University Relations

Education benefit expands to 9 hours

Faculty and staff members will have the opportunity to take up to nine semester hours of either undergraduate or graduate-level courses with tuition waivers as part of an expanded benefit to university employees.
Announced by President Hank Brown as a presidential initiative, UCCS implemented the increased benefit with the 2008-09 academic year commencing with summer 2008 semester. Previously, faculty and staff could take six hours of classes per academic year at no charge.

“For full-time employees, the benefit now stands at nine hours,” Brian Burnett, vice chancellor, Administration and Finance, said. “For someone working half-time, the benefit is prorated to five.”

The benefit has caveats. To utilize the waiver, employees must enroll in courses on a space available basis and after the first day of classes. Additionally, employees who register for classes must pay required course and campus fees, based on legal interpretations of state law, Burnett said.

“Over the years we have had hundreds of employees who have pursued degrees at UCCS using the tuition waiver,” Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak said. “I’m pleased that we are able to expand this benefit and encourage employees to take advantage of the opportunity to make learning a life-long pursuit.”

To take advantage of the benefit, employees should contact the Admissions Office, 262-3383, about applying for admission, if not already a student. One week before the start of the term, employees should contact the Department of Human Resources and obtain a UCCS employee tuition waiver verification form. For employees planning to take undergraduate courses, the signed form should be turned into the Office of the Registrar, Main Hall 108, during the first week of classes. Employees who want to take graduate-level courses must have the form authorized by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs/Provost before submitting to the Office of the Registrar.

UCCS also has a reciprocal tuition waiver program with Pikes Peak Community College that allows employees to receive a waiver of six semester hours of tuition. For questions about tuition waiver procedures and policies, contact the Office of the Registrar, 262-3361, or Human Resources, 262-3591.