Policy 3.347
  1. General
    This program provides educational assistance to attend Midwestern State University for eligible dependent children of MSU faculty or staff members.
  2. Eligibility Requirements
    1. The parent/guardian of the dependent must be a current, regular faculty or staff member employed in a retirement-eligible position at MSU.
    2. The student must meet the following definition of an eligible dependent:
      1. Any child, regardless of age, who lives with or whose care is provided by an employee on a regular basis, if the child is physically or mentally disabled to such an extent as to be dependent on the employee for care and support, or
      2. a child in any of the following categories who is under age 25 and unmarried:
        1. a natural or adopted child of the employee,
        2. a stepchild or foster child of the employee,
        3. a child (ward) for whom the employee is the legal guardian, or
        4. a child who is related to the employee by blood or marriage and was claimed as a dependent on the federal income tax return of the employee for the preceding calendar year and for each subsequent calendar year in which the child is enrolled in the plan. An exception may be granted if the employee can document good cause for not claiming the child as a dependent in the preceding calendar year due to unexpected circumstances that required the employee to take responsibility for the child in the current year. Exceptions will be approved by the MSU Fringe Benefits Committee.
    3. For verification of the child’s relationship to the employee, appropriate documentation, as determined by the Director of Human Resources, must be submitted to the Human Resources Department. Acceptable documents for a dependent child include a birth certificate, tax return, and/or other legal documents as appropriate.
    4. The following criteria will be followed in determining a dependent child’s eligibility:
      1. The student must be a Texas resident.
      2. The student must complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and provide any related verification documents as required by the Financial Aid Office.
      3. The student must be registered for at least six (6) hours for a regular semester or three (3) for a summer term.
      4. The student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above.
    5. The faculty/staff member and dependent must not have any outstanding debt with the university, including but not limited to returned checks, tuition, student loans, fines and applicable fees, at the time the application is processed and the award is applied to the student's account.
  3. Application Requirements
    An Education Assistance Program application must be submitted to the Human Resources Department every semester that the dependent enrolls at MSU. A completed application and necessary supporting documentation, if not previously provided, must be submitted to the Human Resources Department on or before the appropriate semester deadline, which is the same as the final day of semester registration. This date is published in the MSU Undergraduate Catalog, the MSU Graduate Catalog, and the MSU Schedule of Classes for each semester, and is listed on the university's website.
  4. Scholarship Authorization Process
    At the beginning of each semester, the Human Resources Department will certify the eligibility of each applicant and provide a list of approved applicants to the MSU Controller's Office. The Controller's Office will determine the amount of each scholarship and forward the list to the Financial Aid Office where those students qualified for financial need will be identified. The list will be returned to the Controller’s Office where a scholarship will be applied to each student’s account in compliance with applicable Internal Revenue Service rules and regulations. Students with verified financial need will receive a scholarship through tuition set aside funds. Students without financial need will receive a general scholarship.
  5. Explanation of Benefit
    The eligible dependent will receive a scholarship for undergraduate courses equal to the amount of local board authorized tuition only. This benefit cannot be applied to previous semesters. If the student withdraws form classes, the scholarship will be adjusted according to the withdrawal refund schedule.
  6. Advisory/Appeal Committee
    The MSU Fringe Benefits Committee will serve as the advisory/appeals committee regarding disputes and/or application denials. All decisions of the committee shall be final unless the president of the university determines that the decision was rendered in violation of university policy. The president's decision is final.
  7. Policy Review
    The Dependent Educational Assistance Program will be reviewed every two years to determine the level of benefits based on available funding.