College Tuition Scholarship

Policy Statement

A child of Columbia University Officers and Faculty who is a candidate for an undergraduate degree at an accredited college or university other than Columbia or Barnard College is eligible for a scholarship that funds half of the child's undergraduate tuition for eight semesters.

Reason for the Policy

To provide employees and their families with information about how to take advantage of the University's educational opportunities through the College Tuition Scholarship program.   

Responsible University Office & Officer

Columbia University Human Resources, Benefits Department

Who is governed by This Policy

The policy applies to all Columbia University faculty and officers of administration with dependent children enrolled in undergraduate colleges other than Columbia or Barnard College. 

Who Should Know This Policy

All Columbia University faculty members and officers of administration who wish to participate in this benefit program should review and understand this policy.

Policy Text

A College Tuition Scholarship funds half of a student's undergraduate tuition for eight semesters (or the equivalent number of trimesters or quarters).  All dependent children of faculty and officers are eligible for this benefit.  Eligible children with two parents who are employees of the University may receive two scholarships simultaneously.

Eligibility

The following conditions must be met in order to be eligible for this benefit:

• The employee must be a full-time salaried Officer of Administration, Officer of Instruction, Officer of the Libraries, Officer of Research, or a member of the United Doctors Association (UDA).
• The dependent children of eligible employees who are candidates for an undergraduate degree at an accredited college or university other than Columbia or Barnard College are eligible for this benefit.
• The dependent children of an eligible employee's spouse or same-sex domestic partner who are candidates for an undergraduate degree at an accredited college or university other than Columbia or Barnard College are eligible for this benefit.

Please note: Visiting Officers of Instruction or Research, or Postdoctoral Scholars, Researchers or Fellows are not eligible for this benefit.

In order to qualify, a spouse, same-sex domestic partner and/or dependants must follow the same eligibility requirements as with other benefits. For more information please see Benefits in Brief at: http://www.hr.columbia.edu/hr/benefits/page-section.html

For complete eligibility requirements, please refer the eligibility table located on the College Tuition Scholarship Benefit website: http://www.hr.columbia.edu/hr/benefits/cts/eligibility/index.html

Employment Status and Eligibility

Eligibility is dependent on employment status and can also be affected by changes in employment status such as layoff, retirement, involuntary termination, resignation or part-time appointment.  For complete eligibility requirements, please refer the eligibility table in College Tuition Scholarship Benefit for employees: http://www.hr.columbia.edu/hr/benefits/cts/eligibility/index.html

Timing of Eligibility

To receive a College Tuition Scholarship for a given term, the employee's hire date must be on or before:

• September 1 for a fall term benefit
• January 1 for a winter or spring term benefit
• May 1 for a summer term benefit.

For complete details on timing of eligibility, please refer to "How Soon Am I Eligible?" in the College Tuition Scholarship Benefit for employees section of the Human Resources website: http://www.hr.columbia.edu/hr/benefits/cts/eligibility/index.html

Fees Covered

A College Tuition Scholarship funds half of a student's undergraduate tuition for eight semesters.  Only tuition expenses are covered under the College Tuition Scholarship. The amount the eligible child receives from the College Tuition Scholarship will not be affected if he or she receives other awards and/or scholarships; however, the scholarship amount, in combination with other funding sources, will be capped at the tuition liability.  

Summer Terms at Columbia

In addition to College Tuition Scholarships, dependents of officers and their spouses or same-sex domestic partners may be eligible for full tuition exemption as non-matriculated students in Columbia's Summer Session. The dependent must be a student in good standing at another college or university, and the courses must be taken as part of his or her academic program. The dependent may also receive tuition exemption if accepted as a visiting student in the Special Students Program during the fall and spring academic terms. The student's college need not grant point credit for the courses taken, and these terms do not count toward the eight-semester limit of eligibility for the College Tuition Scholarship Program.

Fees Not Covered

Fees like the health service fee, student activity fees, or laboratory fees are not covered.  For complete details regarding what is covered/not covered under this benefit, please refer to the section titled "Benefit" under the College Tuition Scholarship Benefit at the Human Resources Benefit website at: http://www.hr.columbia.edu/hr/benefits/cts/benefit/index.html

Applying for the College Tuition Scholarship

For complete information on how to apply for College Tuition Scholarship, please refer to the section called "CTS Procedures and Taxes" in the College Tuition Scholarship Benefit website at http://www.hr.columbia.edu/hr/benefits/cts/procedures/index.html

Taxable Tuition

Under current IRS regulations, a College Tuition Scholarship only counts as taxable income when it benefits the dependent of a same-sex domestic partner.

Note:  If a student receives tuition exemption for a Columbia Summer Session, or for a term as a visiting student in the Special Students Program, this will also be taxable income if the student is the dependent of a same-sex domestic partner

For complete information on taxes related to the College Tuition Scholarship, please refer to the section called "CTS Procedures and Taxes" in the College Tuition Scholarship Benefit website at http://www.hr.columbia.edu/hr/benefits/cts/procedures/index.html

Web Address

A complete description of the University's College Tuition Scholarship Benefit can be downloaded from the Human Resources website:  http://www.hr.columbia.edu/hr/benefits/cts/eligibility/index.html

Cross References to Related Policies

A complete description of the University's Tuition Exemption Program for faculty, officers and family members can be downloaded from the Human Resources website: http://www.hr.columbia.edu/hr/benefits/page-section.html.