Reimbursement - SL, Study.com, CLEP, etc

[sburch1991]

Hello forum

Is it possible to receive some type of employer reimbursement for the "credit by exam" courses (SL, SDC, CLEP, etc)? Usually a grade/percentage is given and most employers give some type of tuition reimbursement if its a C grade or higher but some include "...from an accredited institution". Not sure if there is a way to get around that. If not "tuition reimbursement", could it be under another type of allowable reimbursement that anyone is aware of?

I also believe I read somewhere on the forum that the "credit by exam" classes can't be used as tax deductions, does that still hold true?

Any info would be extremely helpful.

Thanks!

[dfrecore]

It really depends on your employer's policy; they are all different.

My husband, for instance, can get reimbursed for exams like CLEP/DSST, and ones from a school (UExcel, TECEP, CSU-Global), and even college-credit bearing courses (think Ed4Credit, Propero, etc.). But he can't get reimbursed for membership fees (so no SL or Study.com for him).

Other companies won't pay for anything except courses at "an accredited institution."

The one thing you MAY want to try, is to submit a package to your manager/HR department asking for an exemption; show 1) the catalog page from the school saying they will accept ACE/NCCRS recommended courses; 2) a printout of each course you want to take from the ACE/NCCRS website; 3) the cost to take the exact same courses from your local 2-yr or 4-yr school; 4) a spreadsheet showing how much it would save the company. I know that many companies have policies but might be flexible if they were able to save money; it certainly can't hurt to try.

If the answer is no, then you can pay on your own; there are many ways to get courses inexpensively (CLEP through Modern States is still free; ALEKS is $20/mo; Saylor is $25/exam; SL regularly has coupons). You can also go to WGU, with one term starting this year, and your 2nd term starting next year (so July 1 and Jan 1 for instance). That will get around any maximums your company will pay per year.

And no, there are no other reimbursements you can get.

And, credit by exam can't be used as tax deductions, because you can only deduct courses/exams taken at accredited institutions. But, you might be able to deduct TECEP/CSU-Global/UExcel exams, since those are taken at RA schools.

Don't forget that this year, the tax situation is different; the standard deduction was raised from $6,350 to $12,000, and most people won't meet that by itemizing, so it won't matter anyway.

[zzzz24]

If they are accredited by ACE, isn't that good enough?

I was wondering about tuition reimbursement as well, claiming it on my taxes, although I am Canadian.

I assume I can claim the cornerstone course for 2018 from TESU, but wasn't sure about the alternative credits as well.

[davewill]

Another thing to consider is that many tuition reimbursement plans treat it like a loan that gets excused until you stay at the company for a period of time after the reimbursement, typically 2 years or so. Think about that seriously before deciding to take lots of expensive college courses just because they are being reimbursed. You might end up happier paying out of pocket for alternative credit and feeling free to leave whenever you like.

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If they are accredited by ACE, isn't that good enough?
...

As @dfrecore said, some employers might be flexible, others will follow the letter of their policy.

[dfrecore]

If they are accredited by ACE, isn't that good enough?

No courses are "accredited" by ACE, they are just ACE-approved.  ACE is not an accrediting body, and single courses can't be accredited.  Only schools can be accredited (or programs within a school, but that's not what tuition reimbursement programs are talking about).

[cookderosa]

Currently, you can get 100% of your CLEP or AP exams AND testing center fees paid in full as long as you complete a free Modern States prep course. As such, even if you do have this type of benefit, save it for an exam that isn't already available for free like DSST or TECEP.