VII-4.20 - USM POLICY ON TUITION REMISSION FOR SPOUSES AND
DEPENDENT CHILDREN OF REGULAR AND RETIRED FACULTY AND
STAFF EMPLOYEES OF THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND
(Approved by the Board of Regents on January 11, 1990; Amended
by the Board on May 31, 1990; Amended February 28, 1992, Amended
by the Board on August 24, 2001; Amended by the Board on December
7, 2001; Amended by the Board on August 23, 2002; Amended by the
Board on December 6, 2002; Amended by the Board on June 27, 2003)
I. PURPOSE AND APPLICABILITY
The University System of Maryland (USM) supports the general
policy of tuition remission for the spouses and dependent
children of USM Faculty and Exempt and Nonexempt Staff
employees on Regular or Retired Status, by its constituent
institutions, on an intra- and inter-institutional basis.
II. DEFINITIONS
A. A "REGULAR" Faculty or Staff employee is one who works in a
position that has been approved through the budgetary and
pertinent appointment classification processes and that is
intended to last six months or more regardless of the nature of
the source of funds or who has retired from such a position.
This definition applies to both fulltime and parttime Faculty and
Staff employees.
B. "RETIREE" - For purposes of acceptance of tuition remission
requests, a "University System of Maryland Retiree" must be
receiving State of Maryland retirement checks and/or Optional
Retirement Plan (ORP) retirement checks, and have earned at least
five years of total service credit at one or more institution(s)
of the USM. Verification of Retiree Status may be obtained by
contacting the Human Resources Office of the institution from
which the employee has retired.
C. The term "SPOUSE" shall mean a person in a legally
contracted marriage as recognized by the State of Maryland,
provided that it shall not include an estranged spouse who
maintains a separate domicile.
D. The term "DEPENDENT child" shall mean a son/daughter,
stepson/stepdaughter, legally adopted son/daughter; who is
"financially dependent," as that term is defined by the Internal
Revenue Service
III. ADMINISTRATION
This program shall be administered by the constituent
institutions, consistent with the following policies and
implementation procedures:
A. Tuition remission is extended to the spouses and dependent
children of all USM Regular and Retired Faculty, and Staff
employees, on an equitable basis, subject to the restrictions in
this policy (see section IV. below).
B. Policy on Tuition Remission for the Dependent Children of
Regular Faculty and Staff employees of Morgan State University
and Saint Mary's College of Maryland (effective 8/24/01).
Dependent children of Regular Faculty and Staff employees
of Morgan State University and Saint Mary's College of
Maryland shall receive tuition remission at institutions of
the USM at the same level of benefits as provided for
dependent children of Regular USM Faculty and Staff
employees and subject to the restrictions in this policy.
This provision is dependent upon reciprocity being extended
by Morgan State University and Saint Mary's College of
Maryland to dependent children of Regular Faculty and Staff
employees at USM institutions. Tuition remission shall not
be available to the spouses of Faculty and Staff of Morgan
State University and Saint Mary's College of Maryland.
C. Policy on Tuition Remission for the Dependent Children of
Regular Faculty and Staff employees of Baltimore City Community
College (effective 12/07/01).
Dependent children of Regular Faculty and Staff employees
of Baltimore City Community College shall receive tuition
remission at institutions of the USM at the same level of
benefits as provided for dependent children of Regular USM
Faculty and Staff employees and subject to the restrictions
in this policy. This provision is dependent upon
reciprocity being extended by Baltimore City Community
College to dependent children of Regular Faculty and Staff
employees at USM institutions.
If a parallel lower division instructional program is
available at Baltimore City Community College, dependents
of Baltimore City Community College employees are eligible
to take advantage of the provision of this tuition
remission benefit at USM institutions only after they have
earned the associate degree or completed 60 hours of
transferable credit. For those programs, e.g. Business,
where "transfer" is required by the USM institution prior
to completion of either the associate's degree or sixty
(60) credits, the tuition remission benefit is available
upon admission to the program. For programs where there is
no parallel lower division instructional program available
at BCCC, the tuition remission benefit is available
immediately. Tuition remission shall not be available to
the spouses of Faculty and Staff employees of Baltimore
City Community College.
D. For spouses and dependent children of all Regular parttime
Faculty and Staff employees and Retirees who are employed in, or
retired from a position at fifty percent or more time, the
percentage of tuition remitted shall be proportional to the
percentage of employment service.
E. Tuition remission does not include mandatory fees or
surcharges, which remain the responsibility of the individual
student.
F. The exercise of the benefit of tuition remission shall be
subject to the individual's admissibility to the institution and
to the program in which the courses are offered and to the other
academic regulations of the institution governing student
enrollment.
G. Programs of study to be exempted from this benefit shall
include the M.D. and D.D.S. programs at the University of
Maryland, Baltimore and such other programs as are recommended by
the chief executive officer (CEO) of the institution offering the
program and approved by the Chancellor. The availability of
tuition remission for self-support programs and courses at each
institution shall be recommended by the CEO and approved by the
Chancellor. The CEO of the institution offering the program
shall apply the exempted status equally to all spouses and
dependent children who desire tuition remission, whether from the
host institution or other institutions.
