Fee Waiver & Reduction Program

CSU Fee Waiver eligibility criteria for represented and non-represented employee categories are summarized below:

 Fees waived or reduced under the CSU Fee Waiver Program vary for represented and non-represented employee categories and are based on collective bargaining agreements for represented employees and policy for non-represented employees.

• Employee fees that are waived.

* May be fully waived for a maximum of two (2) courses or six (6) units, whichever is greater per term. This includes Tuition Fee charged during the state-supported summer term.

Fee waiver applies to CSU state-supported (general fund) courses only, including state-supported courses that are offered through summer term (i.e., Summer Arts). Courses in self-support (i.e., Continuing and Global Education, Extended Education) programs may not be taken through the CSU Fee Waiver program. In addition, fees for joint doctoral programs that are paid directly to the “partner” university cannot be waived under the CSU Fee Waiver Program. 

Unit Limitation: All eligible non-represented and represented employees may enroll in a maximum of two (2) courses or six (6) units, whichever is greater, per term, excluding the CSU Doctoral Programs.

Doctoral Program: A flat amount is waived which is equivalent of the Part-Time Graduate Tuition Fee for CSU Doctoral Programs in Educational Leadership, Nursing and Physical Therapy. Units for the Doctoral programs are determined independently based on program course offerings. Employees taking courses in addition to the fee waiver courses shall pay any difference in fees.

California Residency Requirement - The fee waiver applies only to certain fees incurred by California residents. Thus, employees who do not meet established in-state residency requirements (and who do not qualify for classification as residents in accord with the provisions of Title 5, Section 41910, California Code of Regulations; see Appendix A) will be responsible for paying non-resident tuition charges based upon the total number of units in which they are enrolled.

Use of state time for class attendance - Permission may be granted for an employee to use a reasonable amount of release time from work to enroll in one (1) on-campus job related or Career Development course per semester providing that the operational needs of the department are met as determined by the appropriate administrator. Faculty enrollments shall not conflict with scheduled classes or scheduled office hours

Fee waiver approval is for one semester only and must be reestablished for each semester of enrollment.

Eligible faculty or staff members may transfer their fee waiver benefit to a spouse, dependent child (within applicable age limits) or Registered domestic partner. A domestic partner is eligible for the fee waiver benefit if the domestic partnership is registered through the Secretary of States designation process. For more information, visit the Domestic Partners Registry web site.

The Dependent must be matriculated toward a degree or a teaching credential program at any of the (23) California State University campuses and the courses must be for credit toward completion of the designated degree or teaching credential. The Dependent is subject to the same academic standards that pertain to all students and is responsible for meeting all enrollment and registration requirements and deadlines.

Fee waiver approval is for one semester only and must be reestablished for each semester of enrollment.

The fee waiver benefit may be transferred to only one person at a time, regardless of whether that individual uses the full entitlement of 2 courses or 6 units. Dependents taking courses in addition to the fee waiver courses shall pay the difference in fees.

If both parents are employees eligible to transfer their fee waiver benefit to a dependent child, each employee may transfer the benefit. Therefore, it is possible for one child to receive both benefits and be eligible for a full tuition waiver, on a fee waiver basis. Alternately, each employee could transfer his or her benefit to a different child, and each child would be entitled to up to 2 courses or 6 units of fee waiver eligibility. Dependents taking courses in addition to the fee waiver courses shall pay the difference in fees. Please note: the full State University Fee (Tuition Fee) is waived if a dependent takes two courses that exceed 6.0 units.

A dependent child for all units including Statewide University Police Association (SUPA) is defined as:

• Your child or stepchild under age 25, who has never been married.
• A child living with you in a parent-child relationship, who is economically dependent upon you; under age 25, and has never been married.
• * Your child or stepchild age 25, or above, who is incapable of self-support due to a disability which existed prior to age 25.
  * Determined by your Collective Bargaining Agreement and health benefit eligibility

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Ineligibility

Dependent Fee Waiver will be denied based on the following:

-        Student has Academic Standing of ‘Probation’ or ‘Disqualification’- please refer to the Academic Standing section  

-        Is no longer registered in courses at the CSU

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Please note: There are occasions where the dependent turns age 23 or 25 (depending on employee category) during the semester while they are enrolled in courses. When this occurs, it is acceptable for campuses to allow the dependent(s) to complete the semester. Fee Waiver benefits are not pro-rated. However, any future courses taken, once the age threshold has been met, would be ineligible for the Fee Waiver Program. 

