Policy Statement
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance and direction to the academic units (programs and departments) in the College of Allied Health Professions (CAHP) as it pertains to the use of tuition remissions and funded scholarships administered by the University of Nebraska Foundation.
Tuition remission is one mechanism available to assist the CAHP in meeting its enrollment goals. Tuition remission is used strategically and in ways that are congruent with and advance the mission of the CAHP and its constituent health profession education programs. Tuition remission is used to attract and retain students who have demonstrated superior academic performance, special or unique skills, need that is congruent with the mission of the CAHP, or eligibility for a specific remission program guaranteed by law or policy.
Funded scholarships are another mechanism available to assist the CAHP in meeting its enrollment goals and provide an opportunity to leverage remissions and impact the most students while ensuring the college meets its tuition generation target as established by the Office of the President each year.
The CAHP will establish strategic enrollment goals and the Financial Support Committee will determine the distribution of tuition remission and funded scholarships among the CAHP constituent programs in support of these goals. Academic units within the CAHP will adhere to the principles, procedures and processes outlined in this policy.
This policy ensures compliance with federal and state laws as well as University of Nebraska Board of Regents policies and regulations and provides a standardized approach for the use of tuition remission and funded scholarships for all constituent programs in the CAHP. This policy adheres to and supports the UNMC-wide policy on tuition remission.
Definitions
For the purpose of this policy, tuition remission shall be understood to be synonymous with mechanisms such as tuition waivers and scholarships that represent the reduction of tuition in meeting the mission of the academic unit for specific reasons and based on specific eligibility requirements.
For the purpose of this policy, funded scholarships shall be understood to mean scholarships managed by the University of Nebraska Foundation and distributed to the campus offices of student financial aid. The UNMC Office of Financial Aid provides a list of resources and their specific award criteria to the academic units on an annual basis.
Policy Oversight
The CAHP Associate Dean for Business & Finance is responsible for providing oversight for all activities related to the use of tuition remission and funded scholarships, including but not limited to establishing and reconciling an annual budget for tuition remission; monitoring the use and distribution of tuition remission and scholarships; ensuring compliance with all federal, state, donor and University and UNMC rules and regulations pertaining to tuition remission and funded scholarships; and periodically reviewing and as necessary revising this policy.
Categories of Tuition Remission
- Nebraska Promise: Tuition Assistance Program to qualified full-time, undergraduate, Nebraska resident students. The Tuition Assistance Program will cover the cost of up to 30 credit hours in an academic year but does not include summer sessions. The Tuition Assistance Program does not substitute for but rather supplements existing University of Nebraska need-based aid, which is allocated to students by campus financial aid offices based upon unmet need analyses performed by campus financial aid staff and following federal financial aid guidelines. (R.P. 5.7.7)
- Board of Regents Scholarship: Remission awarded to Nebraska residents only, for high academic achievement. Professional and Graduate Regents Scholarships are determined by each campus and has been delegated to the individual campus units in accordance with the general standards set forth in Regents Policy (RP 5.8.5), with each academic unit able to award remissions to eligible students.
- Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship (NRTS): Remission awarded to non-resident students. The amount of remission may vary by student and program within the academic units but cannot exceed the difference between resident and non-resident tuition. Awarding of NRTS follows the criteria established by Regents Policy (RP 5.8.3).
- Legacy Scholarship: Awarded to the non-resident children of alumni of any campus or college within the University of Nebraska system enrolled in an undergraduate program, consistent with Regents Policy (RP 5.8.4). Only students enrolling in the undergraduate programs are eligible for this tuition remission.
- University of Nebraska Employee Scholarships: Awarded to University employees, spouses, or dependents for up to a total of 15 credit hours each academic year per Regents Policy (RP 3.2.6).
- Yellow Ribbon Tuition Waiver: Awarded to non-resident students who are veterans and eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Remissions defined by the federal Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.
- Veterans Dependent Tuition Waiver: A waiver of tuition, and in some instances fees, for the dependents of Nebraska resident veterans who were permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty.
- Military Reserve Tuition Waiver: A fifty percent tuition waiver for an active reservist.
- Line of Duty Dependent Education Benefit: A waiver for the children of law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty in the amount of the tuition and fees remaining after subtracting awarded federal financial aid grants and state scholarships and grants. (NE Statute 85-2304).
- Graduate Tuition Remission: The NU Graduate Tuition Remission program provides for the exemption of tuition for twelve credit hours per semester of instruction for all graduate assistants having appointments of one-third or more FTE. (BOR Policy 5.8.2, revised August 16, 2019).
- CAHP Tuition Remission: CAHP remission awarded to students enrolled in any of the CAHP professional programs under a contractual agreement with a third party or other special circumstances as approved by the Dean or his designee.
