Eligibility

Educational privileges are available to full-time faculty, staff, technical service employees, retirees, and those with Emeritus status, their spouse, and dependent children up to the age of 26. The tuition discount benefit is a 75% discount on the tuition charge and applies to World Campus, Penn State resident instruction at all campuses, and Pennsylvania College of Technology. Regular tuition will be assessed for each dependent. The amount of tuition discount would result in out-of-pocket costs for employees to be 25% of the effective in-state tuition rate (excluding other student fees). NOTE: Tuition discount for a spouse taking graduate level classes may be subject to taxes. Please contact the payroll office for tax information. See University Policy HR36 and Policy HR37 for additional information.

Please note that Postdoctoral fellows and scholars are not eligible for the tuition discount benefit.

If you have not already completed the dependent verification program within Workday, you will be required to do so in order to maintain the dependent tuition discount. For information on dependent verification, please review dependent verification article in the WorkLion HR portal or contact HR Services.

For more details about the dependent verification program please refer to our Benefits Eligibility - Dependent Verification information or our acceptable Documents for Dependent Verification. Dependents who do not successfully complete the verification will have the tuition discount removed from their accounts and will be responsible for the entire tuition amount.

Please contact HR Services if you have any questions regarding the tuition discount benefit. Your inquiry may be forwarded to Penn State Employee Benefits if additional information is needed. After your tuition discount request is approved, you will see the discount reflected on your next student account statement in LionPATH. Tuition discount will not be approved retro-actively to prior semesters.

Exclusions

Educational privileges DO NOT apply to courses offered through:

• The College of Medicine, Medical School Program, and Physician's Assistant Program, at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
• The Smeal College of Business Executive Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA)
• The Dickinson School of Law and Penn State Law.
• Summer camps or workshops operated by the University unless University credit is given and regular tuition is charged.

Employee Credit Limits

For active employees, the discount on the tuition charge is 75%.
 

• Educational privileges are available for any semester or summer session in which classes begin on/or after the faculty or staff member's date of full-time regular employment.
• Employees are not eligible for educational privileges for any semester or summer session in which classes begin after the employee's final day of full time, regular employment status.
• Employees are subject to a 16-credit maximum per academic year (summer, fall, and spring) for the employee. Dependents do not have a credit limit.

Spouse

A spouse, except one receiving educational assistance from the University, such as a graduate assistantship, is eligible for the tuition discount for any semester or summer session in which classes begin on or after the employee's date of full-time employment. There is no limitation on the number of credits that may be taken. All levels of degrees may be earned. Tuition discounts for the Graduate classification in LionPath is a taxable benefit for a spouse. For more information regarding taxation on the Graduate classification, please visit the controller's office FAQ.

Dependent Children

Eligible dependent children are eligible for any semester or summer session in which classes begin on or after the employee's date of full-time employment. The tuition discount applies to undergraduate credits and Integrated Undergraduate Graduate (IUG) programs only until a Penn State bachelor's degree or IUG degree is attained. The discount does not apply toward Master's level classes or higher. Undergraduate classes for dependent children are not a taxable benefits.

Dependent of a Deceased Faculty or Staff Member

Eligible dependent children or a spouse of a full-time employee who becomes deceased as an active employee, are eligible for the tuition discount according to the years of service outlined below.

• Employee with 0-4 years of full-time, continuous service = 2 semesters
• Employee with 5-9 years of full-time, continuous service = 4 semesters
• Employee with 10 years or more of full-time, continuous service = 8 semesters
• Dependent must be enrolled within the number of years equal to the employee's years of service
• All other dependent eligibility rules apply

To initiate the tuition discount application in this circumstance, please complete this application or contact HR Services at 814-865-1473.

 

United Concordia - Tuition Benefits

For United Concordia Dental plan participants, there may be an opportunity for added tuition benefits by utilizing United Concordia's College Tuition Benefits program. For more information, please visit United Concordia Dental College Tuition Benefits. There is a list of participating schools across the U. S. recognizing this tuition reward points program for tuition discount. 

*Note: This program is not administered by Penn State. You will need to contact United Concordia directly via the contact information from the discount program page.