TUITION ASSISTANCE
As a top tier national University, Villanova is committed to the learning and development of our employees and their families. Our tuition remission and tuition exchange programs bring this commitment to life.
TUITION REMISSION
The Villanova University Tuition Remission Program is designed to provide employees and their eligible dependents tuition assistance for eligible courses taken at Villanova. Upon meeting eligibility, an employee is eligible to receive tuition remission toward their pursuit of an undergraduate or graduate degree.
Eligible dependents (spouse and biological, legally adopted or step children claimed as tax dependents) can pursue an undergraduate degree upon meeting eligibility. Please note that for dependents, tuition remission will not be extended beyond the fall semester of the calendar year in which a dependent child reaches age 23, the maximum tuition benefit is 175 attempted undergraduate credits, or the attainment of an undergraduate degree, whichever of these three comes first.
Tuition Remission for Full-Time Faculty & Staff Members
For the staff member’s own attendance at Villanova University, tuition remission will be provided at the start of the semester or term following the completion of six (6) months of service. Staff members are limited to taking no more than six (6) graduate, or nine (9) undergraduate credits in a semester. Classes must be taken outside of normal working hours unless both the department head and the Associate Vice President of Human Resources approve an exception.
Full tuition remission is available for all Villanova University sponsored courses including undergraduate, graduate, non-credit courses, (campus and online) and courses supported by BISK. All materials that are included in the tuition of a non-credit course are covered. If additional materials need to be purchased by the student, those materials are not covered.
Employees are responsible for paying the general fee, as well as any other fees associated with specific courses.
Courses that are excluded under the Tuition Remission Program (for faculty and staff)
Some examples of excluded programs include:
- Executive MBA
- Any and all Study Abroad Courses
Courses that are excluded under the Tuition Remission Program for dependents
Some examples of excluded programs include:
- Summer Business Institute
- Summer Business Academy (SBA)
- Engineering Entrepreneurship Summer Institute (E2SI)
- Any courses offered that are not for credit (with the exception of VUnited Scholars and the Paralegal Certificate)
- Any and all Study Abroad Courses
- Graduate level courses
Please contact the Bursar's office directly to determine if the program that you are enrolling in is covered under the University Tuition Remission Program.
Tuition Remission for Spouses and Children of Full-Time Faculty & Staff Members
Eligibility
An employee’s spouse and biological, legally adopted or step children must be claimed as tax dependents in order to be eligible for tuition remission. The HR department reserves the right to ask for redacted copies of tax forms to confirm eligibility.
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, (with the exception of VUnited Scholars and the Paralegal Certificate), 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
Effective with the beginning of the next semester, following the completion of three years of service, eligible spouses and dependent children are provided full tuition remission for courses taken at Villanova. Years of service at other institutions of higher education, immediately prior to employment with Villanova without a break in service will also count towards the three year eligibility requirement. For information on remission rates, you can download the information from the Bursar website.
Other Eligibility Requirements
Tuition remission will not be extended beyond the fall semester of the calendar year in which a dependent child reaches age 23.
For spouses and dependent children, 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.
For spouses and dependent children, no tuition remission will be extended for Graduate or Law School programs.
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.
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.
University retirees, their spouses and eligible dependent children as of the date of retirement continue to be eligible for tuition remission benefits upon the employee’s retirement from the University. In order to be an eligible retiree, you must have obtained age 55 with at least 10 years of service prior to retirement.
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.
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.
Study abroad programs are excluded from tuition remission. However, the student is responsible for the cost of the program, travel and all school fees. Contact Office of International Studies for further details.
If you move from a part time to a full-time position, HR will calculate an adjusted date of hire that will be used for tuition, retirement eligibility and vacation entitlement. If you previously worked for Villanova and were rehired, previous service may be applied to retirement plan eligibility.
Part-time faculty, staff, spouses and dependent children are eligible for tuition remission according to the schedules provided below. The following terms and provisions (which are consistent with, and analogous to, those that govern tuition remission for full-time faculty and other full-time and part-time employees) apply.
This benefit applies only to employees who are regularly scheduled to work 1,000 hours or more per year.
Tuition Remission Rates
Hired before August 30, 1999 and serving continuously
| Years of Services | For Self | For Spouse/Dependents |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | 50% | 25% for Division of Part-time Studies, graduate* courses, and/or Summer Session |
| 4-6 | 75% | 50% for Division of Part-time Studies, graduate* courses, and Summer Session; 30% for regular undergraduate and Law* |
| 7-9 | 100% | 75% for Division of Part-time Studies, graduate* courses, and Summer Session; 60% for regular undergraduate and Law* |
| 10-12 | 90% | |
| 13+ | 100% |
Hired after August 30, 1999 and serving continuously
For Self
| Years of Services | For Self |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | 50% |
| 4-6 | 75% |
| 7+ | 100% |
For Spouse/Dependents
| Years of Services | For Spouse/Dependents |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | 0% |
| 5-9 | 25% |
| 10+ | 50% |
Eligibility
Eligibility for tuition remission is based on the number of years of a part-time faculty or staff member’s continuous service at Villanova, as indicated on the above charts.