Eligibility Requirements and Selection Criteria for Tuition Remission Programs
Federal and state law and University of Nebraska Board of Regents policies define minimum eligibility requirements for tuition remission and donors define eligibility requirements for funded scholarships; however, specific selection criteria as defined by the awarding academic units in the CAHP may be more, but not less stringent than University minimums. Each academic unit will have specific and measurable written selection criteria for awarding the various types of tuition remissions that will be congruent with the criteria outlined in this policy. Each academic unit, in cooperation with the Associate Dean for Business & Finance and the Senior Director of Enrollment Management & Student Affairs (EMSA), will ensure that each student has met all requirements before awarding tuition remission and/or scholarships and will document each award for annual approval by the Dean of the CAHP or their designee and submission to the UNMC Controller’s Office and the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
Application Procedures and Selection Processes
The CAHP will have published documentation in place pertaining to application and selection processes used and will include, at a minimum, information regarding available remission programs, processes for application, criteria for selection and notification and terms for renewal (if applicable). This documentation will be reviewed annually by the Associate Dean for Business & Finance in consultation with the UNMC Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success and amended as necessary.
Each academic unit will establish financial support package criteria for incoming, returning, and decelerated students that are congruent with this policy and support the strategic enrollment objectives of the college while meeting enrollment and tuition generation budgets. The CAHP Financial Support Committee shall be responsible for filling financial support package commitments made by the academic units with any available resources (e.g., funded scholarships, Regents scholarships, NRTS, etc.).
Recordkeeping, Monitoring & Reporting for Tuition Remission Programs
The CAHP Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Office (EMSA) is responsible for maintaining the applicant interview rubrics and rankings for the academic units, which serve as the basis for financial support awards for all incoming students. EMSA is also responsible for calculating GPAs for returning students who may be eligible for Regents Scholarships and when the academic programs have established GPA as an award criterion.
The Associate Dean for Business & Finance is responsible for ensuring that all financial support offers are compliant and the Senior Director of Enrollment Management, and Student Affairs is responsible for maintaining copies of each academic unit’s award policies. These copies will be stored in a secure electronic repository.
The CAHP Financial Support Committee will develop an annual projected tuition remission budget under the direction of the Associate Dean for Business & Finance. This budget will be distributed to all CAHP academic units at the beginning of each year’s admission cycle. The Associate Dean for Business & Finance will retain copies of the reconciled actual tuition remission budget that is completed at the close of each year’s admission cycle and will notify the UNMC Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance if the actual tuition remission budget exceeds the projected budget by 10% or more, according to UNMC policy.
The Associate Dean for Business & Finance will be responsible for communicating final tuition remission related data on an annual basis to the Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success and will serve as the principal point of contact for information on tuition remission for all constituent programs in the CAHP.
Tuition Remission Limits
Tuition remission cannot exceed tuition charges and cannot be applied to non-tuition charges. Non-resident tuition remissions cannot exceed the difference between the resident and non-resident tuition rates. A refund of tuition remission is prohibited.
Decelerated Students and Remission Eligibility
Students in decelerated status who are still progressing within their respective program are eligible for certain tuition remissions unless otherwise noted within each academic unit’s policy and/or subject to remission GPA eligibility. If a decelerated student was awarded a Regents scholarship or any merit-based scholarship and they are no longer qualified to receive it due to their decelerated status, the scholarship will be awarded to another qualified student. If other remissions or scholarship funds are available for which the decelerated student qualifies, a replacement award amount will be determined by the academic unit’s remission policy for the current academic year. The total amount of remission available is applied in accordance with the number of credit hours taken.
References to Board of Regents Policies:
RP-5.8.3 Tuition Scholarships for Non-Residents
Tuition scholarships for an amount up to the difference between resident and nonresident tuition may be awarded to selected students who are not residents of Nebraska. The number of students receiving tuition scholarships under this competitive program shall be determined at each campus by the Chancellor.
Chapter 5. Responsibilities and Rights of Students RP-177
The following students, having met all other requirements for admission, will be eligible for consideration for such tuition scholarships under this program:
- Undergraduate
- Entering freshmen who ranked in the upper 25 percent of their high school class, or who scored 23 or more on the ACT, or the SAT equivalent as determined by the Executive Vice President and Provost;
- Transferring students who have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 (out of a maximum of 4.00);
- Students who enter the program according to the above criteria and continue in good academic standing;
- Underrepresented minorities or individuals with special talents.
- Graduate and Professional
- Entering graduate and professional students who have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 for all previous work attempted at all colleges attended prior to enrollment at the University of Nebraska;
- Students who enter the program according to the above criterion and continue in good academic standing;
- Underrepresented minorities or individuals with special talents.