Tuition Exchange

Council for Independent Colleges - Tuition Exchange Program

The Council for Independent Colleges - Tuition Exchange Program (CIC-TEP), open to dependent children of YCP and YCDS employees in the fall following the start of their full-time employment, typically includes smaller private schools that might have trouble meeting the requirements of an import/export balance program.

Participating institutions are required to award a minimum of three CIC-TEP scholarships for full tuition (no $ limit) each academic year to incoming students. No limits are placed upon the total number of students we may export under this program.

Tuition Exchange, Inc.

The Tuition Exchange, Inc. (TE, Inc.), open to dependent children of YCP faculty and staff with at least 3 years (6 semesters) of full-time employment, is the larger of the two programs with 675+ member institutions. Unfortunately, the scholarship decision criteria applied by each school tend to differ and they are not published. Often, it’s first-come, first-served; but not in all cases. Competition for the scholarships can be intense, although there is an incentive to offer numerous scholarships due to the program’s import/export balance requirement. For example, YCP’s ability to send (export) our employees’ children to other schools may be restricted if we are unable to attract (import) the children of employees from other member colleges. We currently run an acceptable balance and do not expect to receive any restrictions from TE, Inc.

Contrary to popular belief, we do not have to import a student from a specific school in order to send a student to that school. Our import/export balance is based upon program activity as a whole, so your child may apply to any member school.

The annual dollar value of the annual TE, Inc., scholarship varies. Most TE scholarships cover full tuition, but not special fees, course overloads, or room and board charges. For 2022-2023, institutions that charge more than $40,000 for tuition are permitted to award less than their full tuition, but not less than $40,000.

Tuition Exchange Rules for Full-Time YCP/YCDS Employees

A. Requirements and Limitations on Participation in TE or CIC-TE

1. Dependent children (see above) are eligible to first apply for TE scholarships in the Fall Semester following thirty-six (36) consecutive months of full-time employment for staff and administrative employees, or six (6) consecutive semesters of employment for full-time faculty.

2. Dependent children (see above) are eligible to first apply for CIC-TEP scholarships upon hiring.

3. Requests to process a scholarship application must be submitted to the York College Liaison Officer no sooner than the student’s last high school year and no sooner than the submission of an admission application to the importing institution.

4. Upon receipt of a scholarship application request, the liaison will verify employee eligibility (see 1 above). If eligible, the liaison will complete a scholarship application and forward it to the desired school(s).

5. Receipt of a scholarship is not guaranteed. The importing school(s) will process the scholarship application based on their own criteria and time frame, and notify both the liaison and applicant of the decision when complete.

6. Once a student is selected, the tuition remission is a continuing commitment through at least two years and typically four years of higher education. The scholarship must be renewed each year for a maximum period of four years/eight semesters. If credits remain after all new applicants have been processed, the tuition remission may be extended to students in their fifth year of a five-year program (subject to agreement by the importing school).

7. In order to attain and maintain eligibility on the Tuition Exchange Program, the student must comply with the admissions and academic standards of the importing institutions.

B. Selection Standards (in order of priority) – The CIC-TEP does not limit the number of students we may “export” even if we “import” no students. TE, Inc. may impose limits on the number of “exports” if “import” credits fall short. If such limits are imposed by TE, Inc., the following criteria will be used to determine eligibility:

1. Employee seniority by the date of the beginning of the continuous full-time employment period stated in item A.1. above. For balance purposes, dependents of YCP retirees will be eligible for the CIC-TEP program.

2. Random selection in the event two applicants began employment on the same

CIC-Tuition Exchange Program

• Access the TEP-Student-Application CIC FORM here.
• Complete the online form and include all colleges your student wishes to apply to. There is room for eight colleges on the form. Most CIC-TEP decisions are made on a first-come, first-served basis, so early submission after college application is suggested. 
• Email Erica Schieler, tuition exchange liaison, at eschieler@ycp.edu so that the application can be reviewed. 
• View Participating Colleges

Tuition Exchange Program

• Access the Tuition Exchange Online Application here. 
• List York College of Pennsylvania as the Host Institution. 
• To select multiple colleges for application, hold down the CTRL key, and click the college names. 
• View Participating Colleges

Contact Erica Schieler, tuition exchange liaison, for any questions about the Tuition Exchange Programs at eschieler@ycp.edu or 717.815.1278.

