Employee Tuition Remission

Drexel offers employees, as well as their dependent children and spouses, tuition remission for coursework taken at the University. Eligibility and the application process for tuition remission benefits, policy guidelines, tax liabilities for graduate remission, and other important information is available via the following Human Resources policies:

• Employee Remission: HR-22
• Dependent and Spouse Remission: HR-23

The information below refers to how receiving tuition remission may affect institutional grant and scholarship eligibility.

Employee Tuition Remission and Financial Aid Eligibility

As stated in HR-22, full-time employees may not be enrolled in full-time (12 credits a term for undergraduate, 9 credits a term for graduate) coursework while they are full-time employees of the University. This enrollment restriction makes employees receiving remission ineligible for any Drexel scholarships or grants at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Employees can be considered for federal and state financial aid if they submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and complete any additional requirements indicated by the Office of Financial Aid.

Please note: The combination of tuition remission and federal/state financial aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance determined by the Office of Financial Aid. 

The following federal and state financial aid awards are eligible to be combined with employee tuition remission benefits:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
• Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans
• PA State Grant

Each of the awards has additional eligibility requirements that employees should review.

Dependent and Spouse Tuition Remission and Financial Aid Eligibility

Dependent children and spouses of employees who are enrolling in full-time, undergraduate programs (either as first-year or transfer students) are eligible to be considered for Drexel merit scholarships and need-based grants prior to the determination of eligibility for tuition remission. Consideration for these awards is based on academic achievement for scholarships, and financial need as determined by the CSS Profile for grants. Prospective students should follow the application instructions listed on the Prospective Student Financial Page.

Tuition remission eligibility will be determined by Human Resources after the February 1 tuition remission application deadline. Once the Office of Financial Aid has been advised by Human Resources of the amount of tuition remission the student can receive, a determination will be made as to what funding can be maintained:

• If the student is eligible for more tuition remission than any combination of Drexel scholarships and grants, the student will only receive their tuition remission (they may still be eligible for federal and state aid provided they have completed a FAFSA).
• If the student is eligible for more Drexel scholarships and grants than tuition remission, they will receive all of their tuition remission and a reduced amount of scholarships/grants; the combination of both awards will equal the total amount in scholarships and grants they were initially deemed eligible for (they may still be eligible for federal and state aid provided they have completed a FAFSA).

Please see below for examples of each:

Scenario 1 – Eligible for More Tuition Remission

The employee's dependent child is initially determined to be eligible for the following Drexel awards:

Initial Scholarship Eligibility: $10,000
Initial Grant Eligibility: $5,000
Total Drexel Aid Eligibility: $15,000

The employee's dependent child is then determined to be eligible for the following amount of Tuition Remission:

Initial Remission Eligibility: $50,000

Because the dependent child is determined to be eligible for more tuition remission than Drexel aid, they will receive the following in their financial aid package:

Tuition Remission: $50,000
Any Federal/State Aid they were eligible for (provided they filed a FAFSA)*

*Please note: The combination of tuition remission and federal/state financial aid cannot exceed the student's cost of attendance.

Scenario 2 – Eligible for More Drexel Aid Than Tuition Remission

The employee's dependent child is initially determined to be eligible for the following Drexel awards:

Initial Scholarship Eligibility: $25,000
Initial Grant Eligibility: $30,000
Total Drexel Aid Eligibility: $55,000

The employee's dependent child is then determined to be eligible for the following amount of tuition remission:

Initial Remission Eligibility: $50,000

Because the dependent child is determined to be eligible for more Drexel aid than tuition remission, they will receive in their financial aid package their full tuition remission benefit and their Drexel aid for the difference between their remission and their total Drexel aid eligibility:

Tuition Remission: $50,000
Drexel Aid: $5,000
Total Remission Combined with Drexel Aid: $55,000
Any Federal/State Aid they were eligible for (provided they filed a FAFSA)*

*Please note: The combination of tuition remission, Drexel aid, and federal/state financial aid cannot exceed the student's cost of attendance.