Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is the Tuition Assistance Program?

The Tuition Assistance Program is an educational assistance program that is paid directly to an accredited college or university to cover tuition cost. The program was designed to help students graduate with little to no debt.

How do I earn Tuition Assistance?

When a student completes a minimum of 20 hours per (work) week, tuition assistance awards are accrued. The percentage of tuition accrued weekly will be determined by your tenure with the company. You will receive the full accrual amount after completing your first year at Education at Work.

How does my tenure affect my Tuition Assistance?

You will be rewarded with a higher percentage of tuition accrual based on your tenure at Education at Work per the tuition policy.

The tenure breakdown:

What is the maximum amount that I can earn per year with the Tuition Assistance Program?

The new Policy resets the accrued amount at the start of each calendar year. You may earn a maximum of $110 per week for the accrual period of Jan - Nov per calendar year. A maximum total of $5250 annual tax-free benefit each year. Your tenure will affect the weekly accrual percentage.

What is the specific approval/review process?

After receiving your application, we will begin the review process. Given that the application is in good order, it will move on to Executive approval, President approval, and lastly, Controller approval. The Controller issues the payment information to our check provider. Checks are then sent to the institution in which you are enrolled.

How long does my tuition assistance application take to process?

Tuition assistance applications are typically processed during the first week of any given month. This review process aligns with university deadlines. This timing ensures the successful dispersal of funds to your educational institution.
For all universities, applications will be processed within a week. It is important to align your application submission with your university's deadlines and apply accordingly.

What if I am concerned about late fees due to a late submission?

In the event of a late application submission, HR can provide a letter with an EAW letterhead that you can provide to your Bursar/Student Finance representative. This letter contains check/payment information to let the Bursar know that a payment is incoming to the account shortly. This resource can be used to offset potential late fees. Additionally, HR can contact your university to lobby for their removal either by email or phone.

When do I become eligible to apply for the Tuition Assistance Program?

Tuition assistance begins to accrue immediately. You will be eligible to apply for tuition assistance after completing 20 or more hours of work per week for 8 weeks.

How many hours do I need to work per week in order to qualify for the Tuition Assistance Program?

A minimum of 20 hours per work week is required. Any other exceptions must be reviewed by Human Resources.

What happens if I’m on an LOA from work?

You will not accrue TA while you are on LOA. You can still apply for TA while on LOA

Do I still need to submit my semester grades to accrue tuition assistance?

You are no longer required to submit semester grades to qualify for tuition assistance. However, Education at Work strongly encourages you to be an active student in good standing with your university.

Do I still accrue tuition assistance based on performance KPIs?

Tuition assistance will not be accrued based on KPIs. Because KPIs are still a key metric to measure your success at Education at Work, we encourage all students to be in good standing with their supervisors.

Funds

Are there items that are not covered by tuition assistance program?

Tuition Assistance benefits do not include payments for the following items: meals, lodging, transportation, tools, or supplies (other than textbooks).

Can Tuition Assistance be applied to a previous loan?

No. Payments will be made directly to the university and will not be made payable to student loan companies.

What happens if I have loans covering or applied to my university bill?

Any loans taken out after your hire date will be treated as a balance on your bill. The payment will still only be sent to your university.

If my employment is terminated, what will happen to the Tuition Assistance that I have earned?

Students must be currently employed by EAW to receive tuition assistance benefits. No payments will be issued after employment ends.

If I resign from Education at Work what happens to any unused Tuition Assistance funds?

Students must be currently employed by EAW to receive tuition assistance benefits. No payments will be issued after employment ends.

What if I have earned tuition assistance but I have a zero balance due at school for a semester?

You may use the Tuition Assistance Funds to offset any portion of your tuition that might not be covered by the scholarship, including books. You may apply to use the funds throughout the calendar year. The funds accrued during your current calendar year will be available until Dec 31st of that year.

If the program is closed for Holiday, is 20 hours still required to meet weekly goal if I am scheduled to work that day?

Yes – all students are required to work with their supervisor and WFM to ensure they maintain a 20 hour per week average. In the case of voluntary time off (VTO) or an unforeseen event, HR will make a determination and notify students the impact this has on the weekly accrual of hours.

Will I be able to Bank funds for the future year?

Banking funds will no longer be an option. You will still accrue funds throughout the calendar year, but all funds that are accrued in a calendar year must be paid out within that calendar year.

Will I still need to apply to bank my funds for that calendar year?

You are no longer required to submit applications to bank the annual funds. Funds will accrue monthly. Additionally, funds will need to be applied in the same calendar year as they were accrued.

What if I already have banked funds?

Already banked funds from previous years will still be available to you. If funds were not banked, then they would not be available. To check how many banked funds you have available, please log in to the portal.

Technical

How do I submit my tuition assistance application?

Good question! Click here to get to our walkthrough video!

What documents do I need to submit for tuition assistance?

We require a current itemized bill from your institution for the upcoming semester for which you are seeking tuition assistance. Please take a screenshot of your bill with the balance due when you register for the semester.

What formats are acceptable for my documents?

PDF, JPEG, or PNG

How do I take a screenshot on an Apple machine?

1. Press Command-Shift-4.
2. Move the crosshair pointer to where you want to start the screenshot.
3. Drag to select an area.
4. When you've selected the area you want, release your mouse or trackpad button.
5. Find the screenshot as a .PNG file on your desktop.

How do I take a screenshot on a Windows machine?

1. Click Start and in the search bar, type "Snipping Tool" and open the program.
2. Click "New".
3. Click and drag to capture the desired area.
4. Click "Save as" and save your new file as a JPEG or PNG file.

Other

Couldn't find your question?

If you have questions about your tuition assistance application, please email: tuition.assistance@educationatwork.org
If you are having technical issues or cannot access your account, please email: support@educationatwork.org