Summary of Changes to the Tuition Remission Benefit
in the Health and Welfare Plan
Effective Fall Semester 2007 for Full-time Employees

Previously, full-time faculty and staff employees hired on or after August 30, 1999 (“Post-August 1999 Employees”) became eligible for tuition remission benefits for their spouse and dependent children in the academic term following the completion of five (5) years of service.  Eligible spouses and dependent children were provided tuition remission for courses taken at Villanova, subject to a co-payment.  The co-payment was the difference between the Villanova tuition and the minimum tuition amount mandated each year by the Tuition Exchange consortium for schools participating in the Tuition Exchange program.    

The Villanova tuition rate has exceeded the Tuition Exchange rate each year since 1999 and the gap between the two rates has widened to over 27% for an incoming student.  For the 2007-8 academic year Villanova's full-time first-year undergraduate tuition will be $34,320.  Under the pre-existing Health and Welfare Plan, the tuition remission co-payment for Post-August 1999 Employees for the 2007-8 academic year would have been $9,320, just over 27%, for one full-time first-year student.

Under the revised Health and Welfare Plan ("2007 Plan") Post-August 1999 Employees will only need to have three (3) years of service to qualify for the tuition remission benefit.  In addition, under the 2007 Plan the co-payment for Post-August 1999 Employees has been changed to 20% of Villanova's tuition with no connection to the Tuition Exchange rate.  Under the 2007 Plan, an employee’s co-payment for a full-time first-year student in the 2007-8 academic year will be reduced from $9,320 to $6,864 for a savings of $2,456.   Savings will vary for upper-class students who pay a lower tuition rate. Summer term, night class and part-time studies co-payment rates were calculated in proportion to the full-time day co-payment rate and under the revised plan will now be calculated at the 20% rate.

Employees hired prior to August 30, 1999 are covered by a separate provision of the Health and Welfare Plan regarding tuition remission benefits and will not be affected in any way by this change to the plan.  Neither is the Tuition Exchange program affected by this change.  All other terms of the tuition remission benefit under the Health and Welfare Plan remain in effect, including tuition remission benefits for part time employees. 

This summary is designed to briefly describe the changes to the tuition remission benefits provided by the plan, without going into all of the refinements and details of the Health and Welfare Plan document.  The legal rights of any person under the plan are determined solely by the provisions of the plan document.  In the event of any conflict between this summary and the official plan document, the plan document always governs. Copies of the plan document will be available upon request from the Human Resources Department.

ELIGIBILITY

An employee’s spouse and natural or legally adopted children who are claimed as tax dependents are eligible for tuition remission.
 
All students must meet normal admission requirements and filing deadlines. Tuition remission is available only for courses taken on the University's campus and for which tuition charges are billed by the Bursar. Non-credit Continuing Studies courses, study abroad, and other credit work at locations away from the main campus are not covered by the tuition remission program.
 
Charges for the application fee, the general fee, the health and wellness fee, room & board, as well as other fees and costs associated with being a student at the University are not covered by the tuition remission program.

BENEFIT

For spouses and dependent children of employees who were employed by Villanova prior to August 30, 1999:
 
Effective with the beginning of the next semester or summer session following the completion of three years of service, eligible spouses and dependent children are provided full tuition remission for courses taken at Villanova.
 
For spouses and dependent children of employees who were employed by Villanova on or after August 30, 1999:
 
Effective with the beginning of the next semester or summer session following the completion of three years of service, eligible spouses and dependent children are provided tuition remission for courses taken at Villanova, subject to a co-payment.
 
OTHER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

1. For dependent children entering Villanova in Fall 2003 or later, no tuition remission will be extended beyond the fall semester of the calendar year in which they turn age 23.
   

2. For spouses and dependent children entering Villanova through Spring 2003, the maximum tuition remission will be the equivalent of four years of full time study as indicated in the policy statement of April 1988. The application of this maximum will be applied to undergraduate and graduate level work as it has been applied since 1988.
   

3. For spouses and dependent children entering in Fall 2003 or later, the maximum tuition remission benefit is 175 attempted undergraduate credits, or the attainment of the baccalaureate degree, whichever comes first. The 175 credit maximum includes any failed courses, withdrawals beyond the drop and add period, or other courses not counted toward the awarding of the degree.
   

4. For spouses and dependent children entering in Fall, 2003 or later, no tuition remission will be extended for Graduate or Law School programs except for such graduate level courses which may be approved for application toward the baccalaureate degree.
   

5. A child may receive tuition remission for part-time study, but in order to qualify for tuition remission as a part time student, the employee's child must still be claimed as an exemption on the parent's federal income tax return.  In order to claim an exemption for a child who is age 19 or older,  the child must not earn on his or her own more than the amount of that year's federal tax exemption amount. If a child is enrolled as a full time student, the earnings limitation does not apply.  Thus a student who is taking classes only part-time must restrict his or her own earnings to the stated exemption amount.
   

6. Currently, tuition benefits for undergraduate programs for the employee, spouse, and eligible dependents are non-taxable. Tuition benefits for employees for graduate courses (up to a maximum value of $5,250 per year) are currently tax-free as well.
   

7. University Retirees, their spouses and eligible dependent children continue to be eligible for tuition remission benefits upon the employee’s retirement from the University.
   

8. For any employee who has completed ten or more years of continuous service, and becomes disabled and is approved for coverage under the University’s long term disability program, the employee, the spouse and eligible dependent children will continue to be eligible for tuition remission.
   

9. In the case of the death of an employee who has completed ten years of continuous service, the surviving spouse who has not remarried and the dependent children will continue to be eligible for the tuition remission benefit on the same basis as if the employee were alive.  In the case of the death of both the employee and spouse, the children will continue to be eligible for tuition remission.

Applying for Tuition Remission through Novasis

Using Novasis to apply for Tuition Remission is currently available for:
- Full-Time faculty and staff taking classes themselves
- Dependents and spouses of full-time faculty and staff hired prior to August 30, 1999

• Log onto Novasis using your user name and password. If you are not sure of your Novasis password, just go to: https://novasis.villanova.edu, click on secure login, and the link, “Don't know your Novasis Pin?”. This will allow you to acquire your Novasis password information.
• Choose "Employee" from the main menu
• Choose "Apply for Tuition Remission"
• "Select a Student" using the dropdown box, then click "Select a Term"
• "Select a Term" using the dropdown box, then click "Display Classes"
• Click the "Submit for Approval" button
• If you wish to apply for remission for another student, click "Select Another Student" and follow the same procedure as above
• You will receive an approval message and an email confirmation of all transactions
• If you do not receive an approval message, you will be directed to call Rose Clinton in Human Resources at x9-4598