Staff Tuition Policy

Policy

It is the policy of Davidson College to provide a comprehensive education and professional development program for our staff, including partial reimbursement for educational opportunities at other accredited institutions. Eligible full-time and part-time regular staff (non-faculty) may receive reimbursement toward tuition according to the conditions established in this policy.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for this program, employees must:

  • Be active full-time or part-time regular staff with at least one year of continuous employment, and
  • Have satisfactory job performance in current position

Policy Details

  • Eligible employees may receive tuition reimbursement for 100% of tuition, up to a maximum of $1000 per course and up to $2000 per fiscal year; Davidson College will comply with IRS rules regarding taxation of tuition reimbursement proceeds
  • Any courses for which this program will be applied must be pre-approved by the employee's supervisor and the responsible Vice President (see process detail below) Applications must be received in HR no later than two weeks prior to the start of the course for which reimbursement is being requested. HR will send an email documenting the acceptance of the application to the employee, copying the supervisor.
  • Courses do not need to be related to the employee's current position, but the institution providing the course must be an accredited college or university (i.e., listed in the US Department of Education database of accredited institutions); classes do not have to be work towards helping the employee fulfill degree requirements
    Employees must successfully complete courses to qualify for tuition reimbursement. Successful completion is defined as receiving a passing grade. Only courses for which academic credit is given are eligible for tuition reimbursement.
  • Classes are expected to be scheduled outside of working hours; any special considerations or exceptions are at the supervisor's discretion
  • This policy is intended to reimburse for tuition costs. Non-reimbursable costs include, but are not limited to:
    • Textbooks
    • Laboratory fees
    • Service fees
    • Admission tests
    • Activity fees
    • Out-of-state resident fees/courses
    • Membership fees
    • Recertification fees
    • Licensure fees
    • Registration fees
    • Course audits

Process

  • Employee requests approval from supervisor for participation in the program by completing the Tuition Reimbursement Request Form (DocuSign)
  • Supervisor verifies eligibility, makes determination, and if approves, forwards to Vice President for final decision
  • Vice President approves and returns form with signature (electronic approval via e-mail is acceptable) to supervisor
  • Supervisor relays decision to employee and sends signed approval form to HR for scanning into employee's personnel file
  • Upon successful completion of the course, the employee must submit required documentation within 90 days of the course end date; documentation must clearly show tuition costs and prove successful completion
  • Upon receipt of required documentation, Human Resources and the Controller's Office will process reimbursement to employees through accounts payable

Davidson College Courses

Regular full-time employees who have completed three years of service with the college are eligible to enroll in courses for credit at Davidson if the course work is mutually beneficial to the employee and the College and is recommended by the employee's supervisor. The employee will not be required to pay a course fee or make up work missed while attending classes. The employee is limited to one course per term. This program applies only to Davidson College and does not include courses offered by other educational institutions.

An employee may audit a Davidson College class if there is room in the class. The employee must have permission from their supervisor and the professor teaching the class. The form can be obtained in the Registrar's Office. If the class is directly related to the employee's work, the employee may use college time for the class. It the class is not directly related to the employee's work, the time will not be paid time. At the discretion of the department manager, the employee may be allowed to substitute personal or vacation time for time not worked. The final decision about the relevance of the course to the employee's work will be made by the senior management of the division and Human Resources.

Questions regarding this policy should be directed to Human Resources at 704-894-2213.