Retiree Tuition Discount

Educational privileges are available to full-time faculty, staff, technical service employees, retirees, and those with Emeritus status, their spouse, and dependent children up to the age of 26. The grant-in-aid benefit is a 75% discount on the tuition charge and applies to World Campus, Penn State resident instruction at all campuses, and Pennsylvania College of Technology. More Tuition Discount information is available regarding how the discount will be applied. Please see University policies HR36 and HR37 for additional information. Tuition discount will NOT be approved retro-actively to prior semesters.

If you have not already completed the dependent verification program within Workday, you will be required to do so in order to maintain the dependent tuition discount. For more details about the dependent verification program please refer to Eligibility and Dependent Information. Dependents who do not successfully complete the verification will have the tuition discount removed from their accounts and will be responsible for the entire tuition amount.

Exclusions

Educational privileges DO NOT apply to courses offered through:

  • The College of Medicine, Medical School Program and Physician's Assistant Program, at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
  • The Smeal College of Business Administration Executive MBA Program
  • The Smeal College of Business Executive Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA)
  • The Dickinson School of Law and Penn State Law
  • Summer camps or workshops operated by the University unless University credit is given and regular tuition is charged

Spouse

A spouse, except one receiving educational assistance from the University, such as a graduate assistantship, is eligible for the grant-in-aid for any semester or summer session in which classes begin on or after the employee's date of full-time employment. There is no limitation on the number of credits that may be taken. All levels of degrees may be earned. Tuition discounts on Graduate level classes for a spouse are a taxable benefit. For more information regarding taxation on Graduate-level courses for a spouse, please visit the controller's office FAQ.

Dependent Children

Eligible dependent children are eligible for any semester or summer session in which classes begin on or after the employee's date of full-time employment. The grant-in-aid applies only toward undergraduate credits only until a Penn State bachelor's degree is attained. The discount does not apply toward Master's level class or higher. Undergraduate classes for dependent children are not a taxable benefit.

Procedure

For eligible spouses and dependent children attending World Campus, University Park, or a campus location the tuition discount will process through our automated process.

  • Your dependent(s)' Social Security Number must be listed in Workday and their student account at accounts.psu.edu, as this is a required field for the automated process to flow smoothly and assure that your tuition bill in LionPath is accurately calculated. If you need to verify the SSN listed for your dependent, please contact HR Services at 814-865-1473.
  • If you believe that the tuition discount was applied incorrectly or not applied to your spouse's or child's LionPath tuition bill, please contact HR Services at 814-865-1473.
  • Eligible spouses and dependent children up to the age of 26 are eligible to receive a tuition discount of 75% of the Pennsylvania in-state tuition cost, as outlined in Policy HR37.
  • Paper application forms are still needed for Pennsylvania College of Technology dependent tuition discount requests. Please complete the application once each academic year by choosing all applicable academic year semesters and submit to Employee Benefits as instructed on the form.

Please direct any questions regarding the new tuition discount process and Policy HR37 to HR Services at 814-865-1473.