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Senior Citizen Tuition Waiver |
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Recently, the University of Alaska Board of Regents approved a modification of its policy concerning the Senior Citizen Tuition Waiver (SCTW). Although the change raises the eligibility age, it also grandfathers in those Alaska residents who were age 60 or older and were qualified Alaska residents as of September 21, 2005. This was done to minimize the impact on those students who were eligible under the old policy, while reducing the overall cost of the benefit to the University.
1) What is the UA Senior Citizen Tuition Waiver (SCTW)? 2) What changes were made to the program at the University of Alaska BOR meeting in September 2005? 3) What are the eligibility requirements for the Senior Citizen Tuition Waiver? 4) What is the effective date on which SCTW eligibility is based? 5) When can I register for a course using the SCTW? 6) Who was the SCTW originally created for? 7) Are the policies and practices the same for all UA campuses with regard to the SCTW? 8) When can a student present the SCTW for a course they are enrolled in? 9) How does a student prove Alaska residency? 10) How does a student prove their age? 11) Can the waiver be used at all UA campuses? 12) Is there a limit to the number of credits waived under the SCTW? 13) Is there a limit to the number of times the same course is taken using the SCTW? 14) Can a student be a degree seeking candidate under the SCTW? 15) Can a student receive a letter grade for a course paid for with the SCTW? 16) Can a student audit a course using the SCTW? 17) Will the course grade be on the student’s transcript? 18) Are their additional fees that a student using the SCTW is responsible for? 19) Can the SCTW be applied to distance education course tuition? 20) Can a student choose to pay for courses instead of using the SCTW? 21) Can a student pay for some credits and use the SCTW for other credits in the same term? 22) Can the SCTW be used for graduate level courses? 23) What happens if a student registers early (before the first day the class meets)? 24) Will the University of Alaska allow a student using the SCTW to register before the 1st day of class? 25) Are senior citizens eligible for federal or state financial aid? 26) Should Senior citizens who plan to use the SCTW identify themselves prior to the registration process at the University of Alaska? 27) Are there a limited number of seats available (in each class) for students using the SCTW? 28) How will the determination be made that a course has been ‘made’ and is eligible for accepting students using the SCTW? 29) What form do I need to fill out to use the SCTW? 1) What is the UA Senior Citizen Tuition Waiver (SCTW)? A Board of Regents’ (BOR) policy that waives regular tuition for Alaska residents at the age of full Social Security retirement benefits who register on the first day the class meets on a space available basis when courses can accommodate such students in addition to other enrolled students. 2) What changes were made to the program at the University of Alaska BOR meeting in September 2005? The age requirement was changed from age 60 to the age of full Social Security retirement benefits. If you have questions regarding your benefit retirement age, please contact the Social Security Administration: www.ssa.gov or at the toll-free number 1-800-772-1213, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday – Friday. Recorded information and services are available 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays. 3) What are the eligibility requirements for the Senior Citizen Tuition Waiver? 4) What is the effective date on which SCTW eligibility is based? The student must meet both age and residency requirements by one of the following dates in order to use the SCTW: January 1 for Spring Semester; May 1 for Summer Semester; or September 1 for Fall Semester. Example: If a student meets the age and residency requirements prior to or by January 1, they are eligible to use the SCTW for spring term that starts in January. 5) When can I register for a course using the SCTW? On the first day the class meets. Early registration is not permitted for students wishing to use the SCTW. Students electing to pay tuition (those not using the SCTW) will be allowed to register in accordance with campus policies governing registration (link to campus web sites from www.alaska.edu for more information). Senior citizens may elect to register early; however, they must pay full tuition and fees (use of senior citizen tuition waiver will not be accepted). Senior citizens electing to register and pay full tuition are subject to all payment deadlines. Refunds will NOT be available to senior citizens who drop courses and then re-register into the same courses using a tuition waiver during late registration. Enrollment and contact information for each campus of the University of Alaska can be found at www.alaska.edu. 6) Who was the SCTW originally created for? Alaska residents; 60 years of age or older. 