D17. York Country Day School Tuition Discount

York College of Pennsylvania is able to offer full-time employees a discount at York Country Day School from kindergarten through grade 12 that enables dependent children age 19 or younger (son, stepson, daughter, or stepdaughter of an employee [as defined above in sections D17.1.5.A.3.a, D17.1.5.A.3.b, D17.1.5.A.3.c., and D17.1.5.A.3.d., and in accordance with Internal Revenue Code sections 117(d), 117(d)(2), 132(h), and 153(e)(3)]); to apply for the discount covering a substantial portion of tuition.

A. Tuition 

1. Tuition charged by York Country Day School.

B. Requirements and Limitations on Participation

1. Otherwise eligible participants must meet the admission standards relevant to the course or program intended. York Country Day School follows rolling admissions policies; applicants, including tuition remission or discount students, are accepted if they meet admission criteria on a first-come, first-served basis until the class or program is full.

C. Applicable Courses and Programs for Eligible Participants

1. Eligible participants must complete the appropriate Authorization Tuition Waiver Form through the Human Resources Office. All external aid (not loans) will be deducted from the applicable limits of the remission or discount.

2. A discount of 80 percent for grades Kindergarten through grade 12, for a limited time at York Country Day School is provided. Preschool programs are excluded.

D. Questions about the application of the Tuition Remission and Tuition Discount Program shall be referred to the Director of Human Resources.

E. The Tuition Remission and Tuition Discount Program may be subject to federal, state, and/or local tax liability, depending on individual circumstances.

Start in the fall of their senior year of high school, as soon as the admissions application has been sent.

CIC-Tuition Exchange Program

• Access the TEP-Student-Application CIC FORM here.
• Complete the online form and include all colleges your student wishes to apply to. There is room for eight colleges on the form. Most CIC-TEP decisions are made on a first-come, first-served basis, so early submission after college application is suggested. 
• Email Erica Schieler, tuition exchange liaison, at eschieler@ycp.edu so that the application can be reviewed. 
• View Participating Colleges

Tuition Exchange Program

• Access the Tuition Exchange Online Application here. 
• List York College of Pennsylvania as the Host Institution. 
• To select multiple colleges for application, hold down the CTRL key, and click the college names. 
• View Participating Colleges

The application form uses the expression, “qualifying child per IRS rules”. What does this mean?

According to the IRS…

In general, to be a taxpayer’s qualifying child, a person must satisfy four tests:

• Relationship — Dependent child age 23 or younger (child, stepchild) of an employee, eligibility through baccalaureate degree or up to 124 registered undergraduate credits.
   
• Residence — has the same principal residence as the taxpayer for more than half the tax year. Exceptions apply, in certain cases, for children of divorced or separated parents, kidnapped children, temporary absences, and children who were born or died during the year.
   
• Age — must be under the age of 19 at the end of the tax year, or under the age of 24 if a full-time student for at least five months of the year, or be permanently and totally disabled at any time during the year.
   
• Support — did not provide more than one-half of their own support for the year.

No, they must have applied for admission before we send the scholarship app, but do not need to have been accepted yet.

Possibly. CIC-TEP uses April 1 as the suggested deadline. Some deadlines are as early as January.

If you are a qualified YCP employee your dependent may apply for both TE, Inc. and CIC-TEP Scholarships. If you are a qualified YCDS employee your dependent may only apply for CIC-TEP Scholarships.

It is due to the import/export student balance requirement TE, Inc. imposes. Without the waiting period, we would probably run out of spots and have to limit the number of scholarships.

No. The only limit is your ability to pay multiple admission application fees. However, colleges see the number of applications for tuition exchange and may award based on the seriousness of the application and desire to enroll.

