Educational Attainment Incentive Program

Overview of the Educational Attainment Incentive Program

The Educational Attainment Incentive Program provides an increase in salary once a qualified degree or certificate program is completed. Employees may initially request the incentive who received an academic credential in Academic Year  2021-2022.

1. Eligibility

Employees who are classified as regular, benefit eligible employees, and who have completed their initial probationary period, are eligible to participate in this program. Students employed in positions that require student status as a condition of employment may not participate in this program. Employees classified as university officers and senior administrators, academic employees, represented employees, temporary and student employees are not eligible for Educational Incentive Attainment Pay (EAIP)

2. General Policy

The EAIP program rewards employees who take the initiative to increase their job worth by gaining knowledge, behaviors, and personal and professional skills to significantly enhance their value to their department and the university. EAIP is not an entitlement and may not be awarded retroactively. Employees are limited to receiving one educational incentive pay increase per fiscal year. 

a) This incentive/recognition is separate from in-grade salary adjustments for sustained outstanding job performance.

b) An employee who received both a certificate and a bachelor’s degree in the same 12-month period will be eligible for the higher of the two – not both.

3. Eligible Programs

Eligible employees may receive a permanent adjustment to their base pay as follows: 

 Educational attainment will be recognized by an increase to the employees pay according to the following scale:

1-year certificate* -	1 step
Associate’s Degree -	2 steps
Bachelor’s Degree -	4 steps
Graduate Degree -	5 steps

*Includes Occupational Endorsements Certificates (OECs), Undergraduate Certificates, and Post Baccalaureate Certificates from accredited institutions of higher education.

Certification:

An educational incentive pay increase may be approved for an employee if all of the following criteria are met:

a. The employee presents an official transcript from an accredited college or university indicating the certificate or degree completed.   An unofficial transcript for a certificate or degree awarded by the University of Alaska (UAA, UAF, UAS) is acceptable.

b. The employee received at least an overall score of “satisfactory”, "meets expectations", “fully proficient” on their most recent performance evaluation and currently is not subject to formal disciplinary action.

c. The employee has successfully completed all mandatory HR Compliance related training (ie Title IX Training).

Instructions to Employee:

1. Make sure your certificate or degree has been submitted within three months of the date the degree or certificate is completed. 
2. Complete the required fields in the NextGen Form.
3. Attach a copy of your transcripts, for the certificate or degree you have successfully completed.
4. Watch for notification that the Nextgen Form has been completed to make sure your EAIP has been processed.  Allow adequate time for processing, especially during peak times of the year.
5. The effective date for the new rate of pay will be the first available payroll run after submission. No pay increases may be retroactive.

Instructions for Personnel:

1. Enter the EAIP change into NBAJOBS with an effective date equal to the day after the last paid date in Banner. 
2. Do not request a re-extract or retro calculation.
3. If the previous grade and step listed on the form does not match what is currently in Banner, stop entry and return the form to the Compensation Specialist for correction.
4. If the employee’s job is no longer active, stop entry and return the form to the Compensation Specialist for correction.

FAQs:

• What happens when the EAIP is processed and the department doesn’t have the budget for it?
  • The department will need to absorb the costs. 
• Will the department or supervisor be notified if an EAIP is processed? 
  • The supervisor should be aware of the professional development path of their employees. Once the EAIP is processed, the department will see the additional labor costs in their budget. 
• Will we accept a printed unofficial transcript in lieu of an official transcript? 
  • Yes, but only from the University of Alaska (UAA, UAF, UAS).  For other institutions, only an official transcript will fulfill the requirements. 
• How will employees have access to their last performance review? 
  • If the performance review was done through myUA, the employee can print it out. If the performance review was done in some other way, please contact your supervisor or HR Coordinator to get a copy.
    • How to print a copy of your performance review in MyUA:
      1. Login to MyUA, and go to your Employee Services Dashboard
      2. Select the “About Me” drop down on the top left of the page and select “Performance Reviews”
      3. Click the “I want to…” drop down on the right side of the performance review you would like to print and select “View the report”
      4. Select the printer icon in the upper right corner to print
• What if I have not received a performance evaluation in the past fiscal year? 
  • If you have not received a performance evaluation within the current or past fiscal year, please contact your supervisor to arrange for this to occur.
• Can a department reduce the contract length or hours per pay period in order to address budgetary constraints? 
  • Yes, that option is available to departments.
• How far back can I apply for this incentive?
  • Employees may initially request the incentive who received an academic credential in Academic Year 2021-2022.
• Who do I contact for assistance with my form?
  • Contact the Compensation Team via email.