Tuition Programs
Tuition benefits are available through tuition credit, tuition remission and tuition assistance to eligible employees.
Tuition Credit* is available immediately to full or part-time employees, their spouses, and dependent children up to age 26 at UMass campuses (excluding the MD program at UMass Chan, the JD program at UMass Dartmouth, as well as pre-licensure courses at the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing at UMass Chan). The tuition credit for UMass Online courses is 50%. The tuition credit benefit differs based on years of full-time service.
Tuition Remission is available after six months to full or part-time benefited employees, their spouses and dependent children up to age 26 and can be used at MA community colleges and state universities.
Tuition Assistance is available after six months to full-time, benefited employees who wish to take classes related to their present position and provides a reimbursement of a portion of the tuition cost. The Tuition Assistance form needs to be submitted to HR Benefits before the course starts. A regular full-time employee may receive up to $200 per semester up to a maximum of $400 each academic year.
Note: Graduate courses for spouse and/or dependent children are taxable to the employee.
Please contact the Benefits Department at benefits.umms@umassmed.edu or (508) 856-5260, Option 1 for information on tuition programs.
To access tuition forms, click the Benefit Forms button below (or on the top navigation bar):
*Tuition Credit Program
Under the tuition credit program, an eligible employee, eligible retiree, their spouse or dependent will receive the following student tuition credits:
| Tuition Credit | |
|
Current/Active University Employee
|
100% |
| Retired University Employees (Note: Includes one program of study) | 100% |
| Spouses and Dependent Children of Current/Active University Employees | |
| For Graduate Courses or Programs | 20% |
| For Undergraduate Courses or Programs: | |
| University Employees with 2+ FTE Years of Service | 60% |
| University Employees with < 2 FTE Years of Service | 15% |
| Spouses and Dependent Children Of Retired University Employees (includes one program of study; undergraduate only) | 60% |
| Spouses and Dependent Children Of Deceased University Employees (with at least five (5) years of FTE University Service; one program of study; undergraduate only) | 60% |
Important Notes:
- Prior to July 2016, the full cost of attending a UMass Chan campus included “tuition,” which was set by and remitted to the legislature and “curriculum fees,” which were set by and retained by campuses. Historically, the waiver for the dependents and spouses of UMass faculty and staff was limited to “tuition” (most recently $1,714 at Amherst). In 2008, and again in 2015, UMass Chan began to offer waivers for a portion of the curriculum fees, the most recent of which was a 50% discount in the applicable curriculum fee for undergraduate courses.
Chapter 46 of the Acts of 2015 changed the structure of tuition and fees at UMass, essentially adding the curriculum fees into the “tuition,” which would be retained by the campus. However, there was no intention in the Law to somehow increase employee or any other waivers. In fact, Section 174 of the Law provides that Student Tuition Credits (formerly waivers) were to be calculated at the levels that existed on July 1, 2016. Since then, the Student Tuition Credits offered at UMass campuses have been based on the value of the waivers that existed on July 1, 2016.
- The definition of “tuition” is determined by the institution that provides the education services and bills/invoices for payment. Please click on this sample of a graduate tuition invoice from UMass Amherst. In the UMass system and other institutions, invoices listing a “tuition” amount may actually include fees that are ineligible for the tuition credit benefit from UMass Chan. Please see an example at the following link: https://www.umass.edu/humres/tuition-credits-formerly-tuition-waivers. Employees who apply for the benefit are responsible for confirming with their attending institution how much of the invoiced amount is tuition versus fees.
- A Dependent Child refers to a child of a University Employee or his or her Spouse: 1) who meets the requirement of dependency as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (whether or not such University Employee or Spouse claimed such child as a dependent on the most recent tax return); or 2) for whom the University Employee or Spouse has financial responsibility, as demonstrated by a court decree or other suitable evidence; but in no event shall Dependent Child mean an individual over the age of twenty-five (25). A Dependent Child who turns age 26 may complete the semester or course for which a Student Tuition Credit was previously applied.
- Tuition credits apply to all courses and programs offered at any University of Massachusetts campus, except for the MD program at UMass Chan and programs and courses at UMass Law School at UMass Dartmouth.
- Tuition Credit does not cover the costs of books, registration, or related fees such as lab or application fees.
- A terminated University Employee (or the spouse or dependent child of a terminated University Employee) may complete a semester or course for which a Student Tuition Credit was previously applied.
- Under certain circumstances, certain tuition benefits may be considered taxable income.