When am I eligible to start using the education benefits?
There is a 6 month waiting period from the date of hire before you are eligible to use the education benefit for yourself or your dependents.
Where can I find the education policy and forms?
The education policy and forms can be found on the Human Resource site in the Forms Library; you will then scroll down to the "Benefits: Forms and Links" section and then the drop-down arrow for "Education Benefits Forms."
What is the deadline to submit a Continuing Education (CE) form or a Dependent Grant-In-Aid (DGIA) form?
The Dependent Grant-In-Aid (DGIA) should be submitted by April 30th each year. The form is submitted to the DGIA Portal, which is located in the Forms Library, under Benefits.
Continuing Education (CE) forms are submitted for each course you take. These forms must be submitted to HR three weeks prior to your financial check-in deadline. Since your form requires your supervisors signature and the Registrar’s signature before coming to HR, you should submit your forms at least 2 weeks prior to the HR deadline to assure it will reach us in time. No late forms will be accepted. The forms and deadlines can be found in the Forms Library, under the Benefits section.
How many courses can I take as an employee using my education benefit?
You are allowed to take 18 credit hours per academic year, see CE policy for specific information.
How do I know if my education form got processed?
Once your supervisor and the Registrar have signed your form, it will be sent to Human Resources. After it is processed and approved in Human Resources it will be sent to Financial Aid (FA) for further processing. Once FA has posted your aid, it will reflect on your ASIST account.
What if the aid is not showing on my ASIST?
Your aid can only be posted if all of your requirements have been met. If you are in an undergraduate program, you must have completed the FAFSA and the VTAG. If you were selected for verification, you must provide specific documentation before your aid can be posted. You must also be registered for courses in order for your aid to post. If all of these things have been done, you may contact Financial Aid at (434) 582-2270.
What about grad students?
Graduate students are not required to submit FAFSA or VTAG applications. If you are under a qualifying graduate degree, Financial Aid will contact you to submit VTAG upon receipt of your CE form. You must be registered for courses in order for your aid to post. If your aid is not showing on your ASIST account, you may contact Financial Aid at (434) 582-2270.
Will the CE or DGIA affect my taxes?
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires schools offering Continuing Education benefits to report as income CE benefits awarded to employees for graduate-level courses of a value over $5,250 in a calendar year. The IRS also requires any DGIA awarded for graduate-level courses in a calendar year to be reported as income. Please see the CE and DGIA policies for more specific information.