Eligible employees may recieve (12) waived credits for eligible courses at any CU campus per academic year. See details below for rules related to Tuition Assistance Benefit usage or review the full policy.
Eligibility
- You must be eligible for benefits. This means you must meet all the following criteria:
- Work in a regular, non-temporary position.
- Work 20 hours or more per week (a 50% or greater appointment).
- Be in an eligible job code. In most instances, if you're eligible for medical benefits, you're eligible for the Tuition Assistance Benefit, too.
Tuition Assistance Benefit credits
- Employees must fill out a Tuition Assistance Benefit application each semester they intend to use it.
- Credits are counted from the fall semester through the following summer semester.
- Credits can be used in one semester or throughout the academic year.
- Unused credits do not carry over.
- Employees may take undergraduate or graduate courses.
- Benefits-eligible eligible employees can use their TAB for themselves and dependents in the same semester and academic year.
- CU Boulder employees can use up to 12 credit hours for themselves per academic year and a 40% discount for dependent(s) each semester.
- For eligible employees who do not have a dependent at CU Boulder, employees can split their 12 credit hours between themselves and their dependent(s).
- If both parents/partners of a dependent are employeed by CU in eligible appointments, the dependent(s) may waive up to a combined maximum of 24 credit hours per academic year or 80% of tuition on the CU Boulder campus.
Tuition Assistance Benefit course and program eligibility
The Tuition Assistance Benefit can only be used at University of Colorado campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Denver, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Anschutz.
Course exclusions:
- Audits, study abroad, Continuing Education, Extended Studies, the mini-MBA, the Executive MBA program, the One-Year MBA program, CU Boulders Part-Time Evening MBA program, and CU Boulder degree programs on Coursera.
- For CU Anschutz, only Public Health, Nursing and Graduate School courses are eligible. The School of Medicine, Physician Assistant Program, Dental School, and Anesthesiologist Assistant Program are not eligible for the Tuition Assistance Benefit.
Employees may register and wait-list during normal designated registration period for undergraduate or graduate credit-granting courses and can register prior to submitting the TAB application.
- Supervisor approval is not required to take a course. Supervisor approval for class attendance during normal work hours is required, as for any absence reason, but does not require seperate documentation.
Tuition Assistance Benefit application
Employees must fill out a Tuition Assistance Benefit Applicaiton each semester they attend to use it.
How to access the application:
- Log into the employee portal.
- Open the CU Resources dropdown menu (at the top center of the page) and select Forms.
- Click the Benefits tile, then click the Tuition Assistance Application tile.
The TAB application will open on the first of the following months with deadlines 4-8 weeks past the opening date.
- Fall Semester: August
- Spring Semester: December
- Summer Semester: May
If the first month falls on the weekend, the application will open on the following Monday.
Tuition Assistance Benefit Taxation
- The employee is not taxed for any TAB amount when taking undergraduate courses.
- The employee is not taxed for any TAB amount when a dependent takes undergraduate courses, unless the dependent is a domestic partner or a child of a domestic partner.
- The employee is taxed for any TAB amount about the $5,250 threshold when taking graduate courses.
- The employee is taxed for the total amount of TAB when a dependent takes graduate courses.
- For more information, visit the Tuition Assistance Benefit taxation webpage to watch a video and read more about the Tuition Assistance Benefit taxation implications.
Tuition Assistance Benefit student bills and fees
The Tuition Assistance Benefit does not cover application fees or student fees, which vary by campus. You can estimate student fees on your campus Bursar website.
Bursar websites:
For Colorado residents, each undergraduate student must apply for the College Opportunity Fund (COF) and pay the difference if COF is exhausted. Residents attending CU Boulder must also authorize the COF. Check your campus page for all deadlines.