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Employee Benefits
Fringe Benefits
Reduced Tuition Benefits/Leave for Study

Policy Number: C.E.S.P. 3-35
Date Revised: 8-29-2005
Supersedes: 10-13-2004

Summary: Establishes policy and procedures governing enrolling in college courses and reduced tuition benefits in the University of Arkansas System for employees, spouses and dependent children.

Reference:   Board of Trustees Policy 440.1
University-Wide Administrative Memorandum 445.1

Educational Opportunities

Employees: If you are a full-time (100%) appointed employee, you may enroll in courses offered at any campus, in the University of Arkansas System (except Medical or Law School) at  a tuition cost of 10% of the cost of tuition for courses offered by the employee’s campus. You must designate a "home campus" that will stay with you throughout your career with Extension. An employee will pay 30% of the cost of full tuition for courses offered at any University of Arkansas campus other than the designated home campus. In addition, the employee will pay the difference between the cost of regular tuition and the discounted tuition charge for all electronically delivered courses such as CIV, Internet, web based, or distance education courses.

Enrollment at reduced rates during regular working hours for employees will be limited to one course during each Fall or Spring semester, with a maximum of five semester credit hours and a total maximum of eight semester credit hours for the regular academic year of two semesters. 

Enrollment at reduced rates outside of regular working hours for employees shall not exceed nine credit hours per semester, or in aggregate with enrollment during working hours, eleven semester credit hours per semester or twenty-two semester credit hours per regular academic year of two semesters.

Example Fall Spring Two-Semester
Total
During work 5 3 8
After work 6 8 14
Total 11 11 22

For summer terms enrollment during regular working hours and outside of regular working hours at reduced rates is limited to one three-credit-hour course per summer term. 

Families of Employees: Spouses and unmarried dependent children of full-time (100%) appointed employees may enroll in courses offered at any campus in the University of Arkansas System (except Medical, Law or Graduate School). Spouses and unmarried dependent children may take up to 132 undergraduate semester credit hours at 50% tuition at a designated "home campus" or at 60% of full tuition at any other campus within the University System. A student may not receive discounts as both an employee and as a spouse or child of an employee. In addition, spouses and/or dependent children will pay the difference between the cost of regular tuition and the discounted tuition charge for all electronically delivered courses such as CIV, Internet, web based, or distance education courses.

Applying for Reduced Tuition: Complete the form E.B.E.N. - 364, Employee Request - Registration Fee Discount, or E.B.E.N. - 365, Spouse/Dependent Request - Registration Fee Discount, and for UALR enrollment only see NOTE (below) for additional forms.  Send all forms signed by the employee and the supervisor to the Human Resources Office.  Submit several weeks before registration.  If approved, a copy will be returned to the employee.  Timely submission of request forms to Human Resources (before classes begin) is important in case the request for leave or fee discount must be denied.

NOTE:  Employees and families of employees (spouses and unmarried dependent children) attending the University of Arkansas at Little Rock should review additional limitations and complete additional request for registration fee discount forms set by that institution at the following website using Internet Explorer: http://www.ualr.edu/provost/docs/tuitiondiscount.shtml. This UALR fee discount form must be approved by the Extension Human Resources Office before it is  submitted by Human Resources to the campus Provost’s office.

Leave for Study

The use of official leave for study or annual leave to enroll or attend a course during normal office hours is not a right but a privilege which is granted at the discretion of the supervisor.  This policy does not assume that release time from regular working hours will be automatically permitted.

Upon approval of the immediate supervisor, official leave for study  may be granted for enrollment per Fall term, Spring term, and the Summer session in only one (1) course during  each semester, with a maximum of five semester credit hours and a total maximum of eight semester credit hours for the regular academic year of two semesters.  If the course will require additional absence from work, the excess time must be charged to annual leave.

Regular working hours are usually 8:00am to 4:30pm or 8:00am to 5:00pm.  The lunch period and breaks are considered a part of the normal working day.  This leave covers the time actually spent in class.

Some travel time may also be considered official leave for study.  Up to 30 minutes of travel to class from work location and up to 30 minutes of travel from class back to work location is permitted based on the distance between work and school (not to exceed three (3) hours per week). Any additional approved absence during normal duty hours must be charged to annual leave.

All employees must complete template form E.B.E.N. - 109, Employee Request - Leave for Study, and send a copy signed by the employee, supervisor and next higher authority to the Human Resources Office.

Short-Term Intensive Courses

With the approval of the supervisor and the appropriate Associate Director, official leave not to exceed three (3) weeks may be granted to employees working toward a graduate degree for enrollment in short-term credit courses (e.g., Extension Regional Winter School).  This privilege does not apply to short-term intensive courses at the undergraduate level.

Exclusions

• Correspondence courses are not covered by this policy.

• Fees other than tuition are not covered by this policy.

Request for Reduced Tuition Benefits/Leave for Study 

Requests for reduced tuition benefits and leave for study should be sent to the Human Resources office after approval of the immediate supervisor.  The following request forms are available as templates:

• Employee Request - Leave for Study Form E.B.E.N. - 109

• Employee Request - Registration Fee Discount Form E.B.E.N. - 364

• Spouse/Dependent Request - Registration Fee Discount Form E.B.E.N. - 365

• Employees and Spouse/Dependent forms for UALR available using Internet Explorer at: www.ualr.edu/provost/docs/tuition%20discount%20forms.html

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Last Date Modified 12/07/2007
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University of Arkansas • Division of Agriculture
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