Officers: The Benefit
- Undergraduate, Postbaccalaureate and Graduate Tuition: What is Covered?
- How is the Benefit Assigned?
- Important Note About Summer Term
- Courses Not Covered
- Next Steps
Undergraduate, Postbaccalaureate and Graduate Tuition: What is Covered?
The Tuition Exemption Benefit Program pays tuition costs for Officers each term, up to an amount depending on title and whether or not they are registered in a degree program. The Program does not cover fees or the tuition charged for auditing courses.
Note: For students in the Postbaccalaureate Pre-Medical (prerequisite for graduate degree) program, up to 15 points per term are covered, depending on job title. See "How is the Benefit Assigned" below for more information.
How is the Benefit Assigned?
The amount of tuition covered by the Program depends on the Officer’s rank, as follows (if you are not sure which category you fall into — for example a research scientist, or an instructor — then see your local HR representative to confirm your status):
Coverage for Officers of Instruction and Research
- Professorial or Equivalent Rank: For an Officer of Instruction in a professorial rank, or for an Officer of Research in an equivalent rank, the Tuition Exemption Benefit pays for one course per term at Columbia, whether or not the Officer takes it as part of a degree program. Note: It does not pay for courses at Barnard or Teachers College.
An Officer of Instruction (including UDA members) is in a Professorial Rank if he or she is a Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor, including clinical, professional practice and “at affiliated hospital” titles. An Officer of Research is in an equivalent rank if he or she is a Senior Research Scientist, Research Scientist, Associate Research Scientist, Senior Research Scholar, Research Scholar or Associate Research Scholar.
- Non-Professorial Rank: For an Officer of Instruction in a non-professorial rank, the Tuition Exemption Benefit pays for fifteen credits per term in a degree program at Columbia, Barnard or Teachers College. Note: If the Officer is not registered in a degree program, the benefit pays for one course per term at Columbia only.
An Officer of Instruction is in a non-professorial rank if he or she is an Instructor, Senior Lecturer, Senior Lecturer in Discipline, Lecturer, Lecturer in Discipline, Associate, Associate in Discipline, or Assistant.
Postdoctoral Fellows, Research Scientists, and Scholars
- For Postdoctoral Fellows, Postdoctoral Research Scientists and Postdoctoral Research Scholars who attend the American Language Program, the Tuition Exemption Program pays for one course per term (all sessions during the Summer Term count as one term.) The program does not pay for other courses, nor for any courses taken by family members or children.
Coverage for Officers of Administration
- Degree Students: The Tuition Exemption Benefit pays for fifteen credits per term for Officers of Administration in a degree program at Columbia, Barnard or Teachers College.
- Degree Students Employed by Columbia University Press: Officers employed by Columbia University Press who are degree candidates are eligible for seven credits of Tuition Exemption Benefit per term.
- Non-Degree Special Students: For all otherwise eligible Officers of Administration who are not degree candidates, the Tuition Exemption Benefit pays for one course per term at Columbia only. Note: Certificate programs are considered non-degree.
Coverage for Officers of the Libraries
- Degree Students: The Tuition Exemption Benefit pays for fifteen credits per term for Officers of the Libraries in a degree program at Columbia.
- Non-Degree Special Students: For all otherwise eligible Officers of the Libraries who are not degree candidates, the Tuition Exemption Benefit pays for one course per term at Columbia only. Note: Certificate programs are considered non-degree.
|
Important: Summer Term comprises several overlapping sessions. Individual summer sessions do not count as “terms.” For degree students, tuition exemption pays for the available number of credits spread over the entire Summer Term, not for the available per-term credits each session. For example, an Officer who is in a category eligible for one course per term would be able to receive the Tuition Exemption Benefit for one course during all the summer sessions. An Officer eligible for 15 credits per term would be able to receive the Tuition Exemption Benefit for up to 15 credits during the summer sessions. Please note: For all eligible Officers who are non-degree students, the Tuition Exemption Benefit pays for one course, at Columbia only, in one summer session, not for one course in each session; in other words, one course in the entire summer term. |
Courses Not Covered
The following courses are not covered for anyone by the Tuition Exemption Benefit:
- All short-term, intensive, and fee-based courses in which the instructor is paid on the basis of the number of students registered in the course
- Certificate programs at Teachers College or Barnard
- Courses with no point value
- Applied music courses (i.e., musical instrument instruction)
- Continuing education courses (i.e., those whose course number begins with the letter “Q” or “N”, unless such a course is taken to fulfill a degree requirement)
- Any courses you audit.
Next Steps:
Please see “Procedures” at left for details on how to apply for the Tuition Exemption Benefit.