7) Are the policies and practices the same for all UA campuses with regard to the SCTW? Policies governing the SCTW are uniform across the UA system. Where practical the same processes will be employed when serving students using the SCTW. 8) When can a student present the SCTW for a course they are enrolled in? On the first day the class meets but before the payment deadline (current process). 9) How does a student prove Alaska residency? Verification of PFD Alaska State ID (free of charge to residents 60 or older) (Residency defined here as having lived in the state for the previous 12 months prior to enrollment). 10) How does a student prove their age? Alaska State ID (free of charge to residents 60 or older) or Alaska Drivers License or Passport or other Federal or State identification indicating date or birth 11) Can the waiver be used at all UA campuses? Yes 12) Is there a limit to the number of credits waived under the SCTW? No, there are no limits to the number of credits per term or overall that the SCTW can be applied toward (current policy). 13) Is there a limit to the number of times the same course is taken using the SCTW? No Tracking and enforcement of this policy would place an overwhelming burden on the registration staff at the campuses. Currently all UA students are allowed to repeat course work as needed. Imposing this regulation on a sub-set of the student population would be nearly impossible. 14) Can a student be a degree seeking candidate under the SCTW? Yes 15) Can a student receive a letter grade for a course paid for with the SCTW? Yes 16) Can a student audit a course using the SCTW? Yes, but the student must wait until the first day the class meets to register. 17) Will the course grade be on the student’s transcript? Yes 18) Are their additional fees that a student using the SCTW is responsible for? Yes, typically these are fees are assessed for all students enrolling, regardless if paying by tuition waiver or cash. 19) Can the SCTW be applied to distance education course tuition? Yes 20) Can a student choose to pay for courses instead of using the SCTW? Yes, they can register during the registration period and not have to wait until the first day the class meets. 21) Can a student pay for some credits and use the SCTW for other credits in the same term? Yes, the student may register for classes they plan to pay for but must not register for classes they want you use the SCTW until the first day the class meets. 22) Can the SCTW be used for graduate level courses? Yes, but you must wait until the first day the class meets. 23) What happens if a student registers early (before the first day the class meets)? The SCTW cannot be used for courses registered in advance of the 1st day of class. A student will not be eligible for the SCTW and instead must pay for the course. The student may drop the course if they wish, but cannot re-register for the same course and then use the SCTW. 24) Will the University of Alaska allow a student using the SCTW to register before the 1st day of class? No; if a student registers in advance of the 1st day of class the SCTW cannot be used to pay for the course; the student can either drop or pay for the course in cash. Students cannot re-register for the course and then use the SCTW. 25) Are senior citizens eligible for federal or state financial aid? Yes in most cases. Student must meet federal and state eligibility requirements. (Note: If the student holds a baccalaureate degree they would be ineligible for Pell grants.) 26) Should Senior citizens who plan to use the SCTW identify themselves prior to the registration process at the University of Alaska? Yes—this would facilitate the tracking of students who use the SCTW; this could also facilitate when access via the online transaction system (UAOnline) would be granted (i.e. on the 1st day of class). Students wishing to use the SCTW will be required to indicate this intent in advance of registration. This should be accomplished by the simplest process possible. Adding a question to the registration form is acceptable. A self-identification process would facilitate UA’s ability to identify and track SCTW students. This could enable a registration process in which students wishing to use the SCTW would be prevented from registering on-line until the first day the class meets. [This is under consideration for a future term] 27) Are there a limited number of seats available (in each class) for students using the SCTW? No. However, total enrollment is controlled by Department Chairs. 28) How will the determination be made that a course has been ‘made’ and is eligible for accepting students using the SCTW? The decision to cancel a course is made 10 days in advance of the term by Department Chairs. 29) What form do I need to fill out to use the SCTW? UAA students - Please complete and submit this waiver. UAF students - Any required paperwork will be provided to you at fee payment. UAS students - Please complete and submit this waiver.
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