Educational Assistance (Tuition Reimbursement)
Eligibility
General Provisions
Procedure
Repayment Provisions
Employee Development & Training
Regular Salaried employees may be eligible for tuition reimbursement for work-related education, including general course work leading to a work-related degree. However, funds must be available for such purposes from the program in which the employee works, and both the supervisor and the Director of Human Resources must approve the request prior to the class being taken.
Time off work to attend classes may also be given at the supervisor's discretion. This program applies only to study undertaken at accredited institutions and must be work or career–related. Under Internal Revenue Service regulations, tuition reimbursements may need to be reported by the employee as taxable income.
SDSU Research Foundation employees are excluded from the fee waiver program that University employees have available to them.
It is SDSU Research Foundation's policy to provide its Regular–Salaried employees with career development opportunities to improve their job performance, learn new techniques, and prepare themselves for the assumption of increased responsibilities as opportunities arise within the organization.
Eligibility
To be eligible to receive reimbursement for educational expenses, a person must be a Regular–Salaried employee of SDSU Research Foundation with satisfactory job performance ratings and funds must be available for this purpose in the organizational unit (project, department, etc.) to which the employee belongs.
General Provisions
All courses of study for which an employee is requesting reimbursement must be related to improving the employee's job performance, aiding the employee in learning new techniques, or preparing the employee for the assumption of increased responsibilities within the organization. General education courses are eligible for reimbursement as long as the degree, undergraduate or graduate, meets these criteria.
Undergraduate and graduate courses of study must be from a college or university accredited by the State of California or other official agency.
Expenses covered under the Educational Reimbursement policy may include tuition and enrollment fees, books, lab fees and other related expenses. Transportation expenses and parking will not be covered.
Courses should be scheduled so that attendance does not conflict with an employee's normal work hours. If a course is only offered during an employee's normal work hours, the employee must obtain prior approval from his/her Supervisor to alter his/her work schedule. Time away from work to attend a course must be either taken as vacation, or made up at another time as directed by the employee's Supervisor.
Upon successful completion of the course (provided approval was received prior to enrollment), the employee will receive reimbursement for a passing grade of at least a “C” or credit, when applicable. No reimbursement is available for a grade lower than a “C.”
Procedure
- Prior to enrolling in a course (s), an employee must obtain a Request for Reimbursement of Educational Expenses (Word Format, 101KB)* from Human Resources.
- Once the employee portion of the form has been completed, the employee must submit the form to his/her Supervisor and Human Resources for approval. Each request for reimbursement will be considered on its individual merits in terms of the worth of the coursework to SDSU Research Foundation, the needs of the department or project, and the availability of funds for this purpose.
- Once approved by Human Resources, a copy of the approved application will be returned to the employee.
- Within 30 days of receiving the grade for the course (s) the employee must submit to Human Resources a check request, a bill or a copy of a canceled check or other proof of payment, any other related receipts, and a copy of the grade card or other proof of attendance.
- Upon receipt of the grade, Human Resources will process the reimbursement form and forward it to Accounts Payable for payment. NOTE: Employees may wish to consult a financial advisor regarding taxes associated with educational reimbursement.
Repayment Provisions
Employees who voluntarily leave SDSU Research Foundation employment within one year of completing course work toward a degree or certification, are required to repay SDSU Research Foundation for all course work funded by SDSU Research Foundation during the previous twenty–four months.
Employee Development & Training
SDSU Research Foundation is dedicated to providing the resources that will ensure all employees' continued success during their employment. Ongoing training including seminars and workshops may be necessary in order to further develop employee skills and improve job performance. These may be provided any employee if there are funds available for that purpose within the organizational unit in which the employee works.
An employee attending a work related seminar or workshop to develop skills and improve job performance may be given release time from work to attend. Such seminars and workshops are usually prepaid through a check request. Appropriate documentation (registration form and course description) must accompany each such check request.
For specific details and further information regarding these valuable benefits, please contact Margo Carr in the Human Resources Department at 619–594–1051.
* Note: Documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) require Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader.
* Note: Documents in Word format (DOC) require Microsoft Viewer, download Microsoft Word Viewer .