Employee Educational Scholarship Program (EESP)

The Employee Educational Scholarship Program is a benefit offered to eligible FAU employees that allows for enrollment of up to six (6) credit hours of undergraduate or graduate instruction per term. Employees may enroll either as degree-seeking students or on a space available basis.

There are three annual deadlines for the EESP:

12:00PM the Day before the Last Day to Drop/Add of Spring Semester

12:00PM the Day before the *Last Day to Drop/Add of Summer Semester

12:00PM the Day before the Last Day to Drop/Add of Fall Semester

The EESP deadlines apply to all FAU Departments and Programs, even those with different Drop/Add dates. *The deadline for the Summer Semester is the Full Term/Summer 1 Last Day to Drop/Add date.

**Please note: The deadline requirement for the EESP application has changed, effective 03/27/2023. The EESP application must be SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED in Workday before the Last Day to DROP/ADD date of the semester.

Purpose of Program:

The program is designed to provide eligible Florida Atlantic University (FAU) employees the opportunity to enhance their job skills and further their education by attending classes at FAU during their employment tenure. The program also will provide a University benefit that will aid in the recruitment and retention of FAU employees. Eligible full-time employees at FAU may enroll for up to six (6) credit hours of graduate or undergraduate instruction* per term (Fall, Spring and Summer) under the Employee Educational Scholarship Program. *Qualified employees who take courses (including internet courses) offered at the Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale (Tower), Davie, HBOI, SeaTech, or MacArthur campuses are eligible for the Employee Educational Scholarship Program. Only courses listed in the FAU  catalog  will qualify for the EESP.  Contract courses or other special programs are not eligible for this scholarship. Employees will be responsible for the additional cost and fees associated with such programs as the Executive MBA, International MBA, FEEDS and E-College. The employee must complete the entire semester as an FAU employee. The employee will be responsible for paying for any course if not an employee at the end of each semester. 

FOR ELIGIBLE IN-UNIT FACULTY ONLY:  Enrollment must be online, regular lecture, or laboratory courses, thesis or dissertation, directed individual studies, directed research courses or internships. College of Medicine, and continuing education courses are excluded.

Implementation Date: Beginning Fall Semester, 2001

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be a full-time employee (1.0 FTE) on the day before classes begin for the semester and continue to be employed for the entire semester.
• Employees assigned to Temporary/Visiting appointments are not eligible to participate in the Employee Educational Scholarship Program.
• SP employees must have completed six months of full-time, continuous, satisfactory, and permanent service with Florida Atlantic University on the day before the semester begins.Law Enforcement Officers serving a twelve-month probationary period will also be eligible to participate in the EESP after six months of full-time, continuous, satisfactory service with FAU. Employees’ most recent performance review score must be a “Good” or above on the day before the semester begins.
• Faculty, Postdoctoral and Administrative, Managerial, and Professional (AMP) employees must have completed six months of full-time continuous service with FAU and be in good standing with the University on the day before the semester begins.
• Employee’s employment record must be discipline free for a minimum of six months prior to the first day of classes for the semester.
• Enrollment is contingent upon supervisory approval and verification of eligibility status.
• Participation in the program is to be conducted on the employee's own time. Employees are encouraged to take classes during off-duty hours. However, if that is not possible, supervisors may approve leave (annual leave, accrued compensatory leave, or leave without pay) or adjust the employee's established work schedule, as long as this does not conflict with departmental operations.

Other Important Requirements:

• Employees eligible for this benefit MUST APPLY FOR ADMISSION AND REGISTER FOR CLASSES . The EESP application DOES NOT substitute for registration for classes.
• It is recommended that if the employee wishes to register for a class and at the time the EESP application  is due, admittance to the class has not been granted, it should be listed on the EESP application  so that if the employee is allowed to register, it will be covered.  There is no penalty for listing a class on the form even if admittance is not granted. 
• Employees will be responsible for notifying Human Resources of any changes to their EESP application  before the due date. The only classes that will be covered are the ones on the application. If necessary, Employees may need to submit a revised application before the deadline. It is highly encouraged to include ALTERNATIVE courses to the application in order to prevent processing delays.
• Employees enrolled in undergraduate courses must receive a grade of "C" or better for courses taken in order to avoid being charged for the course(s).
• Employees enrolled in graduate courses must receive a grade of "B" or better for courses taken in order to avoid being charged for the course(s).
• Employees enrolled in a “P-F” graded course must receive a “P”.
• Receipt of a lower grade will result in the employee being charged for the course.
• Employees will be responsible for paying for any course(s) they Withdraw or Drop after the official Drop/Add date.
• Employees who receive a grade of Incomplete (I), will not have EESP coverage until such time as the grade has been changed to a grade acceptable as specified above.  Employees who do not have Incomplete course grades updated within the specified timeframe will be responsible for all costs for the class.
  
