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For UNC Employees

Employee Tuition Waiver

In general, permanent UNC-Chapel Hill employees as well as employees of UNC Health Care and constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina may have tuition waived for a maximum of two courses per year (this includes classroom, online, and correspondence courses). For UNC-Chapel Hill employees enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill, tuition waiver may be applied to one summer session course per academic year.

The information provided here applies only to the use of tuition waiver to enroll in credit courses that are offered through the Friday Center. This includes classroom courses offered in the fall and spring semester, online courses, and correspondence courses. For complete information on tuition waiver opportunities, eligibility, coverage, procedures, and forms, see Tuition Waiver Policy or contact the Human Resources Benefits Department at 962-3071 or e-mail benefits@unc.edu. Human Resources is located at 104 Airport Drive, Suite 1700.

Tuition Waiver Request Instructions

  • Obtain the “Tuition Waiver Request for UNC-Chapel Hill Employee” form from your departmental Human Resource Facilitator or from Tuition Waiver Policy.
  • Complete the Tuition Waiver Request and obtain the signature of your supervisor.
  • Submit the Tuition Waiver Request to the HR Benefits Department for verification and approval prior to the Tuition Waiver deadline.
  • Submit a copy of your approved Tuition Waiver Request to the Friday Center for distance education courses, or to the Cashier's Office for classroom courses. You can request that the Benefits Department send a copy to the appropriate office if you prefer.
  • Once approved, you may register for a course with the Friday Center.

Taking Courses on Campus

To take courses on campus, you must be admitted to the University as a part-time student. See Part-time Classroom Studies - How to Apply.

  • Complete an admissions application for Part-time Classroom Studies (not necessary for each course registration once you have been admitted). Submit your application to Undergraduate Admissions if you do not have a bachelor’s degree or to the Friday Center if you do have a bachelor’s degree.
  • Submit a copy of your UNC ID to receive a waiver of the $70 application fee. (The full Tuition Waiver Request must be completed for waiver of course tuition.)
  • Complete the NC residency application for tuition purposes. If you do not complete this form you will automatically be classified as a non-resident for tuition purposes.
  • Submit a copy of the “Tuition Waiver Request for UNC-Chapel Hill Employee” form to the University Cashier’s Office.

Taking Courses from a Distance

You do not have to be admitted to the University in order to take distance education courses through the Friday Center tuition-free. Distance education courses are regular college courses offered for credit; they are taught from a distance rather than in the classroom. The Friday Center offers two distance education programs:

When you register:

  • Complete an enrollment form and submit it to the Friday Center.
  • Complete the NC residency application for tuition purposes. If you do not complete this form you will automatically be classified as a non-resident for tuition purposes.
  • Submit a copy of the “Tuition Waiver Request for UNC-Chapel Hill Employee” form to the Friday Center.

Part-Time Undergraduate Degree Program for UNC-Chapel Hill Employees

The Part-Time Undergraduate Degree Program provides an opportunity for qualified UNC-Chapel Hill employees to be admitted to the University as undergraduate degree candidates, continue their employment, and remain part-time students while completing requirements for the degree. It does not create a new UNC-Chapel Hill degree, but provides a means for employees to earn existing undergraduate degrees on a part-time basis.

Nature of the Program

The program is a degree completion program for junior transfer students who have demonstrated their academic capabilities through previous enrollment at UNC-Chapel Hill or other post-secondary institutions.

Number of Participants

The target for admission is ten students per year.

Eligibility

The program is open to permanent University employees who work at least thirty hours per week and have been employed at the University for at least one year. Employees who are admitted into the program may remain in it even if they leave the University while enrolled.

Admissions Criteria

Admissions criteria will be the same as for other transfer students applying to the University. As with all junior transfers, both academic background and personal achievement will be factors in admissions decisions. The applicant's experience in the workplace may be taken into consideration but will not be a substitute for regular admissions criteria.

Prior Academic Work

As with other transfer students, applicants will be required to have earned at least 60 transferable credit hours at the post-secondary level (including hours previously earned at UNC-Chapel Hill) to qualify for admission. The maximum number of credits that may be transferred is 75 from a four-year institution and 64 from a two-year institution (for students who have attended both types of institutions, the maximum is governed by the type of institution last attended).

