With the passage of HB 592 by the General Assembly during the 2018 legislative session, Kentucky’s public, post-secondary institutions are no longer legally required to waive tuition for up to six (6) credit hours per term for regular, full-time employees from other Kentucky institutions, with the exception of secondary Area Technology Centers.
However, effective fall 2019, employees pursuing an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree or a graduate degree at another post-secondary institution may be eligible to apply for the Eastern Kentucky University Tuition Reimbursement Program. More details on the program are below. Please note that the amount of tuition reimbursed by EKU shall not exceed the cost of tuition, less any state or federal grants received, and shall be credited first to the student’s tuition. EKU will reimburse tuition expenditures up to $5,250 per calendar year.
All employees are encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine the level of need and eligibility for state and federal financial aid programs.
Also, note that programs available in the Academic Common Market are available at a lower rate. For additional information about the Academic Common Market, contact EKU Admissions at either 859-622-2106, or Admissions@eku.edu.
EKU Employees Enrolled at Another Post-Secondary Institution
A full-time EKU employee may complete a degree program at another post-secondary institution and seek tuition reimbursement according to the following criteria:
The degree sought is relevant to, and required for, my current EKU position and job duties;
The coursework must be from an accredited institution, and must meet the requirements for an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a graduate degree;
A comparable degree or program is not offered or available from Eastern Kentucky University;
The employee and degree sought must be recommended and approved by the employee’s supervisor and appropriate EKU vice president;
The employee must provide rationale and affirming statement regarding purpose, intent, and personal commitment to degree completion; and describe how degree will benefit the University;
Coursework must be scheduled to avoid interference with employee’s normally scheduled working hours;
The employee must maintain positive progress toward degree completion, and maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or better for any undergraduate degree, and 3.0 for any graduate degree as evidenced by the employee’s official transcript or grade report;
The employee must be actively employed at EKU when the approved coursework is completed;
The employee may not be in their new employee orientation period during the period(s) of enrollment;
The employee agrees that repayment of tuition reimbursements may be required if progress toward degree completion stops for any reason;
EKU will reimburse tuition expenditures up to $5,250 per calendar year;
The employee must adhere to all applicable University policies and procedures, and must request reimbursement, submitting itemized receipts for billed tuition within sixty (60) days of course completion; The employee agrees to repay 100% of tuition expenses if separated from EKU within one (1) year of reimbursement; 75% of tuition expenses if separated from EKU within two (2) years of reimbursement; 50% of tuition expenses if separated from EKU within three (3) years of reimbursement; and 25% of tuition expenses if separated from EKU within four (4) years of reimbursement;
Funds shall not be duplicated through a federal or state government program, or an educational institution such as scholarships, fellowships, incentive awards, grants, or benefits under the G.I. Bill of Rights, or any such similar programs.
Employee Tuition Reimbursement applications must be submitted no later than July 15. Application deadline is for the academic year (Fall, Spring, Summer).