There is no fee to the applicant. YCP pays member dues and/or fees per applicant but no cost is passed along to you.

You can do that; however, it is MUCH EASIER for the liaison to submit ALL of your scholarship applications at once. Therefore, you can list all the schools on your TE app with anticipated mailing dates for admission apps, if the app has not been completed yet.

As soon as your child decides not to apply to a previously listed school, please inform the liaison so the scholarship app can be withdrawn. This prevents the other school from having to track your child’s app as an active file.

No. We are limited to the member schools only.

Normally the scholarships automatically roll over from one year to the next. There are exceptions to that rule (see next QUESTION) and you must reapply each year to confirm continued eligibility as an employee.

Yes. 

• If you end your full-time employment (for reasons other than retirement or death) with YCP or YCDS, the scholarship will be revoked at the start of the next semester. 
• If your child gets into academic trouble or drops to part-time status the scholarship may be revoked. 
• If your child pursues a program not covered by the exchange, like study abroad, the scholarship may be revoked or put on hold. 
• If your child no longer meets the IRS definition of a dependent, the scholarship ends.

CIC-TEP Scholarships always cover full tuition even when tuition is raised. TE, Inc. Scholarships typically increase each year. In recent years they increased by $500 per year.

The criteria vary from school to school and they are not typically published. Some schools base their offers on grades, others use a first-come,first-served rule, and still others offer to everyone who qualifies for admission.

No. CIC-TEP and TE, INC. scholarships are basically courtesy tuition waivers. No real money changes hands, and the scholarships are typically unfunded. The only costs to YCP are annual membership fees and a small participation fee per student.

Wrong. Each school is different but you will probably still need to fill out all of the financial aid forms. Exchange scholarships are not funded, and therefore other grants may be used to offset a portion of the scholarship.

The answer is "maybe". You will need to check with the other school's financial aid office. Typically, other grants are not added on top of the exchange scholarship but instead are used to offset a portion of the cost of the exchange scholarship.

According to the IRS:

Topic 421 - Scholarship and Fellowship Grants

A scholarship is generally an amount paid or allowed to a student at an educational institution for the purpose of study. A fellowship is generally an amount paid to an individual for the purpose of research.

If you receive a scholarship or fellowship grant, all or part of the amounts you receive may be tax-free.

Qualified scholarship and fellowship grants are treated as tax-free amounts if the following conditions are met:

• You are a candidate for a degree at an educational institution that maintains a regular faculty and curriculum and normally has a regularly enrolled body of students in attendance at the place where it carries on its educational activities; and
• Amounts you receive as a scholarship or fellowship grant are used for tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance at the educational institution, or for fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses at the educational institution.

You must include in gross income amounts used for incidental expenses, such as room and board, travel, and optional equipment, and generally amounts received as payments for teaching, research, or other services required as a condition for receiving the scholarship or fellowship grant. Also, you must include in income any part of the scholarship or fellowship that represents payments for services. Generally, when reporting scholarship income on your tax return, you will include the amounts on the same line as “Wages, salaries, tips, etc.” Review the instructions of your tax form to determine how to report any income from scholarships.

However, you do not need to include in gross income any amounts you receive for services that are required by the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program or the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship and Financial Assistance Program.

If any part of your scholarship or fellowship grant is taxable, you may have to make estimated tax payments. For more information refer to Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education.

No. York College of PA limits the program to dependent children (IRS definition) only.

There are some member schools that allow use for grad school but they are few. Your child can only use the exchange for a maximum of 8 full-time semesters of study and only while legally listed as your dependent.

Yes, as long as our program status is still good. Their scholarships can even overlap. However, they might not all receive scholarships at the same school.

Possibly. If the child is your biological child or if you declare the child on your taxes as a dependent, you qualify.

Possibly. If you declare the child on your taxes as a dependent, you qualify.

Yes, as long as you officially retire with at least 20 years (40 semesters) of full-time service to the college.

For balance purposes, dependents of YCP retirees will be eligible for the CIC-TEP program.