H. Subject to the provisions in paragraphs III. A., and D.
through G. above, spouses and dependent children, of fulltime
Faculty and Staff employees or Retirees of the USM who die in
service or after retirement, shall be permitted to register for
courses with tuition remission for a period of time determined by
the duration of fulltime employment of the Faculty or Staff
employee, or Retiree as follows:
If the length of time of employment of the deceased
Faculty or Staff employee or Retiree was less than three
years, the spouse or dependent child is eligible for
tuition remission for one academic year; if at least
three but less than five years, two academic years; if
at least five but less than seven years, three academic
years; if at least seven but less than nine years, four
academic years; and if more than nine years, five
academic years. However, eligibility for tuition
remission for spouses shall expire at the end of seven
years following the death of the full-time faculty or
staff, and eligibility for tuition remission for
dependent children shall expire on the twenty-second
birthday.
I. For spouses and dependent children of Regular parttime
Faculty or Staff employees or Retirees who were employed at fifty
percent (50%) time or more and who die in service or after
retirement, the percentage of tuition remission shall be
proportional to the percentage of employment service averaged for
the three years immediately preceding his or her death. The
length of time for which tuition remission will be available for
such surviving spouses and dependent children shall follow the
formula described in paragraph H.
IV. RESTRICTIONS
A. Restrictions Based Upon Date of Employment
1. Spouses and Dependent Children of Regular or Retired Faculty
and Staff Employees Whose Period of Employment Began Before
January 1, 1990.
Effective July 1, 1990, all spouses and dependent
children of Regular or Retired Faculty and Staff whose
appointment was made or whose contractual arrangements
were completed before January 1, 1990, may register for
courses at any of the institutions of the USM, with 100%
tuition remitted at both the undergraduate and graduate
level, subject to the restrictions in this policy.
2. Spouses and Dependent Children of regular Faculty and Staff
employees Whose Period of Employment Began on or After January 1,
1990 and Before July 1, 1992.
a. Effective July 1, 1990, all spouses and dependent children
of Regular Faculty and Staff employees whose initial appointment
was made on or after January 1, 1990, and before July 1, 1992,
may receive tuition remission of one hundred percent (100 %) on
courses toward a first undergraduate degree at the institution
where the spouse or parent is employed. If a spouse or dependent
child of Regular Faculty or Staff at a degree granting
institution wishes to enroll in courses toward a first
undergraduate degree in an academic program which is not
available at the home institution, the spouse or dependent child
may, with the approval of the CEO or designee of the home
institution, register for courses at other institutions of the
USM with fifty percent (50%) tuition remission; the remaining 50%
is the responsibility of the individual student. Spouses and
dependent children of Regular Faculty and Staff employees at non-
degree granting units may register for courses toward a first
undergraduate degree at any institution of the USM with full
tuition remission (100%). Full tuition remission at any
institution is also extended to spouses and dependent children of
Regular Faculty and Staff employees of the University of
Baltimore for the freshman and sophomore years only; and to
spouses and dependent children of Regular Faculty and Staff of
the University of Maryland, Baltimore for undergraduate programs
not offered at that institution. A transfer of funds equal to
fifty percent (50%) of the tuition will accompany all inter-
institutional enrollments. All enrollments of spouses and
dependents are subject to the restrictions in this policy.
b. Tuition remission shall not apply to courses registered for
at the graduate or postbaccalaureate level.
3. Spouses and Dependent Children of Regular Faculty and Staff
Whose Period of Employment Began on or After July 1, 1992
Tuition remission benefits for the spouses and dependent
children of Regular Faculty and Staff whose period of
employment began on or after July 1, 1992 shall, in
addition to the restrictions outlined in section
IV.A.2.a. and IV.A.2.b.above, be available only after
the Regular Faculty or Staff employee has been in the
USM service for two years prior to the anticipated last
date available for late registration for the semester
under consideration.
B. Other Restrictions
1. Receiving institutions shall establish caps on this policy
as follows:
a) Institutions formerly governed by the Board of Trustees of
State Universities and Colleges which remitted tuition at 100% in
the Fall semester of 1989 shall establish caps on the remission
of tuition under this policy of at least 120% of the credit hours
for which tuition was remitted at the institution for spouses and
dependent children in the Fall semester of 1989; and
b) Institutions formerly governed by the University of Maryland
Board of Regents which remitted tuition at 1/3 of the full
tuition in the Fall semester of 1989 shall establish caps on the
remission of tuition under this policy of at least 120% of the
total credit hours taken for which tuition was remitted at a 1/3
rate in the Fall semester of 1989.
2. In applying each host institution's cap, admission,
registration, and tuition remission decisions shall be made
without regard to the place of employment of the student's parent
or spouse.
IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURES:
Each Chief Executive Officer shall identify his/her
designee(s) as appropriate for this policy; shall develop
procedures as necessary to implement this policy; shall
communicate this policy and applicable procedures to his/her
institutional community; shall forward a copy of such
designations and procedures to the Chancellor; and shall
submit to the Chancellor an annual report on the use of the
tuition remission program at the institution during the
preceding academic year.
Replacement for:
BOR V-2.10 and BOT XIII-N, January 11, 1990.