James Madison University is commited to personal and professional growth for all faculty and staff, as outlined in the core qualities and goals of its Strategic Plan. The university offers two programs to assist employees with tuition assistance: Tuition Waiver Program and Tuition Reimbursement Program.
Tuition Waiver Program
The Tuition Waiver Program is for course work taken at James Madison University in support of the university’s commitment to employee personal and professional development.
As a full-time, benefitted employee, you are eligible for two courses and one lab per semester.
- Employees working in multiple jobs receive the waiver, but not to exceed the maximum for the classification providing the most benefit. For example, a Classified staff or Faculty member who is also working a wage job may receive a waiver for a maximum of 2 courses and 1 lab per semester
- Tuition Wavier is not authorized for private vocal or instrumental instruction (unless your degree program requires it), or for non-credit courses (such as Project Management Certificate through School of Professional & Continuing Education (SPCE)
- Departments cannot pay for or reimburse an employee for more courses than allowable per policy
- Tuition Waiver covers the cost of tuition only. Any fees associated with a course are the responsibility of the employee
You can start out just taking some classes to try and then start a degree/program or you could dive right into a degree/program. We suggest taking a look at the available programs for which level applies to you: Undergradate, Graduate, or School of Professional and Continuing Education.
2. Apply: figure out which route fits your needs the most
- For Undergraduate or Graduate degree: you have two options, you can apply through Admissions, The Graduation School, or, if the degree program is listed under School of Professional and Continuing Education, you can apply there. (Application fees are not covered under the Tuition Waiver Program)
- For taking classes without a degree in mind/just trying a class: Apply through School of Professional and Continuing Education.
3. Register: once you're accepted, you'll have a student ID and a timeframe where you can select your class(es)
If you have questions about this step, please refer to your program advisor, Office of the Registrar, or School of Professional and Continuing Education. Remember, it is your responsibility to register for classes; filling out the Tuition Waiver form does not register you for a course.
4. Fill out & Submit the Tuition Waiver Form
Once you have registered for your class(es), you can fill out the Tuition Waiver Form. This form must be submitted to Human Resources before 5:00 p.m. on the last day of the add/drop period. See the Office of the Registrar for dates and deadlines. Scanned forms are welcome to be emailed to benefits@jmu.edu.
You will need a total of three signatures on this form: your signature, your supervisor, and the next level above them. Failure to obtain all three signatures will result in a delay in processing time.
5. Watch your tuition balance
Once your form is turned in, we'll process it and send it to the University Business Office. You'll get a confirmation email (to your JMU email) once it's been processed. You will want to watch how much tuition is waived during the calendar year.
NOTE: Graduate Courses- The IRS allows each employee $5,250 tax free but once you go over that threshold, you will be taxed on any tuition after that. Each quarter, over two pay periods, Payroll Services will collect the appropriate taxes from each employee who exceeds the $5,250 value set forth by the IRS for graduate courses. Quarters collected: 3/30, 6/30, 9/30, 11/30*
*for Payroll purposes the last quarter's taxes will be collected on the 11/30 pay period
For questions not answered here or in the FAQ section, please email benefits@jmu.edu
Tuition Reimbursement Program
In support of the university's commitment to professional development of faculty and staff, the university may authorize reimbursement to full-time employees for the tuition of work-related education or for the costs of certain work-related training programs taken at other institutions.
The purposes of this program are to train employees with (a) work-related education in the use of new or modified equipment, (b) work-related education in skills and knowledge required by changes in current positions, (c) work-related education that maintains or improves skills required in the job, or (d) work-related education to meet degree requirements in a program for which the employee is enrolled and the university does not offer an equivalent course.
Review Policy 1401 - Work-Related Education or Training from an External Source for eligibiltiy requirements, limitions and procedures for this program.