Fees waived or reduced under the CSU Fee Waiver Program vary for dependents of represented and non-represented employee categories and are based on CBA for represented employees and Policy for non-represented employees.

The Dependent must be matriculated toward a degree or a teaching credential program at any of the (23) California State University campuses and the courses must be for credit toward completion of the designated degree or teaching credential. 

Fee waiver approval is for one semester only and must be reestablished for each semester of enrollment.

Fee waiver applies to CSU state-supported (general fund) courses only, including state-supported courses that are offered through summer term (i.e., Summer Arts). Courses in self-support (i.e., Continuing and Global Education, Extended Education) programs may not be taken through the CSU Fee Waiver program. In addition, fees for joint doctoral programs that are paid directly to the “partner” university cannot be waived under the CSU Fee Waiver Program.

The fee waiver benefit may be transferred to only one person at a time, regardless of whether that individual uses the full entitlement of 2 courses or 6 units. Dependents taking courses in addition to the fee waiver courses shall pay the difference in fees.

Dependent Fees that are waived. 

California Residency Requirement - The dependent fee waiver applies only to certain fees incurred by California residents. Thus, spouses, registered domestic partners and dependent children who do not meet established in-state residency requirements (and who do not qualify for classification as residents in accord with the provisions of Title 5, Section 41910, California Code of Regulations; see Appendix A) will be responsible for paying non-resident tuition charges based upon the total number of units in which they are enrolled.

 

Eligible employees may participate in the Fee Waiver Program in one of two ways:

1. Work Related which requires that courses be taken for the purpose of:
   • Improving the level of skill needed to perform existing duties and responsibilities, or
   • Acquiring additional skills needed to perform newly assigned duties and responsibilities
   • Work Related students are:
   • Not subject to the normal academic evaluation process for acceptance by the Admissions Office.
   • Unable to declare a major, nor can a degree be conferred
   • Required to remain in Good Academic Standing
   • Required to submit a new Admission Data Form to the Admissions Office each semester. This form is also used to waive the CSU Admission Application Fee ($70) for employees. Human Resources written approval is required on this form prior to submitting to the Admissions Office.
2. Career Development which requires that courses be taken for the purpose of:
   • Matriculate towards a degree or advancing their academic degree
   • Enhancing the employee s career in the CSU system

Employee s pursuing this option need to complete a Career Development Plan (CDP). The course of study for a CDP will be established by the employee and an appropriate advisor of choice and shall be subject to approval by the appropriate administrator. Once the CDP is on file, the employee does not need to submit with subsequent waiver applications. The CDP shall be updated periodically, including whenever there is a change in degree program or objective or the employee has not attended courses in over one academic year.

Career Development Fee Waiver Participants are:

• Considered students of the University and must satisfy the entrance requirements of the University
• Required to remain in Good Academic Standing
• On a degree track

Both work related and career development courses must be taken for credit and auditing of classes is not permitted.

The employee is responsible for meeting all University enrollment and registration requirements and deadlines.

1.  Complete and sign the Faculty and Staff Fee Waiver Application.
   
   
2. Obtain signatures from your Supervisor/ Manager is Section IV on the application. The Dean/ Department Head approval is also required.
   
   
3. Attach a copy of the class schedule confirming enrollment and the number of units per course is required at the time of submission. Without this attachment the application will not be processed.
   
   
4. Submit the application and attachments to Human Resources. Fee Waiver Applications are available on the Human Resources website under forms and can be submitted via AdobeSign with attachments.   

1. Complete and sign the Dependent Fee Waiver Application.
   
   
2. Attach a copy of the students CSU Fresno course schedule. A copy of the class schedule confirming enrollment and the number of units per course is required at the time of submission. Without this attachment the application will not be processed.
    
