Help me design my company's new tuition reimbursement program!

[Nodaclu]

Hi all,

A few months back, I took a position as a Senior Benefits Analyst for one of the largest non-profit hospital systems in the U.S., and last week, I was given an amazing opportunity.

I've been tasked with creating a new tuition reimbursement program for the entire organization's 22,000 employees!

I've waited a lifetime to have the opportunity to create something that could positively impact so many people, and I want to do everything in my power to get this right.

The only stipulation that has been put on me by my Director, is that the ceiling on reimbursement will be the IRS Section 127 max of $5,250 per year. While that's a tiny bit of a bummer, I'm confident in how much I can offer employee's within that limitation.

As much as I've learned here over the years, I know that's there are still a ton of things I don't know - things that many of you out there will know very well.

So if you have any of the following that you can share:

1. Ideas as to how to design a tuition reimbursement program from the ground up
   
2. Specific items that would present an amazing deal/opportunity for employees
   
3. Or anything else that you yourself as an employee would like to see your employer offer you
   

Please consider this an open thread to put ideas out there to share, discuss or both! I really want to create a program that is the envy of our region, of other hospital chains in the area, and of non-profits in general.

Please help me create something amazing!!

Thanks in advance.

-Mike

[MNomadic]

I don't know anything about HR/benefits but have a few thoughts:
I've noticed a lot of companies are partnerring with the guild to outsource/streamline their company's education benefits. This seems like it may be a more manageable way for you to go instead of building the whole thing from scratch. It also appears more user friendly for the employees/students. Walmart, Chipotle, and others use that system.

https://www.guildeducation.com

Setting up partnerships with alt credit providers and also with colleges that accept alt credits is a great way to get discounts on those already comparatively cheap options to make your $5250/year do the most good.

[eriehiker]

I was just about to post that link.  As wonderful as it might be to design a program from the ground up, if a company is doing it already and doing it efficiently, maybe just don't reinvent the wheel and contract with them.  Also, I would build in an alternative reimbursement program for people who want to do the alternative credit thing.

---

Also, if your system has union-affiliated employees, they can earn their degrees for free via this program:

https://www.unionplus.org/benefits/educa...ee-college

This would be a partnership with the unions in your workplace, but it would be FANTASTIC if a partnership could be built so that the unions take care of the last dollar scholarships and the employer takes care of other costs.

[sanantone]

College for America will be the cheapest partnership. The current degree options are limited, but relevant to healthcare. The next cheapest option would be WGU.

[Nodaclu]

Thank you all for the ideas so far. You've already given me options that I wouldn't have otherwise known about. Please keep them coming!

[dfrecore]

Whatever you do, do NOT limit this to a single school like many others have done. It just really limits the program, in a way that is not good.

BTW - the $5,250 amount is VERY common, every company I've ever worked for, and every company that my husband has worked for, that had a tuition reimbursement policy had that as the limit. And it's been that amount for a couple of decades, unfortunately.

My husband's last company allowed him to get "college credit" and did not limit it to colleges per se, but did say that they would not pay a membership fee (so SL and Study.com were out). It seems silly to me to limit inexpensive credit that way, when they would have ended up paying MORE by him going through PF, Ed4Credit, etc. So don't put that in there if you can help it.

BTW - Study.com and SL, lots of companies have this, so by making your plans based on a monthly membership fee, you limit how many people can use your plans. Just an FYI.

[cookderosa]

Hi all,

A few months back, I took a position as a Senior Benefits Analyst for one of the largest non-profit hospital systems in the U.S., and last week, I was given an amazing opportunity.

I've been tasked with creating a new tuition reimbursement program for the entire organization's 22,000 employees!

I've waited a lifetime to have the opportunity to create something that could positively impact so many people, and I want to do everything in my power to get this right.

The only stipulation that has been put on me by my Director, is that the ceiling on reimbursement will be the IRS Section 127 max of $5,250 per year. While that's a tiny bit of a bummer, I'm confident in how much I can offer employee's within that limitation.

As much as I've learned here over the years, I know that's there are still a ton of things I don't know - things that many of you out there will know very well.

So if you have any of the following that you can share:

1. Ideas as to how to design a tuition reimbursement program from the ground up
   
2. Specific items that would present an amazing deal/opportunity for employees
   
3. Or anything else that you yourself as an employee would like to see your employer offer you
   

Please consider this an open thread to put ideas out there to share, discuss or both! I really want to create a program that is the envy of our region, of other hospital chains in the area, and of non-profits in general.

Please help me create something amazing!!

Thanks in advance.

-Mike

Congratulations!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!
That is awesome, and you will certainly open opportunities for so many people.
We've used tuition reimbursement in our family to pay for 2 degrees (both for hubby). The first time was through a medium sized business he worked for and this last time through a large university he currently works for.

I think that I'll let you hammer out the logistics, but in general, my husband was excluded from using credit by exam or other forms of non-college education (like ACE)- I don't know if that was because of an IRS code or just a policy of the company, but if that's an option, I think it would be a good one!

[Johmford]

We have a good one here at the bank I work at.

What specific details do you need?

[hsfamfun]

I began graduate school using tuition reimbursement through my employer years ago and a close friend of mine got her Bachelors over 6 or 7 years via the same program. You can help change people's lives. Good Luck!

[dfrecore]

I think that I'll let you hammer out the logistics, but in general, my husband was excluded from using credit by exam or other forms of non-college education (like ACE)- I don't know if that was because of an IRS code or just a policy of the company, but if that's an option, I think it would be a good one!

It is not an IRS code that you can't pay for ACE, just company policy.