Human Resources
The full-time tuition benefit applies to a dependent’s enrollment as a full-time matriculated student at Union. The benefit applies for four years of full-time undergraduate study (12 trimesters). Full-time enrollment in a summer term is counted for the purposes of this four-year limit unless the courses are taken at Union College under the part-time tuition benefit. In cases where both parents are employees of the College, one scholarship for full-time study will be given per child per academic year. The amount of scholarship available for attendance at Union, the full tuition figure minus the average financial aid grant), a $7,070 “first-dollar” benefit that does not require any employee contribution, and a stated cost-share of the remaining tuition balance.
For a dependent attending Union College full-time as a matriculated undergraduate student, the tuition benefit received will be the total of
1.) the first-dollar amount of $7,070, and
2.) the average financial aid grant, and
3.) 50% of the remaining balance to Union’s full tuition figure.
The amount of the tuition benefit for attendance at Union, when combined with all other “tuition-specific” awards (e.g., TAP, ROTC, etc.), may not exceed the total tuition at Union. If the total of Union’s tuition remission benefit and all other “tuition-specific” awards exceeds the amount of Union tuition, the tuition benefit will be reduced accordingly.
Guidelines and Procedures for Full-time Enrollment Tuition Benefit
Provisions to Determine Employee Eligibility
- To be eligible, employees must have been employed by the College on a full-time basis for the seven years prior to the beginning of the academic term for which the tuition benefit is being requested.
- Time worked in short-term or adjunct positions (e.g., summer or seasonal help) does not count towards the seven-year accrual.
- Sabbatical leaves for faculty are considered full-time employment and count towards the seven-year accrual.
- Approved medical leaves (including family medical leaves) and short-term disability leaves are considered full-time employment and count towards the seven-year accrual
- Leaves of absence for winners of prestigious grants are not considered interruptions of employment, and they may count towards the seven-year accrual, if the leave is determined to be benefits-eligible under the guidelines of the Faculty Manual.
- Full-time faculty on ten-month contracts, and other full-time employees in ten-month positions who start employment by September 10 of the academic year in which they begin service, become eligible upon completion of seven academic years of full-time service, without having to wait until the actual service anniversary date.
- Two faculty members who share a position of at least 1.0 FTE and are legally married or in a domestic partnership with each other are considered to be one full-time employee for the purpose of eligibility and service accrual.
- Except as noted below, the employee must be an active full-time Union College employee during the period for which the tuition benefit is requested, or be on an approved benefits-eligible leave of absence not to exceed one year. If an employee ceases to be eligible for the tuition benefit (e.g., the employee leaves the College or goes to part-time status), then the child’s eligibility ceases at the end of the child’s current academic term.
- Retirees, as defined by College policy, continue to be eligible for the tuition benefit, provided that they meet the other employee eligibility criteria of the policy.
- Employees who become permanently disabled while in active service of the College, and who due to their disability are unable to work for Union or another employer, continue to be eligible for the tuition benefit, provided that they meet the other employee eligibility criteria of the policy.
- Employees, who have already met eligibility criteria, who die while in active service of the College continue to be eligible for the tuition benefit.
- Tenured or tenure-track faculty, the President’s senior staff members, and the President will receive service credit towards Union’s seven-year eligibility requirement for all prior full-time service at a college or university.
Provisions to Determine Dependent Eligibility
Children of Employees: Four criteria are applied to determine dependent eligibility for children of the employee. To receive the full-time tuition benefit, the applying child must:
- be the employee’s child (biological child, legally adopted child or child placed for adoption, foster child or a child subject to a legal guardianship court order); and
- have been in a child/parent relationship with the employee for at least as long as the seven-year eligibility period for the full-time benefit; and
- be under age twenty-four at the beginning of the academic term for which the benefit is being requested; and
- be claimed as a dependent (qualifying child or qualifying relative) on the employee’s or the employee’s spouse’s or domestic partner’s latest federal or New York tax return, and have been so claimed for at least five of the seven years prior to the initial request for the benefit, OR if there are years in which the child has not been so claimed, documentation will be required for those years to demonstrate that the employee is/has been subject to, and complied with, a requirement to provide educational support or child support, or has some type of joint/partial custody arrangement with specified visitation rights. (The requirement for continued dependent status of the student is waived for a deceased or permanently disabled employee.)
Children of Employee’s Spouse or Domestic Partner: Four criteria are applied to determine dependent eligibility for children of the employee’s spouse or domestic partner. To receive the full-time tuition benefit, the applying child must:
- be the employee’s spouse’s child or employee’s domestic partner’s child (biological child, legally adopted child or child placed for adoption, stepchild, foster child or a child subject to a legal guardianship court order); and
- have been in a child/parent relationship with the employee for at least as long as the seven-year eligibility period for the full-time benefit; and
- be under age twenty-four at the beginning of the academic term for which the benefit is being requested; and
- reside in the employee’s household and be claimed as a dependent (qualifying child or qualifying relative) on the employee’s, employee’s spouse’s, or employee’s domestic partner’s latest federal or New York tax return, and have been claimed as a dependent (qualifying child or qualifying relative) on the employee’s, the employee’s spouse’s, or the employee’s domestic partner’s federal or New York tax return for at least five of the seven years prior to the initial request for the benefit.
The employee must provide the relevant documents (birth certificate, legal papers, tax returns, etc.) showing that the above criteria are satisfied prior to the initial request for the benefit. The age requirement must be met at the beginning of each academic term for which the benefit is being requested.
*If you have a child with disabilities, please reach out to HR directly.
Administration and Miscellaneous
This program is administered by the Vice President for Finance and Administration, or other administrators of the College as designated by the Vice President for Finance and Administration.
For determination of individual tax liability, the participants in this program are encouraged to consult a qualified tax adviser, at the participant’s expense, for applicability of Internal Revenue or New York Tax Law.
While Union College intends to continue these benefit programs indefinitely, the College reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change the eligibility requirements or any other part of the program, or discontinue any of the benefits described herein.