Has anyone seen any articles or studies on the average or median maximum annual payments in corporate sponsored tuition reimbursement plans? I know a few companies pay 100% but most seem to have a cap. $5,000.00? $10,000.00?
Our company started a cap this year. $18,000. We had a division in southern California and they wanted to stop people from going to USC, which was costing a great deal of money, and in turn people once they got their degree would leave (since no raise or promotion comes with a graduate deegree where we are). Don't know if that is the norm or not.
We have no cap, but they will only pay a maximum of 75% of the tuition at the state tuition level. Thus, if you are going to a private college that charges three times as much as the state university, the employer will only reimburse the employee at whatever rate the state university is charging.
Kristie7 wrote: > Our company started a cap this year. $18,000. How could you possibly spend that much? If you're a full-time employee, you don't have time to take more than one course a semester, do you? My company has a cap of one course a semester, so three a year. My most expensive courses were four graduate-level courses from Harvard Extension, $1,425 each.
It depends on the school, state schools could never reach this amount, but I am attending TU's online program, which is $4200 per semester plus summer and books. So it comes to about $15,000 per year. It isn't a problem for most. There are a great number of private schools (like USC) that do have more expensive tuition rates. I am full time, but there are times that I take more classes than 1. For my graduate program, two per term. When I was an undergrad, I took up to 5 per semester (MW 5-7, MW 7-9, T 5-8, R 5-8, and one online), weekends were jammed with school work - those were the days! and still was on the honor roll. It all depends on time management (and my husband and I made an agreement we were not going to get married until I graduated). It is amazing what can be done with motivation (managers should take note!)
I don't know what the average is, but where I work, the policy changed over the years. Currently, there is 100% reimbursement for classes sucessfully completed up to a cap of $3500/year. A colleague working on a MBA told me that she burns through that pretty quick. We both would love an $18,000/year cap. Previously, the policy was 100% reimbursement for classes, no cap. Fees and books paid for, too! I finished my BSEE under that happy policy. Before the 100% reimbursement, no cap policy there was cap/class policy. I remember that was set at $600-$800. My personal experience was that this amount was OK for the local Illinois community colleges but fell way short at the (private) four-year school I transferred to. Also, the degree/coursework had to be deemed "relevant" to the company and the school had to be accredited. At the risk of stirring up RJT, Kennedy-Western courses would not be reimbursed. Someone from another company in the area (Lake County, Illinois) told me her company had a cap set for $5000/year.
I work for a rural telephone company our policy is very liberal... As long as you make a C or better they pay 100% of books and fees for undergraduate degrees in any field. They do the same for graduate degrees but you have to make a B or better. The school has to be RA. The policy was added in 1980 when they revised the benefits package it was added as a benefit to replace something else that they dropped. Now it sounds nice, but the company I work for is at least an hour and a half away form the nearest 4 year university. In reality no one has ever really taken them up on it until me LOL I think they nearly choked when I handed them the first AIU bill but they are paying it without a complaint. I suspect if too many more people went the online route they would cap the policy.
Ah, this explains why you chose AIU. It's always seemed like a quite overpriced program to me (particularly for a school known by few), but if someone else is footing the bill, it suddenly becomes a more reasonable (to me) choice. Tom Nixon
I really wanted a school in Georgia so I could get use the HOPE Scholarship program. HOPE chips in about 4,000 a year plus I get another 500 or so from a state tuition grant. That helps offset the cost as well. I needed a distance program to maintain my current job the only ones I could find that were 100% online in Georgia were from AIU and one at Valdosta State University. Valdosta has a Bachelors of Applied Science in IT program that is online, but when I visited the school I really didn't like the course material or the online platform very much. It is a very new program and seemed like it was still getting off the ground. VSU seemed more like independent study as opposed to class. AIU seemed to have a much better online delivery method and gave me the impression there would be much more support from the instructors and other students. (So far AIU has lived up to that, the classes really have been great). As far as AIU's name recognition since they have a campus in Georgia (actually 2 campuses in Atlanta) quite a few people have heard of them in this area although most think of them as a fashion design school because that's what they advertise for the most in Atlanta. I still have a few concerns about the degree and its name recognition but hopefully it won't be a problem if I stick to Georgia schools. My eventual goal is to apply for law school and I am hopeful that my LSAT scores will be high enough of offset any misgivings about AIU.
My comp's is 100% $5000/yr cap, Has to be a grade "C" or better and approved my your manager and you get reimbursed after you get your grade..
