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Regents Scholarship Program

Effective: February 2007
Last Updated: May 2008

Responsible University Officer:

  • Vice President for Human Resources

Policy Owner:

  • Manager - Regents Scholarship Program
  • Director, Human Resources Policy Development

Policy Contact:

Policy Statement

The Regents Scholarship Program provides to eligible employees tuition dollars for University of Minnesota (University) credit-bearing courses. It is expected that those courses whose tuition is covered by the Regents Scholarship Program will be satisfactorily completed by the employee.

Provisions and Terms

Scope

  1. Faculty and Academic Professional and Administrative (P&A) Employees

    The Regents Scholarship Program is available to faculty (94xx) and P&A employees (93xx, 96xx, 97xx, and 9546) who hold 75 to 100 percent time appointments in the semester in which the course is taken. Eligibility for this program extends to employees on approved leaves of absence from qualifying appointments. Eligible faculty and P&A employees on academic year appointments may use this program for summer session courses if they were employed the preceding spring term and will be employed the following fall term. Registration must be for credit-bearing courses for which admittance eligibility is met.

  2. Civil Service and Union-Represented Staff

    The Regents Scholarship Program is available to civil service and union-represented staff on continuing, probationary, or temporary appointments, who hold 75 to 100 percent time appointments in the semester in which the course is taken. Eligibility for this program extends to employees on approved leaves of absence from qualifying appointments. Eligible staff on academic year appointments may use this program for summer session courses if they were employed the preceding spring term and will be employed the following fall term. Registration must be for credit-bearing courses for which admittance eligibility is met.

  3. Civil Service and Union-Represented Staff on Layoff List

    With appropriate approval, former eligible staff who are on the layoff list have access to the Regents Scholarship Program for a period of two years following their last day of employment.

  4. Exclusions

    Excluded from coverage under this policy are:

    • 95xx employees in graduate assistant classifications.
    • 95xx professionals-in-training, except as provided for in this policy.
    • "Without Salary" appointments.
    • Family members of the employee.

Tuition Benefit

  1. Fees Covered

    1. The Regents Scholarship Program covers only fees designated as tuition for undergraduate, graduate school, or post baccalaureate professional degree credits, including thesis credits. Employees who are not Minnesota residents will have a resident rate reduction included with their tuition benefits.
    2. In situations where the course is typically offered under a fee-only structure, rather than a tuition and fee structure, an appropriately determined amount of the fee, consistent with the level and credits of the course, may be designated as a tuition equivalent by the offering unit and covered under this program.

  2. Fees Not Covered

    Any cost not designated as tuition (e.g., books, material fees, technology fees, late fees) will be billed to the employee's student receivable account. Employees must pay all non-tuition fees associated with the courses in which they register.

Tax Implications of Benefit

  1. Section 117(d) of the Internal Revenue Code - Undergraduate Courses

    Section 117(d) of the Internal Revenue Code governs the taxability of undergraduate tuition benefits offered to employees of a college or university. Under this section a qualified tuition reduction offered by a college or university to its employees for undergraduate coursework is excluded from taxable income. As a result, as long as section 117(d) is in its current form, recipients of the Regents Scholarship at the University will not be taxed on the value of the qualified tuition reduction.

  2. Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code - Graduate Level Courses

    Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code relating to Educational Assistance Programs provides an exclusion of employer-paid tuition benefits from taxable income for employees enrolled in graduate level classes, up to a maximum annual amount of $5,250. However, the amount that exceeds $5,250 in a calendar year will be added to income as a taxable fringe benefit and the appropriate taxes will be withheld from regular pay.

Eligible Courses

  1. Courses Covered

    Courses covered under the Regents Scholarship Program are those courses offered for academic credit that appear on a University transcript with A-F or S-N grading only. Auditing a course is not allowed under this program. Independent study credit courses are covered by this program. Math courses offered for no credit are a permitted exception to the for-credit requirement and are covered under this program.

  2. Courses Not Covered

    Courses not covered include non-credit courses offered through the College of Continuing Education or other university departments, Carlson Executive MBA Program, Academic Distributed Computer Services short courses, Student Union mini-courses, Recreational Sports offerings, study abroad courses offered through the Learning Abroad Center (Twin Cities) and similar programs on the coordinate college campuses, and any other courses that do not qualify under Courses Covered. It is the prerogative of the University to restrict the coverage of some additional programs/courses not currently addressed in this policy.

