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Tuition Benefits

Overview  

Central College assists employees and their families by aiding their dependents with the cost of their post-secondary education through participation in multiple, different benefit programs available as outlined in the policy. 

Definitions 

Tuition Reduction Program: refers to the program that applies to tuition and audit fees of Central College.  

Tuition Exchange Programs: refers one of 2 different programs that apply to other higher educational institutions that participate in an exchange programs of tuition fee reductions. 

Responsibilities 

Employee: responsible to follow the process outlined to request/report information regarding eligibility for the tuition benefits available for a dependent student or spouse. Requirements of the process are defined in the policy. 

 Policy Details 

Tuition Reduction Program 

Applies to tuition and audit fees of attending Central College. All individuals eligible for the tuition reduction program must pay the fees associated with course registration. This includes, but is not limited to: science lab fees, art fees, music lesson fees, pre-student teaching fees and student teaching fees. 

  1. Eligibility 
    1. Full-time employees: All full-time employees will be eligible at .75 FTE and above.
    2. Temporary employees are not eligible.
    3. Employees who leave Central College and return may not count previous service at Central College toward this benefit. 

2. Time away to attend class for employees. 

  1. Time away may be permitted where such scheduling does not interfere with the job responsibilities. Such time away must be approved by the immediate supervisor. 
  2. Time away for such attendance is personal time and is non-compensatory. A non-exempt employee should arrange make-up hours with the immediate supervisor. Elimination of formal breaks is not a permitted substitute for time away from the job in order to attend class. 

3. Spouse benefits 

  1. Tuition reduction benefit is available commencing in the academic period following two years of continuous employment for a maximum of 120 attempted semester hours.  
  2. Courses which the spouse enrolls in and attends, but subsequently withdraws from, are counted toward the maximum number of semester hours. Spouses must maintain a 2.000 cumulative GPA in order to continue receiving the tuition reduction benefit. 

4. Dependent Children benefits 

  1. Tuition reduction benefit is available for dependent children commencing in the academic period following two years of continuous employment. Degree seeking children of eligible employees may enroll in courses on the Pella campus tuition-free, up to eight semesters (120 attempted credit hours maximum), providing they qualify under standard admission procedures. 
  2. The term “children” includes biological children, step-children, and legally adopted children who are legal dependents of the employee as documented on the federal income tax return.  
  3. Students admitted on “guest” status will be eligible for one semester of tuition reduction. At the end of that semester, the student must be admissible as a regular, degree-seeking student to continue. 
  4. All dependent children receiving the tuition reduction benefit must maintain progress toward graduation in order to continue receiving the benefit. Room and board charges are not part of the tuition reduction benefit and will be charged accordingly.

5. Tuition reduction does not apply to summer school. 

6. If an employee leaves Central College employment for any reason (voluntary or involuntary) while their dependent student or spouse is enrolled and receiving tuition reduction, the benefit will continue through the end of the semester in progress. 

7. Other Financial Aid requirements: 

  1. Employees whose children or spouse enroll at Central must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine eligibility for a State of Iowa Tuition Grant that will be used to offset the cost of this generous benefit. 
  2. Tuition reduction students who qualify for the Iowa Tuition Grant will have the value of the Iowa Tuition Grant deducted from their eligibility for tuition reduction. 

8. Current students 

  1. A dependent child or spouse already enrolled at Central College at the time his or her parent/spouse becomes eligible for the tuition reduction benefit will have the number of terms of eligibility for the benefit reduced by the number of terms the student has already received financial aid from the college. 

9. Deadline requirements 

  1. The employee applying for the Central College tuition reduction for a dependent student or spouse must submit a copy of the front page from their most current federal income tax return to the office of student financial aid at Central by July 15. Employees failing to meet the July 15 deadline will be taxed on the tuition benefit.   

Tuition Exchange Programs  

Tuition Exchange Program (CIC-TEP) Council of Independent Colleges 

The CIC–TEP is a network of CIC colleges and universities willing to accept students from families of full-time employees of other CIC–TEP institutions tuition-free. Each participating institution in the network agrees to import a limited number of students on the same admission basis as they accept all other students, without regard to the number of students it exports.  

Tuition Exchange, Inc. is a partnership of colleges and universities offering competitive tuition exchange scholarships to eligible members’ faculty and staff dependent children for a maximum of 8 semesters toward an undergraduate degree. The college participates in the Tuition Exchange, Inc. partnership.   

  1. Eligibility 
    1. The tuition exchange benefit is available to dependent children of full-time employees (.75 FTE and above) in the academic period following two (2) years of continuous employment. Should the situation arise that all requests cannot be accommodated; a priority participation policy will be implemented. A continuing participant will have priority over a new applicant.  
    2. Applications for tuition exchange must be submitted by November 1 for the following academic year.  
    3. Dependent children of deceased or retired employees are not eligible for participation in the tuition exchange benefit. 
    4. Dependents of temporary employees are not eligible. 
    5. Employees who leave Central College and return may not count previous service at Central College toward this benefit. 

2. If an employee leaves Central College employment for any reason (voluntary or involuntary) while their dependent student or spouse is enrolled and receiving tuition reduction, the benefit will continue through the end of the semester in progress. 

3. The employee applying for the tuition exchange benefit for a dependent student must submit a copy of the front page from their most current federal income tax return to the office of student financial aid at Central by July 15. Employees failing to meet the July 15 deadline will be taxed on the tuition benefit. 

Questions regarding these policies should be directed to the Talent, Equity, and Engagement Office.  

Last Revision Date: ​6/20/2025​ 

Policy Owner: ​Talent, Equity and Engagement Office​