Educational Assistance

 

Faculty & Staff Tuition Wavier

North Carolina General Statute section 116-143 and Administrative Memorandum’s #92 and #401 authorize the Board of Governors to provide a waiver of tuition and fees for faculty and staff under certain conditions.  The UNC System Board of Governors, Policies and Procedures, Section 1000.2.2, has adopted regulations to implement the waiving of tuition and fees for qualified faculty and staff.

Eligibility:

Any permanent SHRA, CSS, DMSS, or EHRA employee working 30 or more hours per week is eligible for this waiver.  Employees seeking enrollment must be academically eligible for the course and must maintain employee status for the duration of the course. Otherwise, the employee is responsible for payment of all applicable tuition and fees. The payment requirement shall not apply to an employee who is eligible under this policy at the time of enrollment in a course and is later reduced in force (SHRA) or separated for budgetary reasons (EHRA) prior to completion of the course. This exception does not apply to the end of a time-limited or term position. Tuition/Fee Waivers will be granted based on space availability in the course.

Courses Covered:

An eligible employee is allowed to take a total of three credit-bearing classes each academic year (fall, spring, summer I, 11 week, and summer II) without being charged tuition and required fees (university fees, educational, technical fees, and health service fees.) If additional courses are taken, the student will be charged for additional courses at the appropriate level of block hour billing.  Remedial math classes are taught on a contractual basis between ECU and Pitt Community College; therefore, the special fee for these classes is not subject to the waiver.  Study Abroad programs are excluded from waiver eligibility.

Course Scheduling:

An eligible employee utilizing a faculty & staff tuition and fee waiver should make every effort to enroll in courses offered during non-business work hours. If a course is taken during business/working hours, employees will be required to use annual leave or adjust their work schedule. The Department Head shall bear responsibility for ensuring that the employee completes the full schedule of work encompassed by his/her normal employment obligations.  SHRA, CSS, and DMSS employees must complete the section of the waiver form concerning work and class schedules and obtain their Department Head’s signature on the waiver form.

Completing and Submitting a Waiver Form:

An ECU employee must request a Faculty & Staff Tuition Waiver online. The online process can be accessed in the employee portal in Banner Self Service through ECU Pirate Port.  After the electronic approval process has been completed, the waiver request will be submitted electronically through Banner Self Service to ECU Cashier’s Office. ECU employees that are requesting a faculty & staff waiver for another UNC Institution must request manager approval of the waiver online through ECU Pirate Port as indicated above.  Once approved, the employee must contact the UNC Institution for their submission requirements.

Deadline for Submitting a Waiver: 

All fully completed waivers must be received on or before 5:00 p.m. on the published “last day for registration and schedule changes” per the University’s academic calendar. No waivers will be considered after this date.

 

Faculty & Staff Textbook Loan Program

The Textbook Loan Program allows eligible ECU employees to apply to borrow required textbooks from Dowdy Student Stores for classes taken at ECU for themselves or eligible family members. In order to participate in the program, specific criteria must be met and a Textbook Loan Application Form completed.  To enroll in the program, please follow these steps:

  1. Email the Dowdy Student Store from your ECU email address at SM8397@bncollege.com and request to do the textbook loan program as an employee.
  2. The store will email back a form that needs to be filled out. The email will also have the rules and requirements associated with the Textbook Loan Program.
  3. The employee will be emailed back when their account for the loan program is set up. Once they receive this email they can come into the store and pick up their books they want to loan at the Main Campus Bookstore.

Only books can be loaned in this program. No access codes, books with access codes as a bundle, or any digital books.

For more information on this program, please reach out to the Dowdy Student Store at sm8397@BNCollege.com.

 

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

If you’re employed by a government or not-for-profit organization, you might be eligible for the PSLF Program. The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans

  • after you’ve made the equivalent of 120 qualifying monthly payments under an accepted repayment plan, and
  • while working full-time for an eligible employer.

Eligibility for PSLF

Visit http://StudentAid.gov/publicservice for eligibility information and updates on the PSLF program.

To complete your PSLF form online

  1. To apply visit https://StudentAid.gov/PSLF
  2. To prepare your form you will need to enter the following information and complete all sections
    • Employer Name: East Carolina University
    • Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN): 566000403
  3. Email your form to pslf@ecu.edu to get your employment certified. The form will be electronically submitted.

To complete your manual PSLF form

  1. Print a blank pdf of the PSLF form by visiting https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/public-service-application-for-forgiveness.pdf
  2. To prepare your form you will need to enter the following information and complete all sections:
    • Employer Name: East Carolina University
    • Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN): 566000403
    • NOTE: Please do not send the manual PSLF form via email with your social security number.
      1. You can get the form completed by email, fax, in person, or mail the form in to get your employment certified.
        • Email – Send the PSLF form as an email attachment to pslf@ecu.edu
          • NOTE: Please do not send the manual PSLF form via email with your social security number.
        • Fax – Fax the PSLF form to 252-328-9918 (ATTN: Employment)
        • In person – Bring the PSLF form to 210 East First Street Building 127 Greenville, NC 27858; contact Katrina Smith at smithkatr22@ecu.edu or Kiana Price at pricek@ecu.edu
        • Mail – Mail the form to (ATTN: Dept of Human Resources 210 East First St. Greenville, NC 27858).
      2. Submit the certified PSLF form you receive from HR Employment Services to the US Department of Education; submission instructions and options are located on the form.