Growth Through LIFE Tuition Grant Program Policy HR.006

LU Policy Number: HR.006

Effective Date: NR

Approval Date: NR

Revised Date: 6/2/2018

Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to establish a tuition grant program benefit for all employees of the university.  

Additional Authority: N/A

Scope: All employees of Life University

Approval Authority: President

Responsible Authority: Human Resources

Definitions:

A “FAMILY MEMBER” is defined as: your spouse, dependent child either by birth, adoption or by being placed in your home as a foster child who is under 24 years of age when matriculating into the program.

According to the IRS a dependent child is defined as a child or stepchild (whether by blood or adoption), foster child, sibling or stepsibling. Has the same principal residence as the taxpayer for more than half the tax year. Must be under the age of 19 at the end of the tax year, or under the age of 24 if a full-time student for at least five months of the year or be permanently and totally disabled at any time during the year and did not provide more than one-half of his/her own support for the year.

Policy Title

Growth Through LIFE Tuition Grant Program Policy

Policy Statement

It is a policy of Life University, as part of its commitment to the development of its employees, to offer a tuition grant program as a benefit to eligible employees and their dependents.

The Growth Through LIFE Tuition Grant (GTL) Program covers tuition and student fees at Life University and other institutions at 100% for qualified, pre-approved courses.  The program does not cover: transportation, parking fines, textbooks, supplies, or any other costs outside of tuition and the student fee charge.

Procedures

Eligibility, Criteria & Terms for all Employees

All employees and their dependent family members must meet the following criteria. Additionally, they must meet the criteria applicable to their status in the sections to follow:

• To qualify for this program, the employee must be in good status, with no corrective action taken within the past 12 months.

• The Growth Through LIFE application for courses at Life University must be submitted to HR prior to the end of the day, Monday of Week 7.

• The application for courses outside of Life University must be submitted and approved before the beginning of each term at that institution.

• The skill set learned within the degree program must be related to or enhance the employee’s performance in their current position within the University or provide professional development to benefit other areas of the University.

• Application and admittance to the appropriate college, according to Enrollment Management guidelines, is required.

• All employees in the GTL program must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (dependents or spouses must maintain 2.5) for all classes taken through this benefit to continue receiving the benefit.

• The benefit does not apply to courses already taken at Life University and either withdrawn or failed. (This program will not pay for you to repeat the class.)

• Tuition benefits are to be used for classes within one college at a time for any one qualified individual.

• By applying for the GTL program benefit the employee is choosing to receive the Growth Through Life employee benefit and forego their rights to federal/state financial aid. Employees are not able to receive both the tuition benefit and federal/state financial aid.

• Any change in employment or student status during the quarter will require a re-evaluation of the grant.

Additional Criteria and Terms for Staff Employees

A full-time staff member who has completed the 90-Day probationary period qualifies to apply for a tuition grant to take courses in the College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies at Life University, Inc.

A staff member may enroll in no more than two classes each quarter and the class hours may not conflict with regularly scheduled work hours.  For example: One class could be taken in lieu of a lunch hour and one course may be taken before or after regular scheduled hours.

Additional Criteria and Terms for Staff Employees’ Dependents and Spouses

In addition to their own benefit, a regular staff member who has been employed for at least one year qualifies for a dependent child or spouse (hereinafter referred to as “family member”) tuition grant benefit for courses in the College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies or  the College of Chiropractic at Life University, Inc.

• The employee’s full-time, one-year employment anniversary date must fall before the beginning of the academic quarter for which the benefit is requested.

• In the event of the death or incapacity of the qualified Life University employee, the family member’s tuition grant benefit continues in the degree program in which the family member is currently enrolled.

• The family member must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 for all classes taken through this benefit to continue receiving the benefit.

• Family member matriculation into the Doctor of Chiropractic program is based on the size of the class and availability of space each quarter.

• The number of family members that qualify for this program and the percentage of benefit coverage is dependent upon the qualified staff member’s years of service and is different based on the college in which the coursework is taken. Please see the chart below:

College Of Graduate & Undergraduate Studies

College Of Chiropractic 

Additional Criteria and Terms for Faculty Employees

A full-time faculty member qualifies upon hire to apply for courses in the College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies or the College of Chiropractic at Life University, Inc.  Full-time faculty are eligible for a tuition grant up to half-time status per quarter.

Additional Criteria and Terms for Faculty - Dependent Child and Spouse Benefit

In addition to their own benefit, a full-time faculty member qualifies for a dependent child or spouse (hereinafter referred to as “family member”) tuition grant benefit for courses in the College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies or the College of Chiropractic at Life University, Inc.

• The employee’s full-time, one-year employment anniversary date must fall before the beginning of the academic quarter for which the benefit is requested.

• In the event of the death or incapacity of the qualified Life University employee, the family member’s tuition grant benefit continues in the degree program in which the family member is currently enrolled.

• The family member must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 for all classes taken through this benefit to continue receiving the benefit.

• The number of family members that qualify for this program is dependent upon the qualified faculty member’s years of service. Please see the chart below:

Faculty and Staff External Tuition Benefit

• Faculty and Staff may qualify for tuition reimbursement by participating in a degree-seeking program for a graduate or doctorate degree from an accredited institution other than Life University, Inc.

• The employee’s full-time, one-year employment anniversary date must fall before the beginning of the academic period for which the benefit is requested.

• Pre-approval from the department head and HR is required before applying to the external program. The External Tuition Benefit is limited to five participants per year.

• Participation is on a first-come, first-serve basis. A waiting list will be activated.

• The External Tuition Benefit is limited to four awards per year per participant.

• Application for reimbursement must be submitted to Human Resources as soon as practical after each quarter or semester term ends.  This must include current transcripts and invoices.

• If an approved participant meets the criteria and is continuously enrolled in the approved degree program, the benefit will continue through degree conferment.

• Any change in employment or student status during the quarter will require a re-evaluation of the grant.

Primary Benefit:

This benefit provides reimbursement for up to 50% of the total tuition and fees, not to exceed $5,000 per fiscal year, up to a maximum of $20,000 total reimbursement for the primary benefit (while actively enrolled in the degree program).

Secondary Benefit:

As an employee retention incentive, the employee will qualify for additional reimbursement, beginning one year after the completion of the degree.

Employee is eligible for reimbursement of the employee’s share of expenses, up to 50% of the total tuition and fees, not to exceed $5,000 per fiscal year, up to a maximum of $20,000 total reimbursement.

Reimbursement will be paid out over the same number of years in which the degree was earned, using the frequency of the educational period during which classes were taken. The employee must submit a reimbursement request, including check request form and documentation to Human Resources.

Example: If the employee completed a master’s degree in a two-year period, the reimbursement will be distributed over a two-year period at a frequency (payments per year) which matches the number of educational periods taken during the course of study. The reimbursement will not exceed the reimbursement limitations.

The employee must be employed full time by the University to receive reimbursement.

Other Notes

First Revised Date: 8/10/2017

Second Revision Date : 6/2/2018