Your child will:

• Be enrolled as a full-time student in a program leading to a generally recognized degree at a University within the United States; 
• Initiated full-time study prior to their 21st birthday; and
• Claimed as a dependent on your tax return.

• Must be a full time faculty member or full time staff member, AND

• Have at least two years of continuous, full-time employment with the university as of September 30 for fall enrollment, or January 31 for spring enrollment.

American University Dependent Tuition Scholarship

American University tuition scholarship is tuition remission for full-time regular or provisional enrollment in a degree program at American University or the Wesley Theological Seminary. Provisional status is only covered for 1 year; at the end of that year the child must be considered a full-time student in a degree program in order to continue the benefit.

Submit the application each year by June 1

The online application for Dependent Child Educational Benefits must be completed and submitted EVERY year by June 1 preceding the upcoming fall semester for the AU Dependent Tuition Scholarship. The application must be completed for every academic year.

Fees are not covered

Please keep in mind that there is a $50 non-refundable application fee per semester.

Not all courses are eligible!

Please review the list of Ineligible Academic Programs. Note that courses offered through these programs are ineligible for tuition remission.

Summer Sessions

For summer sessions, tuition remission may not be applied to individually arranged courses, including but not limited to internships, co-ops, independent study and independent reading courses. Dependent children are eligible for a maximum of 8 credits during the summer following each covered academic year.

The benefit covers tuition only!

100% of tuition is covered for up to 4 years of undergraduate or 2 years of graduate (includes up to 2 courses/max 8 credits during the summer). You or your child are responsible for paying all non-tuition assessments and fees, including room and board.

Graduate tuition remission is 100% taxable for dependents.

For more information, refer to the Faculty/Staff Benefits Manual and the Dependent Child Educational Benefits Application.

Tuition Exchange is a competitive tuition remission scholarship at another institution participating in the Tuition Exchange, Inc. program.

First-time applicants must submit the application by November 1

• The online application for dependent child educational benefits must be completed and submitted by November 1 preceding the upcoming academic year for the Tuition Exchange program.
• The tuition exchange application process is separate from the application for admission process.
• Returning participants DO NOT reapply each year
  If your dependent already participates in the Tuition Exchange program, you do not submit applications for subsequent years. The renewal process is managed through the Tuition Exchange program’s administrative site by the school your dependent is attending and by the AU Benefits Team.  The AU Benefits Team will certify your dependent’s eligibility and will contact you by mid April each year to confirm your dependent’s continuation in the program.
• Tuition Exchange is a COMPETITIVE AWARD program!
  The Tuition Exchange program allows eligible dependents to apply for competitive scholarships at over 677 colleges and universities. This is a competitive award and is NOT a guaranteed scholarship. The Tuition Exchange website has valuable information on each member institution’s rules and level of competitiveness. Each school’s information should be closely reviewed for an understanding of their requirements. Information can be found in the Families > School Search section of the website.
• Merit criteria are different for each school. For more information regarding the criteria for a specific school contact the school directly.
• The tuition scholarship is covered for up to 4 years of undergraduate education, typically Fall and Spring semesters only.
• Tuition Exchange may not cover the entire cost of tuition.
•  The Tuition Exchange Scholarship covers up to a set rate of $42,000 for 2024-2025. For more details on the set rate amount please visit tuitionexchange.org and navigate to Families > Scholarship Award Process.

For more information, refer to the Faculty/Staff Benefits Manual and the Tuition Exchange website.

Enrollment process for first-time applicants only

• For freshmen or transfers, conduct a school search on the Tuition Exchange website to determine which schools participate in Tuition Exchange. 
• First-time applicants must complete the online application on the Tuition Exchange website (under Families > Online Application). If there is difficulty accessing the application, try a different browser (e.g. Firefox, Google Chrome).
• The application allows up to 10 schools. It must be submitted by November 1 of the preceding year.
• Upon submission of your application, the AU Benefits Team will receive a notification from the Tuition Exchange program and will certify your dependent child’s eligibility through the Tuition Exchange administrative site. The AU benefits team will review your child’s eligibility for benefits, typically within one week from the submission.
• You will receive an email from Tuition Exchange stating that your application has been submitted.
• All further communication and award status will come from the participating school.
• The participating institution will post the Tuition Exchange scholarship to your child’s student account.
• The tuition exchange application process is separate from the application for admission process.

If your application is denied due to ineligibility for the benefit, you will be contacted by the HR Benefits Team.

Cash Grants are grants of $725 per semester, $1,450 per academic year for the fall and spring semesters only, available to dependent children to faculty and staff hired before July 1, 1995, and employed continuously since in a full-time position.

Submit the application and tuition bill for EVERY semester, August 1 for fall and January 1 for spring

The online application for Dependent Child Educational Benefits must be completed and submitted for EVERY semester by August 1 for the fall semester and January 1 for the spring semester.

For more information, refer to the Faculty/Staff Benefits Manual and the Dependent Child Educational Benefits application.

Employee eligibility

Faculty and staff hired before July 1, 1995, and employed continuously since in a full-time position.

Enrollment process

• Your child applies and is enrolled in an accredited college or university in the US for full-time enrollment.
• You complete and submit the Dependent Child Educational Benefits application along with the tuition bill to HR for each semester by August 1 for the fall semester and January 1 for the spring semester for each semester of need.

If your application is denied, you will be contacted by the HR Benefits Team.