The University is a member of a national consortium of over 600 colleges and universities called the Tuition Exchange (TE). This program allows the dependent children of full-time employees to apply for scholarships not available to the general public at other member institutions. The value of these scholarships varies from institution to institution, but the consortium annually sets a minimum scholarship value. Member institutions whose tuition is greater than the minimum are required to offer at least that minimum for consortium membership; schools whose tuition is less than the set minimum generally offer full tuition, although some choose to include room and/or board as an incentive for students to apply.
The number of TE slots available to employees each year is based on Villanova’s credit balance within the consortium. Therefore, it is possible that there will be a limit on the number of employees who can use the program from year to year. Similarly, neither the acceptance at member institutions nor the award of Tuition Exchange is guaranteed under the TE program. For this reason, parents are encouraged to view TE as one of their many options in funding their child’s education, rather than their sole option.
For dependent children, no tuition exchange will be extended beyond the fall semester of the calendar year in which they turn age 23.
TE eligibility is based on an employee’s years of continuous full-time service. Minimum eligibility requires at least five (5) years of continuous full time service before September 1st of the year in which the tuition exchange benefit is to be used. For full-time employees who had prior part-time service, the adjusted date of hire will be used to determine eligibility. Current eligibility is based on the following schedule:
| Years of Service | Years of Tuition Exchange Eligibility |
|---|---|
| 5 | 2 |
| 10 | 4 |
| 15 | 6 |
| 20 | 8 |
| 25 | 10 |
| 30 | 12 |
Under this program applications are due by the October 1st prior to the September 1st of anticipated entry. Full details on the parameters of the program and the eligibility and application criteria are available from the office of Human Resources at extension 9-7900.
In the case of the death of an employee who has completed ten years of continuous service, the dependent children will continue to be eligible for the tuition exchange 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 exchange. The amount of TE eligibility will be based on the years accrued as of the date of death of the employee.
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 eligible dependent children will continue to be eligible for tuition exchange up to the amount accrued as of the date of disability.
Click here to learn more about the Tuition Exchange consortium and for a list of participating institutions
- Printable Tuition Exchange Application
- Editable Tuition Exchange Application