Part Time Faculty
A year of service for part-time faculty consists of a fall-spring-summer sequence during which the part-time faculty member teaches a total of six or more credit hours (graduate or undergraduate). Beginning in September 1999, a one-year break in the continuity of service will not be deemed an interruption of continuous service if the faculty member has taught at Villanova for a total of at least five full years (at six or more credits per year). A break in service of two years (either consecutive or non-consecutive) will not be deemed an interruption of service for those faculty who have taught at Villanova for ten or more years (at six or more credits per year). Once a faculty member achieves eligibility for tuition remission during any given academic year (fall, spring, summer), the indicated amount of remission may be applied during the following fall, spring, or summer; and it may continue to be applied as long as eligibility is maintained.
Part Time Staff
A year of service for part-time staff consists of a rolling calendar year forward from the employee’s date of hire in which the employee has worked at least 1000 hours.
In cases of financial need, part-time employee dependents are eligible to apply for Villanova financial assistance through the normal procedures, and all are strongly encouraged to apply for external public and private grants and scholarships.
Other Eligibility Requirements
- 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.
- 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.
- University Retirees, their spouses and eligible dependent children continue to be eligible for tuition remission benefits upon the employee’s retirement from the University.
If you move from a part time to a full-time position, HR will calculate an adjusted date of hire that will be used for tuition, retirement eligibility and vacation entitlement. If you previously worked for Villanova and were rehired, previous service may be applied to retirement plan eligibility.
Restrictions
| Subject | For Self | For Spouse/Dependents |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage of tuition & fees | Tuition only (according to schedule) | Tuition only (according to schedule) |
| Courses available for remission | All undergraduate and graduate courses except courses in the School of Law | Starting fall semester, 2003, only undergraduate courses and those graduate courses approved for application toward the baccalaureate degree |
| Max. number of courses/credits | Two courses in any semester or summer session |
Maximum of 175 credit hours attempted. Beginning with the fall semester, 2003, no tuition remission will be available after the spouse or dependent has achieved a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University. |
| Age restrictions | None | Eligibility for dependent children entering Villanova will not be extended beyond the fall semester of the calendar year in which a dependent child reaches age 23. |
Exclusions
Some examples of excluded programs include:
- Summer Business Institute
- Executive MBA
- All Continuing Study Courses
- Any courses offered that are not for credit
- Online courses offered through University Alliance/Bisk or Pearson/Embanet (except for faculty and staff as defined under the Distance Learning sections
- Any and all Study Abroad Courses
Please contact the Bursar's office directly to determine if the program that you are enrolling in is covered under the University Tuition Remission Program
Eligible full-time* faculty and staff must apply online for tuition remission through Novasis every semester, as soon as the employee and/or their eligible dependent has registered for classes.
Below are the instructions of how to access Novasis via MY NOVA:
- Navigate to MyNova at http://mynova.villanova.edu
- Type tuition remission in the search bar
- Click the tile Apply for Tuition Remission
- "Select a Student" using the dropdown box
- Click "Select a Term" and select the appropriate semester using the dropdown box
- Click "Display Classes"
- Click the "Submit for Approval" button
TUITION EXCHANGE
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.
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.
Learn more about the Tuition Exchange consortium and for a list of participating institutions. For further information regarding the Tuition Exchange program, review the Villanova University Tuition Exchange Guidelines.
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.
New Students
To apply for a TE scholarship for the upcoming academic year, please visit the TE website for instructions on completing the EZ application. The deadline to apply is October 1, the year prior to your expected college start date.
Continuing Scholars
If your child is currently using a TE scholarship, HR will automatically recertify the TE scholarship. If you plan on making changes please contact us via email. Human Resources will monitor eligibility directly from the TE website.
TE eligibility is based on an employee’s years of continuous full-time service. Minimum eligibility requires at least three (3) 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. Years of service at other institutions of higher education, immediately prior to employment with Villanova without a break in service will also count towards the three year eligibility requirement.
An employee’s biological, legally adopted or step children must be claimed as tax dependents in order to be eligible for tuition exchange. The HR department reserves the right to ask for redacted copies of tax forms to confirm eligibility.
Tuition exchange will not be extended beyond the calendar year in which a dependent child reaches age 23.
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.
University retirees eligible dependent children as of the date of retirement continue to be eligible for tuition exchange benefits upon the employee’s retirement from the University. For purpose of this section, the term "retires" means leaves the employ of the University either under a University authorized early retirement program or at a time when the eligible employee is entitled to draw social security retirement benefits upon separation from employment. The fact that an eligible employee may be vested in any of the University's pension plans at the time an eligible employee separates from employment does not constitute a retirement under this section.
If you move from a part time to a full time position, HR will calculate an adjusted date of hire that will be used for tuition, retirement eligibility and vacation entitlement. If you previously worked for Villanova and were rehired, previous service may be applied to retirement plan eligibility.