3. If submitting a dependent Fee Waiver and your dependent is not currently on your CSU Fresno medical/dental plan, proof of relationship documents (i.e birth or marriage certificate) must be submitted along with the Fee Waiver.
   
   
4. Submit the application and attachments to Human Resources. Fee Waiver Applications are available on the Human Resources website under forms and can be submitted via AdobeSign with attachments.   

Reimbursement of the CSU Application Fee ($70) may be refunded one time only.

• Beginning with enrollment for the Spring 2018 semester, please contact Admissions Office at 559-278-2261 (Undergrad Admission) or 559-278-4073 (Grad Admission). 
• For prior semesters, please contact Student Accounts at 559-278-2876 for questions regarding refunds
• For more information, please visit the Accounting Services website.

 Students participating in the fee waiver program must be in good academic standing.

To continue participation in this program, a Good standing must be maintained each semester. Academic standings will be reviewed at the end of each semester to determine the student s eligibility to participate in the subsequent semester. Good Academic Standing requires the student not to be on Probation, Disqualification, Contract status or Administrative Approved Academic Probation.

PLEASE NOTE: Both the campus GPA and the total GPA must be at 2.00 or above to be in Good Standing.

For additional information on academic standing please contact Student Records (University Registrar) at 278-2245.

The Fee Waiver program is a fringe benefit and as such has strict reporting requirements established by the Internal Revenue Service [Internal Revenue Code Sections 117(d) and 127] and the State of California Controller's Office. The reporting requirements state that the fringe benefit must be taxed in the calendar year that the benefit was received.

Taxable and Non-Taxable

Undergraduate fees for employees and eligible dependents are nontaxable.

Graduate/Doctorate fees for employees are nontaxable if expenses do not exceed $5,250 (in a calendar year) pursuant to IRC 117(d) and 127. 

Graduate/Doctorate fees for eligible dependents are taxable pursuant to IRC 117(d).

The table below summarizes taxable and non-taxable courses.

Imputed income related to participation in the CSU Fee Waiver & Reduction Program, as outlined above, is subject to specific tax rates as follows:

Currently, the flat tax rate is 36.25% composed of:

• 22% Federal Tax (Mandatory) * Subject to Change
• 6.6% State Tax (Mandatory)
• 6.2% Social Security Tax (If the employee is subject to this tax on normal wages)
• 1.45% Medicare Tax (If the employee is subject to this tax on normal wages)

The flat tax calculation of the taxed portion of fee waiver benefit is as follows:

Value of Fee Waiver (above) × Flat Tax Rate = Flat Tax Amount Deducted from Employee Pay Warrant

The imputed income is reported to the State Controller's Office once each term. The reporting is done after census for the term, so there is no adverse tax reporting on imputed when an employee or an employee's dependent drops courses. You will receive a letter if you are subject to imputed taxes. A tax consultant or financial advisor should be consulted for specific tax-related guidance. 

 All courses reported on the fee waiver application for employees or dependents taking courses at Fresno State will be verified after the 4th week of the semester. It is the responsibility of the employee or dependent to report any course changes to Human Resources.

Graduate/ Doctorate Students
If courses have been changed are not a part of your assigned curriculum, our office will contact you to provide course justification. Lack of justification may result in the removal of the fee waiver benefit. 

• The student can view their student account at my.csufresno.edu. The student is responsible for making the required co-payment by the deadline stated on their account.

  All fees should be paid directly to the cashier in the Joyal Administration Building. If there are any questions regarding E-Pay or other payment options, please contact Student Accounts at 559-278-2876.

  Applications received after the announced deadline may delay the processing of the fee waiver. To avoid being dropped from courses, employee/dependents should pay all fees associated with the classes they are taking by the payment deadline date.

 

Guidelines for administering the Employee Fee Waiver Program can be found in:

CSU, Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA):

• Unit 1 (Physicians) - Article 23
• Unit 2, 5,7 and 9 (CSUEU) Article 22
• Unit 3 ( Faculty) - Article 26
• Unit 4 (Academic Professionals) - Article 16
• Unit 6 (Skilled Trades) - Article 27
• Unit 8 (University Police) - Article 20