Restrictions

  1. Registration Limits

    1. Registration for one course per term is generally considered appropriate. Approval of more than one course per term is left to the judgment of the responsible administrator/supervisor. Faculty on sabbatical or P&A on professional development leave may enroll up to full-time.
    2. Eligible civil service or union-represented staff on the layoff list are limited to two courses per term (job or degree related).
    3. Employees failing to meet eligibility requirements are billed for the full cost of tuition.
    4. Employees seeking degrees must follow the policies, requirements, and procedures of the college in which they are enrolled and should not expect to retroactively claim degrees in programs for which they have not been formally accepted.
    5. Regents Scholarship Program applications are not accepted after the last day of class.
    6. Employees who register for classes as a non-degree seeking student must submit the UM 1454 Request for Regents Scholarship Program form in time to have it processed prior to the billing due date for the term. If the form is submitted after this date, the employee is responsible for the late/installment rebilling fees assessed. All remaining charges not covered by the Regents Scholarship Program must be paid by the billing due date.

Authorization to Attend during Regularly Scheduled Work Hours

Authorization to take a course under the Regents Scholarship Program during work hours is made at the discretion of the responsible administrator/supervisor. The responsible administrator/supervisor may grant approval for time away from work, but may require that some or all of the time be made up in accord with policies, rules, and contract language.

Approvals

  1. Faculty and P&A Employees

    Regents Scholarship requests require approval of the responsible administrator.

  2. Civil Service and Union-Represented Staff

    Regents Scholarship requests require approval of the supervisor and the department head.

  3. Civil Service and Union-Represented Staff on Layoff List

    For civil service and union-represented staff on the layoff list, Regents Scholarship requests require approval of the Layoff Coordinator within the Office of Human Resources.

Reason for Policy

TThis policy implements the Board of Regents Policy: Employee Development, Education, and Training. The Regents Scholarship Program for eligible employees is offered by the University in support of contributing to a culture of excellence through educational investments in its employees.

Procedures

Forms/Instructions

  • UM 1454: Request for Regents Scholarship (Word, PDF)

Additional Contacts

Subject Contact Phone Fax/E-mail
General Information or Procedural Assistance
  • Regents Scholarship Manager
  • 612-624-3393
Information for Employees on Layoff List
  • Layoff Coordinator
  • Office of Human Resources Call Center
  • 612-625-2016
Registration
  • Twin Cities - One Stop Service Centers
  • Crookston - Office of the Registrar
  • Duluth - Student Assistance Center
  • Morris - Office of the Registrar
  • Twin Cities - Use Email
  • Crookston - 218-281-8547
  • Duluth - 218-726-8000
  • Morris - 320-589-6030

Definitions

There are no Definitions associated with this policy.

Responsibilities

Employee Requesting Regents Scholarship
  • Apply for a Regents Scholarship if eligible and interested in accordance with established procedures.
  • Satisfactorily complete course(s) for which one is registered under this program.
  • Notify responsible administrator/supervisor if a decision is made to cancel or withdraw from a course.
  • Pay for costs not designated as tuition and covered under this policy.
Responsible Administrator/Supervisor
  • Review and approve Regents Scholarship request in accordance with the provisions and terms of this policy.
  • Provide authorization for time away from work and scheduling in accord with this policy and applicable rules and contract language.
Department Head (for civil service/union-represented staff request)
  • Review and approve Regents Scholarship requests in conjunction with approval of supervisor.
Layoff Coordinator
  • Review and approve Regents Scholarship request for civil service/union-represented staff who are on the layoff list.

Appendices

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Information

History

Amended:
May 2008 - Policy converted to the new University-wide format for administrative policies.
Amended:
February 2007 - Language contained in the Administrative Policy: Regents Scholarship Program incorporates policy and procedure information previously contained in the Board of Regents Policy: Regents' Scholarship Program and Administrative policies: (1) Academic Staff Tuition Benefit Certification Policy and Procedure and (2) Regents Scholarship Policy and Procedure. This administrative policy supports the Board policy: Employee Development, Education, and Training.

The following revisions were made:

  1. Required admittance to a college of the University for faculty and P&A employees was eliminated as an eligibility criterion for access to this program.
  2. Tuition equivalent cost as defined under TUTION BENEFIT, Fees Covered was included under fees covered.
  3. Additional tax implication information was added.
  4. Additions to courses not covered: (1) non-credit courses offered through University departments/colleges, in addition to those offered under the College of Continuing Education, (2) Carlson Executive MBA Program, and (3) study abroad courses offered through the Learning Abroad Center (Twin Cities) and similar programs on the coordinate college campuses.
    The University maintains the right to restrict the coverage of some additional programs/courses addressed in this policy.
  5. Within the professionals-in-training employee subgroup, only post doctoral associates (9546) are eligible for Regents Scholarships.
  6. UM 1454: Application for Regents Scholarship and UM 1501: Academic Staff Tuition Benefit Certification were combined into one form, UM 1454: Request for Regents.
Adopted:
February 1994 - Academic Staff Tuition Benefit Certification Policy and Procedures
Adopted:
April 1966 - Board of Regents Policy: Regents' Scholarship Program

Effective: February 2007

To obtain a copy of a historical policy, e-mail the U Policy Librarian at policy@umn.edu or call 612-624-4372.

Office of Human Resources