Employee Educational Assistance

Policy Statement

The Office of Human Resources administers the Educational Assistance Benefit Plan for Dartmouth College employees. Dartmouth encourages employees to increase their knowledge and skills by taking courses toward completion of a degree or to enhance their skills and knowledge. The College supports these educational activities through four educational assistance programs. For a full description of these programs and eligibility requirements, please see the program descriptions below.

Educational Assistance Overview:

• Educational Assistance FAQ (pdf)
• Educational Assistance Programs Workshop

Tuition Grant for Dartmouth Courses

Dartmouth College encourages employees to increase their knowledge and skills by taking courses toward completion of a degree or to enhance their knowledge of a subject area. The Tuition Grant Program is one way the College supports such educational activities. This program pays tuition for eligible employees for educational courses conducted at Dartmouth.

Overview

Benefits-eligible employees who are actively at work for one year of continuous regular employment may be eligible to receive tuition grants for courses at Dartmouth. This benefit includes enrollment in courses offered by Arts and Sciences and the Professional Schools (Geisel School of Medicine, Thayer School of Engineering, and Tuck School of Business).

Application forms and documentation must be received prior to the start of the course.

Eligible Courses

To be eligible for the Tuition Grant Program, a course must meet the following criteria:

• begin on or after the date the employee has completed one year of continuous regular employment as a benefits-eligible employee.
• be relevant to a current or future job.
• be approved by the faculty or instructor teaching the course prior to applying for the benefit.

Graduate level courses other than those taken at Thayer and Tuck will receive tuition grant in aid for one course per term in a calendar year for full-time employees; pro-rated for less than full-time; 50% for spouses.

Enrollment in courses offered by the Thayer School of Engineering and Tuck School of Business are limited to two courses in a five-year period, and tuition grants are not offered to Thayer and Tuck matriculated students.

Undergraduate courses will receive a tuition grant for one course per term for full-time employees; pro-rated for less than full-time; 50% for spouses.

Courses offered through seminars or certificate programs are not eligible for this program.

Amount of Tuition and Eligible Expenses

• Tuition is granted by the College and pro-rated for part-time employees.
• Undergraduate tuition is tax free.
• For graduate level courses, the maximum tax-free benefit allowed by the IRS is $5,250 per year. Once you have exceeded the $5,250 limit, you will be taxed on this benefit as if it were earned income ("imputed income").
• Tuition is available for spouses, as noted above, and is 100% taxable to the employee. •
• No other expenses, such as books or registration fees, are covered under the Tuition Grant Program.
• Tuition Grant benefits provide the equivalent of the MALS tuition per term for all Geisel Health Sciences Master's Degree Programs and excluding the Doctor of Medicine degree. If the educational expense per term is less than the MALS tuition, the benefit will match the actual expense.

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (M.A.L.S.)

The M.A.L.S. program is designed for students who want to engage in both directed and independent work on subjects that are not bound by the curricula of traditional disciplines. Dartmouth has offered a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies since 1970. Employees interested in pursuing a degree through this program should contact M.A.L.S. admissions.

The Health Sciences Masters degrees at The Geisel School of Medicine

At Geisel School of Medicine, students will have a unique opportunity to develop the skills and contacts needed to impact health care at the clinical, community, regional, and national levels. Geisel offers several concentration and joint-degree options that can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Please visit the website for more information:

https://healthsciences.dartmouth.edu/education/degree-programs

Process for Application and Approval

Interested employees must submit the following documents to the Program Manager in the Office of Human Resources prior to the start of the course:

• A completed Employee Status Verification Form employee_status_verification_for_tuition_grant_benefits_rev_05162024.pdf
• A completed Graduate Tuition Benefits Form, if taking a graduate-level course https://www.dartmouth.edu/hr/docs/working_at_dartmouth/forms_library/graduate_tuition_benefits.pdf
• Copy of the course description
• Copy of current Position Description

Educational Assistance Program

Benefits-eligible employees who are actively at work for one year of continuous regular employment may take courses that have been pre-approved by the administrator of the program. Employees are reimbursed for 100% of the cost of registration and tuition fees, up to a maximum benefit of $2,000 per calendar year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for successfully completed courses in which they receive a grade of C- or higher for associate or undergraduate courses, B- or higher for graduate courses, and a "pass" grade for courses not awarded a letter or numerical grade. Certifications and seminars are not covered under this program. Courses must be taken from an accredited college or university. The maximum reimbursement is pro-rated for part-time employees. If the employee leaves Dartmouth for any reason prior to course completion, tuition assistance is forfeited.

• Educational Assistance Program Specifications (pdf)
• Educational Assistance Request Form (pdf)

SEIU Educational Assistance Program

Service Employees International Union ("SEIU") member employees may also participate in the SEIU Tuition Reimbursement program. This program provides reimbursement of educational expenses to SEIU employees enrolled in vocational training programs that are not eligible for reimbursement under the Tuition Assistance Program. Employees are reimbursed for 100% of the cost of registration and tuition fees, up to a maximum benefit of $2,000 per fiscal year (July 1 - June 30), including any benefits received through the Tuition Assistance Program that year.

In order to be eligible for reimbursement, a class must be pre-approved, relevant to a current or future job, offered by a licensed program, and be satisfactorily completed. Reimbursement is only available for classes which begin after an employee has been a regular employee for at least one year. The maximum reimbursement is pro-rated for part-time and nine-month employees. If the employee leaves the College for any reason prior to course completion, tuition reimbursement is forfeited. Guidelines for this program are outlined in the document below.

• SEIU Educational Assistance Program Description (pdf)
• SEIU Educational Assistance Request Form (pdf)

GED/HiSet Tuition Assistance Program

Passing the GED/HiSet tests gives those who did not complete high school the opportunity to earn their high school equivalency credential.

Program Requirements

Benefits-eligible employees who are actively at work for one year of continuous regular employment may take prep courses and exams that have been pre-approved by the administrator of the Educational Assistance Programs. Employees are reimbursed for 100% of the cost of prep courses and exams fees, up to a maximum benefit of $300 per calendar year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for successfully completed prep courses and exams. Prep courses and exams must be taken from an approved testing center. If the employee leaves the College for any reason prior to completion, tuition assistance is forfeited.

While the links below are for Vermont and New Hampshire, the reimbursement is also available for those employees located in other states. Please follow the links below for costs, prep courses, and test locations in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Vermont Agency of Education
http://education.vermont.gov/ (main website)
https://education.vermont.gov/student-learning/adult-education/students - (GED specific)

New Hampshire Department of Education
http://www.education.nh.gov/ (main website)
https://www.education.nh.gov/who-we-are/division-of-learner-support/bureau-of-adult-education/nh-high-school-equivalency (HiSet specific)
NOTE: New Hampshire's high school equivalency test is called HiSet.

• GED/HiSet Education Assistance Program Description (pdf)
• GED/HiSet Tuition Assistance Request Form (pdf)

Educational Assistance Programs Workshop

Workshops are offered twice a year to learn about the educational assistance benefits offered to Dartmouth employees. For dates, times, and registration, visit the Professional Development Course Catalogue; choose "Educational Assistance Benefits" from the drop down box under "All Course Offerings".

If you are interested in receiving more information about these programs, please contact the Office of Human Resources at 603-646-3411.