VII420 - USM

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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.
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