Education Benefits

Employees whose employment is at least .50 FTE and who are full benefits eligible (in a position anticipated to continue at least 6 months) may receive the QTR/EAP benefit for themselves, their spouse/partner, and their dependent children. 

Employees must be in active status on the first official start date of the semester in which they wish to apply for QTR/EAP benefits, regardless of the date any specific class begins. For all summer sessions, employees must be active on the first day of the summer pre-session. Visit the University academic calendar for specific dates.

Key IRS Requirements for Eligibility: Children must be claimed on an eligible parent’s tax return to be eligible for the QTR benefit. To be claimed on your tax return, the child must be:

• Your son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, adopted child, or foster child for whom you have legal guardianship, and
• Living with you (except for school), and
• Dependent on you for at least half of their support, and
• Under 30 years of age.

A child age 24 or older also must not earn more than $5,200 in income during the calendar year in which QTR/EAP is applied. This may mean that graduate and medical students are ineligible for their last semester.

Please review the Dependent Child Tuition Reduction Eligibility (PDF) questions carefully before submitting a QTR application for a child.

The university is required to conduct random audits at the end of the tax year to ensure that children who received QTR do qualify as dependent children/relatives. If the audit reveals your child was not your dependent, the QTR benefit will be retroactively withdrawn and you will owe tuition. 

The employee must be legally married or have a domestic partnership established prior to the start of the semester in which they want to apply on their spouse/domestic partner's behalf. We verify this by requesting marriage certificates or the domestic partner's affidavit.

Retirees: Employees who retire from the University with Official Retirement Status remain eligible for QTR/EAP benefits for themselves, their spouses, and their dependent children. To remain eligible, retirees must take a distribution from their retirement plan within 31 days of their retirement date.

Employees on Leave of Absence: Employees on an approved leave of absence, their spouses, and eligible dependent children continue to be eligible for the QTR/EAP benefits for the duration of the approved absence.

Former Employees: Classified Staff and University Staff employees separated from university employment through reorganization/reduction in force following at least five consecutive years of satisfactory service, along with their spouses and dependent children, remain eligible for QTR/EAP benefits for 12 months following layoff.

Spouses and dependents of deceased employees may remain eligible for QTR/EAP benefits. Please consult the Qualified Tuition Reduction policy.

Affiliate DCCs: Some affiliates and their qualifying dependents are eligible for QTR/EAP. To determine eligibility, please consult the Approved Affiliate Institutions table.

Guidance is available on the Internal Revenue Service website in Publication 501: Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information. See the section on "Exemptions for Dependents."

Important: If your child is 24 or older, there are income limits on how much the child can earn and still qualify as a dependent. (The amount is $5,200 per calendar year for 2025; check the QTR application for future adjustments.) This means children age 24 and older may not be eligible for QTR in their last semester or session. If the child secures a job after graduation, all income earned for the remainder of the calendar year is applied to the income limit. Consequently, an end-of-year audit may reveal that the child has retroactively become ineligible for QTR, and you may be required to reimburse the value of the QTR benefit the following year.

No. Student workers and graduate assistants/associates are excluded from QTR eligibility.

Yes. The Graduate Tuition Waiver may offset any portion of the base tuition that QTR does not cover. QTR is applied first, and the Tuition Waiver award will apply to the remaining balance.

No. GAs who are entitled to tuition benefits through QTR must choose between the two benefit options.

If the student is registered for classes and tuition has posted, the tuition reduction will post once it has been entered by the Bursar’s Office. The student will be able to see it in his/her student account in UAccess Student.

If your employment status changes before the first day of the semester or session you have applied for, your application will be automatically deactivated.

If your employment status changes after the semester or session begins, the tuition reduction that was applied to your student account remains in place for the remainder of that semester or session. That means you can complete the course (or courses) you are already enrolled in.

Log in to UAccess Employee. Open the "Benefits" tile, then open the "Qualified Tuition Reduction" drop-down and select "View QTR Applications." Leave the Search Criteria blank and hit "Search." All the QTR applications you have previously submitted will appear, and you can select the one you need.

Yes, you can verify the status of your QTR application in UAccess Employee. After logging in to the Employee Main Homepage select the Benefits tile > Qualified Tuition Reduction > View QTR Applications. Once your eligibility is approved, it is sent to the Bursar's Office for processing. Once processed, the student will be able to see the QTR applied in his/her student account in UAccess Student.

Yes, random audits are conducted every semester. If you are audited, you will be required to submit documentation supporting your application.

Yes, if you are enrolled in courses at the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, or Northern Arizona University, you can simultaneously receive the QTR benefit at each university. QTR credit limits still apply. To apply for QTR at two different universities, you must complete the application process twice in UAccess by applying first for one university and then for the other. QTR applications for courses taken at NAU or ASU must be sent directly to those institutions for processing.

No, QTR is not valid for study abroad.

Complete the online QTR application in UAccess Employee. When the online application is approved, there will be a prompt to print a confirmation. The printed confirmation must be turned in at the university where the student will be attending classes. You are responsible for submitting your approved application confirmation to the university (ASU or NAU) you are attending. Check with that university's service center for waiver processing requirements and deadlines.

ASU: Student Accounts Office
Tel: (480) 965-6341
Fax: (480) 965-9242
Email: tuitionreduction@asu.edu

NAU: Office of Student Financial Aid
Tel: (928) 523-4951
Email: EARPform@nau.edu

First, complete the online QTR application in UAccess Employee. When the online application is approved, there will be a prompt to print a confirmation. 

Second, you are responsible for submitting your approved application confirmation to UAGC using the Admission Portal. Upload your approved QTR application to the QTR Action Item in your admission portal. For questions, please email employee.application@uagc.edu.

Please visit UAGC’s Qualified Tuition Reduction page for additional information, including application windows that align with UAGC’s continuous academic calendar.

No additional University of Arizona offices need a copy of your application confirmation

Yes, if you (or your dependent) are planning to take any courses during a semester, submit a QTR application before the deadline for that semester. It is important to submit the application prior to the deadline, even if the class has not started yet (or in some cases acceptance to the University of Arizona may be pending).

An application will be in a "pending" status if supporting documentation verifying the relationship of that dependent has not previously been submitted to the Division of Human Resources. Once documentation is submitted to and approved by Human Resources, the application status will be changed to "approved."

An application will be declined if:

• You did not meet the eligibility requirements for QTR.
• Responses to dependent eligibility questions did not qualify the dependent as eligible (either as a qualifying child or a qualifying relative).

If you have questions about why your application was declined, please contact HR Solutions:

Phone: 520-621-3660
Email: hrsolutions@arizona.edu

• University of Arizona Qualified Tuition Reduction policy
• Arizona Board of Regents Policy 6-902. Qualified Tuition Reduction 
• Arizona Board of Regents Policy 6-903. Educational Assistance Plan