Tuition Reimbursement Plan

Full-time faculty members are encouraged to pursue degrees at Berkeley where possible, and therefore reimbursement will not be provided for courses taken at other colleges if similar courses are offered at Berkeley.

Effective February 1, 2021, for full-time faculty members who are not currently enrolled and approved for Tuition Reimbursement, it is Berkeley's policy to provide full-time faculty members with tuition reimbursement for one course per semester. The reimbursement for the one course per semester is up to a maximum of $2,500.00 for the one course for approved programs of study leading to an advanced degree in an area related to the faculty member's current or pertinent future position at the College. Tuition Reimbursement will only be considered for institutions whose accreditor/s are recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA); please see:  CHEA Directory to confirm this information for a particular institution.  

Faculty members may not enroll in a degree program at a level that they have already earned and/or a lower level than they have earned previously. 

For approved graduate study:

• The course is taken subsequent to the completion of one year of teaching at Berkeley.
• Approval has been granted after completing and submitting the Tuition Program Approval Application Form to the immediate supervisor, the School Dean/Director, and the President of Berkeley College.
• The final course grade is C or better.
• The course does not qualify the faculty member for a new occupation or business.

Below is the maximum tuition reimbursement payable to a faculty member collecting the Tuition Reimbursement benefit effective February 1, 2021: 

• Berkeley will reimburse one course per semester. The reimbursement for the one course per semester is fifty percent (50%) of the tuition payment within 60 days of the successful completion of the course to a maximum of $2,500 per course per semester. 
• As per the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Section 127, Berkeley will provide full-time faculty with up to $5,250.00 of educational assistance per calendar year on a tax-free basis. The IRS Code requires that educational assistance in excess of $5,250.00 in a calendar year must be added to the faculty member's taxable wages and employment taxes (Federal, State, Social Security, and Medicare) must be withheld. 

The additional taxable income and taxes withheld are reported on the W-2 Form for the appropriate year that the tuition reimbursement benefit was paid.

Law degrees are excluded from tax exemption as per the IRS regulations. This may change due to IRS policies. 

More information can be found on Berkeley 365 - Benefits - Tuition Reimbursement