  For more information regarding Incomplete grades, see   http://www.fau.edu/academic/registrar/catalog/academics.php    
  
  
• Must be an employee for the entire semester or pay for the course. Any unused leave will be applied for balance if not paid in full.
• All outstanding debts to the University must be paid in full prior to registration.  This includes debt being paid via payroll deduction for parking tickets, previous tuition/fees, library fines, etc.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Certify that the employee meets all requirements of the Employee Educational Scholarship Program.
• Certify that the approved course(s): (a) maintains or improves the employee's job related skills; (b) meets the expressed requirements of the employer or are imposed by the University as a condition of employment; (c) were taken to qualify the employee for a career change; or, (d) were taken to meet the minimum educational requirements of the employee's current position.

Tax Information

For courses beginning on or after January 1, 2002, the payment may be for either undergraduate or graduate-level courses. The payment does not have to be work related courses. If your employer pays more than $5,250 for educational benefits for you during the year, you must generally pay tax on the amount over $5,250. For more information log on to:  http://www.irs.gov/publications/p970/ch11.html#d0e10825 .

Please note that the IRS has final approval authority in these matters.

Enrollment Procedures for Eligible Full-Time FAU Employees:

1. Eligible University employees shall apply for the  Employee Educational Scholarship Program through the “Create Request” process in  WORKDAY.  The application is to be completed and the necessary approvals are to be obtained by 12:00PM the day before the last Drop/Add date.   Applications will not be accepted past Noon on the due date.
2. All approved Employee Educational Scholarship Program applications will be forwarded to the University Cashier's Office (University Controller) by Human Resources. It is the employee's responsibility to process the registration application and pay any additional fees due at the Cashier's Office by the published deadline.
   
   Payment Options;
• Online Using your MasterCard, American Express, or Discover Card. Using the online system, the thirdparty vendor (TouchNetPayPath) will process your payment and apply it to your student account with a non-refundable fee of 2.85%.
• Online Using your Checking/Savings account without a fee.
• Cashier's Drop Box located in the Boca Raton Student Services Building. (Check or Money Order only.)
3. Admission, counseling, registration, fee payment, drop/add, and procedures for the employee will be the same as for other students as outlined in the University Catalog and the Schedule of Courses for each term except the following:

Prior to fee payment, the eligible employee shall verify approval and processing of the Employee Educational Scholarship Program application with the University Cashier's Office. This may also be verified in your Workday Inbox Archive. The EESP application  may be used in lieu of fee payment for up to six (6) credit hours at in-state rates. The employee must pay for registration credits in excess of six (6) credit hours or any additional charges for out-of-state registration.

• When different course levels are involved, the employer shall pay the credit hours with the highest cost. The employer shall pay the following fees (for up to six credit hours) in accordance with the existing University fee schedule:

Matriculation Fees
Building Fees
Capital Improvement Fees
Student Financial Aid Fees
Activity and Service Fees
Athletic Fees
Student Health Fees
Tuition Differential Fees
Technology Fees

• The employee shall pay any additional fees including, but not limited to:

eLearning Fees
Lecture Capture/Video Stream Fees
Application Fees
Photo I.D. Fees
Lab Fees
Late Registration Fees
Late Payment Fees
Material and Supply Fees
Out-of-State Tuition Fees

4. Academic counseling, testing, learning resources, Student Health Services, and all other facilities of the University will be available to employees registering for courses on the same basis as to other students.

 

Questions regarding FAU's Employee Educational Scholarship Program:

Eligibility Requirements

Benefits & Retirement

benefits@fau.edu

Account Billing

Tuition & Billing Services

(561) 297-6101

webcontroller@fau.edu

The EESP application is  available  in Workday! After login, search “Create Request” and select “Employee Educational Scholarship Program (EESP)” to begin.