Applying for the Program

Applicants to the program will submit to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions the application for transfer students, which will include a subsection pertaining to the pilot program. They will be asked to verify that they have discussed with their supervisor their intent to participate in the program.

A letter of recommendation attesting to the applicant's academic ability will be required. It is highly desirable that this letter be provided by a previous post-secondary instructor; if obtaining a letter from such a person would present an undue hardship for the applicant, a letter from another person who knows the applicant well and can assess his or her capacity for classroom work will be acceptable.

High school and college transcripts will be required. SATs should be submitted if taken within the previous five years.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will advise applicants on preparation of the application and other aspects of the admissions process. Applications for admission may be submitted after March 1 for the following fall semester. The deadline for submitting applications is June 30. The normal application fee will be waived. Applicants will be notified of admissions decisions by July 15.

Course Load

Students participating in the program are expected to be enrolled in classes each fall and spring semester and to take three to eight credit hours per semester. Requests for exceptions to the course load requirement will be considered by the student's academic school or college.

Modifications in the work schedule to accommodate the proposed class schedule will require the approval of the supervisor, and students should plan their course loads accordingly. Also, it is recommended that students wishing to take more than eight hours in a given semester obtain the approval of their supervisor for the work schedule modification this will require before seeking the approval of the academic school or college.

Students who are not enrolled for a fall or spring semester will need to apply to Undergraduate Admissions for readmission to the program.

Academic Requirements

Individuals participating in the program are subject to general University standards for academic eligibility and personal conduct. As part-time, transfer students, they are required to maintain cumulative UNC-Chapel Hill grade point averages in the following manner: 1.0 after 6 hours attempted, 1.5 after 12 hours, 1.75 after 24 hours, 1.9 after 36 hours, and 2.0 after 48 hours. Students are subject to a requirement comparable to the nine-semester limit for fulltime students but it is based on the same conversion formula used for other part-time students; it will not reflect the student's physical presence on campus for a specific number of semesters.

The UNC-Chapel Hill catalog year that governs academic requirements for individuals in the program is determined in the same manner as for other transfer students. The requirements of the new curriculum are applied to students in the program in the same manner as for other transfer students.

Responsibility for reviewing issues of academic eligibility and the special circumstances of individual students in the program resides with the dean's office in the student's academic school or college.

Academic Advising

The student's academic school or college provides academic advising. General academic information about the program is provided to prospective students by the Friday Center for Continuing Education, and academic advisors in the Friday Center will consult with academic advisors in the degree-granting units on issues related to the needs and circumstances of adult learners.

Orientation

Students admitted into the program should plan to attend the orientation session designed for transfer students. It is also strongly recommended that they meet with an academic advisor in their school or college before enrolling in the fall.

Administrative Matters

Students admitted into the program are considered to be in addition to, not instead of, the regular number of admitted undergraduate transfer students. A special code identifies students in the program and tracks them for academic and administrative purposes. Students in the program are not counted in calculating graduation rates.

Student Fees

Student fees are waived for participants in the program. (This does not apply to the orientation fee or fees specific to a course or program). Individuals enrolled in the program may choose to pay fees but in doing so must pay fees in their entirety. Students who leave University employment while enrolled in the program will be required to pay student fees.

Financial Assistance

Like other University employees enrolling in University courses, employees enrolled in the program can take up to three courses per year under the Tuition Waiver program. They can then apply for Educational Assistance to cover tuition, but not including books or supplies, up to $500 per year. Employees can also apply for support under the Employee and Dependent Scholarship Program, which is a need-based program. For more information on these programs, contact the Benefits Office at 962-3071.

Also, part-time students in degree programs may be eligible for assistance under the Federal Pell Grant program. For additional information about this opportunity, contact the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid at 962-8396.

Work Time Considerations

In initiating this program, the University encourages supervisors to be supportive of employees’ participation and to accommodate work schedule modification requests if at all possible. Such flexibility on the supervisor’s part is essential in order for the program to be successful. Supervisors have the discretion to consider up to three hours of employees’ participation in the program per week as work time if the program is determined to be work-related. It is also important for employees to maintain expected standards of performance in the work place while enrolled in the program.

Additional Information

General questions about the program may be directed to the Friday Center’s Credit Programs for Part-Time Students staff at 962-1134. Questions about admissions and the applications process should be directed to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 966-3621.

 

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