Employee Tuition Benefit
- ETB is available to employees, retirees, and to their spouses and dependent children when they meet the University's admission requirements.
- Qualified recipients of this benefit are:
- Full time employees with no break in full-time employment at Samford since their initial hire date
- Legal Spouses of full time employees and retirees
- Sons and Daughters of full time employees and retirees who may be claimed as legal dependents for the current calendar year for federal income tax purposes
- Retirees with 15 or more years of service
- Dependent children of deceased employees who have 10 years of benefit eligible service at the time of death
- ETB is available beginning with the next academic term following the date of full-time employment. If, upon employment, an individual is currently enrolled at Samford University, the ETB will become effective at the beginning of the next academic term.
- Should you leave the employment of the University before the end of the term in which your spouse or dependent received the ETB, the student (spouse or dependent) will be billed pro rata for the remaining value of the ETB for that term.
- The Employee Tuition Benefit does not apply to Samford After Sundown Courses.
How ETB works in conjunction with scholarships
1. Outside Scholarships:
a. If student is eligible for 50% or 75% ETB the cost of tuition is covered first by the ETB amount, then the scholarship pays up to the amount of tuition. Any remaining amount applies to housing or meal charges. The amount of the scholarship and ETB may not exceed the amount of tuition, housing or meal charges. If this occurs, ETB is reduced.
b. If student is eligible for 100% ETB, the ETB is reduced by the amount of the scholarship, unless the student has housing or meal charges on his account, which may be covered by the scholarship.
2. Samford Scholarships
a. Students cannot have a Samford Scholarship and ETB at the same time.
b. If student is offered a Samford Scholarship they can accept the Samford Scholarship over ETB.
Example: If the student is awarded a merit scholarship and the scholarship is worth more than the value of ETB the student may accept the merit scholarship.
3. Alabama Student Grant (ASG)
a. If student lives on campus the ASG applies to room and board charges
b. If student lives off campus the ASG applies to tuition first before ETB is applied
*Pell grant is treated the same way.
4. Loans
a. Student is allowed both a loan and ETB if the student has room remaining in his/her cost of attendance budget.
b. Loans can be used to pay for books, room and board fees, and other educational expenses.
c. When the loan hits the account it would automatically cover the room and board with remaining funds refunded to the student.
Full Time Employees
- For full time employees, this benefit applies to full time and part time undergraduate studies through the attainment of one bachelor's degree and part time graduate studies deemed beneficial to the employee's job at Samford, through the attainment of one master's degree.
- The benefit will pay for 100% of the employee's tuition. It does not apply to charges for room, meals, books, special course fees, or any charges other than tuition as established by the Board of Trustees.
- Full-time employees are permitted to audit or take for credit up to two undergraduate courses at a time or two graduate course at a time as long as there are sufficient non-employee students in the class which meet the criteria for the minimum number of students necessary to teach the class.
- You must receive permission from your Vice President/Provost to take a course during normal working hours. If a course is taken during normal working hours, you must make up the lost work time during the same workweek and on University work premises.
- ETB received for graduate courses, including auditing the course, is sometimes considered a taxable fringe benefit by the Federal Government. When taxable, the taxes on the value of this benefit will be withheld from your paycheck and reflected on your W-2 form.
Spouse/Dependent children of full time employees
- For the spouse or dependent child(ren) of full-time employees, this benefit applies to full time and part time undergraduate studies through the attainment of one bachelor's degree.
- The benefit does not apply to charges for room, meals, books, special course fees, or any charges other than tuition as established by the Board of Trustees.
- The benefit for the spouse, dependent child(ren) of full-time employees will be as follows:
- During the first two years of your full time continuous employment, spouses and dependent children shall receive tuition remission equal to 50% of the cost of tuition
- Beginning with the third year of your full time continuous employment, spouses and dependent children shall receive tuition remission equal to 75% of the cost of tuition.
- Beginning with the fourth year of your full time continuous employment, spouses and dependent children shall receive tuition remission equal to 100% of the cost of tuition.
- The steps used to determine the value of the ETB for a qualified student are:
- The student first applies any non-Samford scholarship, grant, or other gift-aid (excluding loans) to charges for room and board appearing on the Samford statement
- Any balance of the scholarship, grant, or gift aid funds remaining applies to tuition charges
- Any balance of tuition charges is covered by the ETB
Retirees
- Retirees (with 15 or more years of service) who were eligible for ETB prior to retirement are permitted to audit or take for credit undergraduate and graduate courses as long as there are sufficient non-employee students in the class which meet the criteria for the minimum number of students necessary to teach the class, and as long as no paying student will be denied access to the class.
- This benefit will pay for 100% of the retiree's tuition. It does not apply to charges for room, meals, books, special course fees, or any charges other than tuition as established by the Board of Trustees.
Spouse/Dependent Children of Retirees
- For the spouse or dependent child(ren) of retired employees (with 15 or more years of service) , this benefit applies to full time and part time undergraduate studies through the attainment of one bachelor's degree.
- The benefit does not apply to charges for room, meals, books, special course fees, or any charges other than tuition as established by the Board of Trustees.
- The steps used to determine the value of the ETB for a qualified student are:
- The student first applies any non-Samford scholarship, grant, or other gift-aid (excluding loans) to charges for room and board appearing on the Samford statement
- Any balance of the scholarship, grant, or gift aid funds remaining applies to tuition charges
- Any balance of tuition charges is covered by the ETB
- This benefit is not extended to children adopted after retirement, step children resulting from a post-retirement marriage or to the widow/widower of a retiree who remarries after the death of the retiree.
Dependent Children of Deceased Employees
- ETB is available to dependent children of an employee with 10 or more years of benefit eligible service, who is eligible for the benefit and dies while employed by the University.
- The benefit is the same as that described for dependent children of full time employees.
ETB Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use the ETB for Samford after Sundown courses?
No. The benefit does not apply to Samford After Sundown courses. - I am divorced. My child lives with his/her mother/father. He/she has decided to come to school here at Samford. Can I use the ETB to cover his/her tuition here at Samford?
Only if the child can be claimed as your legal dependent for the current calendar year for federal income tax purposes. - My child goes to Auburn. She is home for the summer, but wants to take a class at Samford. Can my ETB cover the cost of the class?
Only if the class will apply to the degree the child is seeking at Auburn. - I would like to enroll in Metro College to obtain an undergraduate degree. Will ETB cover my tuition at Metro?
Yes, as long you have not already utilized the ETB to obtain an undergraduate degree at Samford. - I would like to obtain my Doctoral degree here at Samford. Will the ETB cover that?
No. Employees may utilize ETB to obtain one undergraduate and one master's degree only. - My spouse would like to get a master's degree here at Samford. Can I use my ETB to cover the tuition?
No. ETB will only cover tuition for undergraduate studies for spouses and dependent children. - My spouse needs to take a few classes here at Samford for recertification of his/her teaching certificate. Will my ETB cover this?
Yes. ETB can be used for recertification classes here at Samford, provided that the spouse did not receive an undergraduate degree at Samford utilizing the ETB. - My spouse has a degree at Samford that he/she earned prior to our marriage. He/she now would like to get a second undergraduate degree. Can I use my ETB to cover his/her tuition?
Yes. Provided that the spouse did not utilize his/her parent's ETB to obtain the first undergraduate degree. - Can I use the ETB to pay for my teacher's certification test?
No. - I will reach the beginning of my fourth year of employment mid-fall semester and my child is utilizing ETB. Will his/her tuition for fall be prorated?
No. You will stay at the 75% tuition remission for the fall semester. Beginning with Jan Term you will be eligible for 100% tuition remission.
