards set forth on the original Certification/Application form.
Educational Opportunities at Gettysburg College for Employees and their Spouses/Partners
After one year of service, regular full-time employees and/or their spouses/domestic partners become eligible for tuition benefits at Gettysburg College. Up to four (4) courses may be taken a year for credit and/or audit. You will be admitted as a guest student. Please contact the Admissions Office for more details.
Tuition Aid for Support Staff Outside Gettysburg College
The Support Staff Tuition Aid Program is designed to provide financial assistance to Support Staff members who are taking undergraduate college courses at other colleges and universities in the local region. It is intended to aid Support Staff in increasing their knowledge and abilities and thereby enhancing their professional development and employment opportunities with the College.
Program Requirements
The program is available to support staff members who meet the following requirements:
- The individual must be a full-time support staff employee.
- The employee must be employed by the College for a minimum of two years.
- The employee must be enrolled in an undergraduate academic program.
- The employee must be enrolled in a credit course.
How to Apply
Eligible employees interested in applying for tuition aid should submit a proposal form to the Human Resources and Risk Management Office before enrolling in the course. Request for Support Staff Tuition Aid forms can be obtained from a Human Resources and Risk Management Office staff member.
Program Approval
The approval of the aid and the amount of the aid provided will be at the discretion of the Co-Directors of Human Resources. The amount will not exceed the cost of four courses per fiscal year (June 1 - May 31). Once a decision has been made, the employee will be notified.
Funding will not be considered when:
- The course is through distance learning or correspondence.
- The course is not an undergraduate course.
- The course is not part of a diploma program.
Reimbursement of aid will be required when:
- The Support Staff member does not pass the course.
- The Support Staff member withdraws from the course.
- The Support Staff member leaves the employment of the College prior to the completion of the course.
Program Follow-up
Following the completion of the course, the Support Staff member must provide the Human Resources and Risk Management Office with a copy of their transcript indicating the successful completion of the course. Aid may not be provided if the employee is on probation or processes the request for aid after course enrollment.
Administrative Educational Support Policy
The Administrative Advisory Council’s Educational Support Program is designed to provide financial assistance to administrators for registration, tuition, and purchasing textbooks and materials that are part of continuing educational activities. This can include coursework that is part of obtaining a bachelor's degree or graduate school, or non-degree program coursework. The amount will not exceed $200 for any one person per fiscal year.
Program Requirements:
- The employee must be a regular full-time or regular part-time employee (working at least 1,000 hours annually) designated as an administrator at Gettysburg College, and employed by the College for a minimum of one year.
- Funds must be spent within the fiscal year for which they were approved.
- Funds are for physical or digital materials that are required as part of the course, workshop, or program the employee is attending (for example, textbooks).
- A summary/evaluation report should be submitted to the Administrative Advisory Council after completion of the educational opportunity (when the class or workshop is completed). This will be a factor in determining eligibility for future funds. This report should be a brief description of the experience and serves as notification that the funds were spent as intended.
Funding will not be considered when the educational program is required as part of the administrator's job responsibilities (in that case, funding should come from the administrator's department).
How to Apply:
Eligible employees interested in applying for funds must submit this proposal form to the chair of the Administrative Advisory Council. The proposal should outline how attending this program will benefit the employee and what materials will be purchased. A specific budget and evidence of enrollment is required as part of the application process.
Requests are considered on a rolling basis as funds are available. Visit the Human Resources Office website for more information under “Educational Benefits”.
Support Staff Development Grant
Statement of Purpose
The Support Staff Development Program is designed to provide financial assistance to support staff members for purchasing required textbooks and materials and for the cost of fees when attending courses offered by Gettysburg and other colleges. We will also provide financial assistance for attending off-campus seminars, workshops, and educational programs that promote and foster professional and personal growth and development.
Program Requirements
The program is available to all support staff members who meet the following requirements:
- The individual must be a regular full-time or regular part-time employee with benefits (working at least 1,000 hours annually) designated as a support staff member of Gettysburg College.
- The employee must be employed by the College for a minimum of one year.
The employee must have their supervisor's approval if the program falls during normal working hours.
How to Apply
Eligible employees interested in applying for funds must submit a proposal form to Support Staff Council Training and Development Chair. The proposal should outline how attending this program will benefit the employee and should include any substantiating material (brochures, etc.). Anticipated costs should be itemized: textbooks, course materials, lab fees, and registration.
Program Approval
The approval of the program and the amount of the grant given will be at the discretion of the Training and Development Committee, the Support Staff Council, and the Co-Director of Human Resources. The amount will not exceed $500 for any one person per fiscal year.
Proposals for grant funding will be considered by the Training and Development Committee at their regular monthly meeting. Further review and selection will be determined by the Support Staff Council and the Director of Human Resources. Once a decision has been made, the employee will be notified.
What is Not Funded
Funding will not be considered when:
- Program or additional training is required by the support staff member's department due to shifting job responsibilities. Employee should seek funding with their own department.
- Employee has received maximum of $500 in Support Staff development grant(s) during current fiscal year.
- Off-campus program is available at Gettysburg College. (Exceptions may be made with written rationale.)
If grant request is denied, the support staff employee may seek financial support from their department. Financial support will be at the discretion of the department head.
Research/Study Leave for Administrators
A research/study leave may be granted for research or for an advanced education that is a direct requirement of the position. A research/study leave is a potential privilege of employment, not an entitlement. Only the President of the College may grant research/study leave at their discretion.
Administrators considering application for a research/study leave should first receive approval from their immediate supervisor and their Division Head. All approvals must be in place prior to making a financial commitment. Applications may be made at any time, but normally should be made at least three months prior to the beginning date of the requested leave. The President of the College will make the final decision on all research/study leave applications.
Administrators become eligible for a one-month research/study leave after every two continuous years of service and up to a maximum of six months leave after six years of continuous service. Not more than five of the six months may be taken during the academic year. Regardless of how it is accrued or used, no more than a total of six months leave may be taken in any six-year period of employment. If not used, this leave does not accumulate. Additionally, the College will not compensate an administrator for research/study leave time that is not used.
Salary and fringe benefits shall be continued intact during any period of research/study leave.