Reduced Tuition Program for Dependent Children

ELIGIBILITY

Biological/adopted children, and legally dependent stepchildren under age 25 of regular employees and official NMSU retirees who are New Mexico residents, are eligible to participate for ten regular semesters and summer sessions combined on the main campus or 5 semesters and summer sessions combined in a branch campus community college.

RATES

This program includes a special tuition rate, which is one-half of the normal tuition. The normal 2008/2009 full time semester rate for the Las Cruces branch consists of $1,770.00 tuition and $609.00 fees for a total of $2,379.00. Therefore, this program includes $885.00 in tuition plus $304.56 fees for a total of $1,189.56. This results in a savings of $1,189.44 per semester or $2,378.88 for the full academic year. A student enrolled in more than 18 credit hours will be charged the normal overload rate of $198.25 per hour for any credits over 18.

This program is a special tuition and fee rate, which is 50% of tuition and 50% of fees. The rates for 2008/2009 per credit are:

Campus	Tuition (50%)	Fees (50%)	Total Per Credit
Alamogordo	$29.00	$ 1.00	$30.00
Carlsbad	$16.50	$ 1.50	$18.00
Dona Ana	$21.50	$ 3.50	$25.00
Grants	$26.50	$ 1.00	$27.50
Las Cruces	$73.75	$25.38	$99.13

ENROLLMENT

Employee completes and signs a Certificate of Dependency form and returns the form to the Benefit Services department (MSC 3HRS, Hadley Hall room 14). In order to assure that an eligibility code is entered on the student’s record prior to registration, the Certificate of Dependency from should be retuned to the Benefit Services department no later than the Thursday before classes begin for the session you are applying for the reduced tuition benefit. If the form is not returned by the dates listed above, the registration process may be delayed and the student may be inconvenienced by having to repeat certain steps in the registration process. It is recommended that the form be submitted well in advance of student’s registration and payment. The form should be completed for each session the benefit will be utilized.

STUDENT STATUS

Students must be enrolled in undergraduate courses (eligible for undergraduate tuition) on the main campus or any one of the branch campus community colleges. Courses eligible for a grade will be counted, audited courses and challenged credit will be excluded. If a student is enrolled at both the main campus and a branch campus community college the tuition will be pro-rated.

Student status will be verified as part of the registration and payment process. The student’s status and the employee’s employment status on the NMSU Census Date (third Friday of the semester or last day to add or register for summer session courses) will determine eligibility. A student who drops courses before the Census Date will no longer be eligible and the charges will be recalculated. The same will apply if the employee’s status changes before the Census Date. Students who turn the age of 25 before the census date will not be eligible for this benefit.

FINANCIAL AID

Financial Aid Office will be informed of a student’s participation in this program. A reduction of the student’s financial aid package may result form the reduced tuition. Information on the possible affect of this program on the student’s financial package should be obtained from the student’s Financial Aid Advisor.

TAXATION

It has been determined that this benefit under the pilot program will not be taxable to the employee at the present time.