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Cornell University offers eligible employees a program to provide assistance in paying tuition costs for their children. The Cornell Children's Tuition Scholarship (CCTS) program assists employees' children in reaching their higher education goals. CCTS provides the children of eligible employees a partial scholarship for study at Cornell or other accredited institutions, and is administered pursuant to the approval of the Board of Trustees as adopted on January 20, 1966, and as amended from time to time.
CCTS Frequently Asked Questions
* Application will not be reviewed without name of the school the student will attend
The benefit payable will be dependent on the employee’s most recent hire date. The employee may be responsible for providing proof of prior service.
Student employment does not accrue eligibility toward the CCTS benefit.
* Board of Trustees Amendment, effective 12/11/2014: Students who have a medical condition that precludes the completion of a standard degree program, should be accorded the opportunity to complete a certificate or diploma that meets their needs and provides educational development in the appropriate setting. Medical documentation from an attending physician is required in order to approve the certificate or diploma.
Employment Status Change |
CCTS Benefit Changes |
Break-in-Service |
Benefit levels will be based on the terms of the award in effect on the most recent hire date. |
Part-time |
An employee hired prior to July 1, 1985 may work at least 20 hours but less than 35 hours per week and receive a prorated tuition payment. |
Layoff |
Benefit will be continued through the term in which the layoff commences and continue for one additional academic term. |
Resignation or Termination |
Benefit will be continued through the term |
University Leave of Absence |
Benefit will be continued until the end of the term in which the leave of absence commences. |
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) |
Benefit will be continued while on FMLA. |
Disability |
Benefit will be continued at the rate received as an active employee. |
Retirement |
Upon your retirement, your children retain eligibility for a CCTS whether or not they are receiving CCTS benefits at the time of your retirement. Note: To retire, you must be 55 years or older and must have completed ten years of credited service at the university. |
Death |
If you are CCTS eligible upon your death, your children will retain eligibility for a CCTS whether or not they are receiving CCTS benefits at that time. |
Your benefit level is determined by your date of hire at the university.
Date of Hire |
Service Requirement |
Maximum Scholarship |
Benefit Level at Cornell |
Benefit Level at Other Institutions for all Hire Dates |
Prior to July 1, 1983 |
Currently eligible |
10 semesters of undergraduate study or a bachelor’s degree, whichever comes first.
A maximum of 14 semesters, including 6 semesters of graduate education at Cornell. |
100% of tuition, less administrative fees* (currently $9,980 per year) |
CCTS pays 30% of the outside school’s tuition and fees. The minimum benefit amount is full tuition or $1,000 per academic year, whichever is less.
If the outside school’s tuition is greater than Cornell’s endowed tuition and fees, CCTS will pay 30% of Cornell’s endowed tuition and administrative fees.
No benefits are paid for graduate study at other institutions.
|
July 1, 1983 - June 30, 1985 |
Currently eligible |
10 semesters of undergraduate study or a bachelor’s degree, whichever comes first.
A maximum of 14 semesters, including 6 semesters of graduate education at Cornell. |
50% of tuition and administrative fees |
|
July 1, 1985 – present |
4 years of full-time service; part-time employees are not eligible** |
10 semesters of undergraduate study or a bachelor’s degree, whichever comes first Graduate study is not available. |
50% of tuition and administrative fees
|
* Administrative fee policy as established/amended by the Board of Trustees on July 12, 1972.
** Effective 12/11/2014, the Board of Trustees amended the policy to allow part-time employees who have worked for at least 8 years to be considered for eligibility for this benefit. This affects those employees who are applying for the spring 2015 semester and forward.
CCTS is a reimbursement program. You may therefore apply for CCTS benefits at any time by completing the following steps:
Once your application has been reviewed and approved for eligibility:
Once your application has been reviewed and approved for eligibility:
Any changes to the student’s status during the year, should be emailed to ccts@cornell.edu.
A CCTS payment is always made directly to the institution.
Please be aware that the CCTS award cannot be posted to a student's Cornell bursar account until they are enrolled for at least six credits during the fall and/or spring semesters.
You or the student must notify the institution and the HR Services and Transitions Center if a student’s attendance plans change. If the CCTS payment is made, the full term will be deducted from the total semesters of eligibility unless you or the institution reimburse the CCTS plan.
Payments can be made for courses taken prior to matriculation. We would need a letter/email from the degree granting school, confirming the semester and number of credits that they are accepting as part of the student’s degree program. The student should confirm with the prior school that they will accept a retroactive payment. Some schools do not as they have been audited and that academic year closed.
CCTS benefits will only be coordinated with other scholarships or awards that must be applied to tuition. Awards that can be used for other purposes (books, room & board, living expenses), such as the PELL Grant, will not be considered. The amount of the CCTS benefit will be reduced only if the combined payment from CCTS and the other award (TAP, Excelsior, ROTC scholarships, or scholarships awarded solely for tuition costs) exceeds the total cost of tuition and fees.
* Administrative fee policy as established/amended by the Board of Trustees on July 12, 1972.
The CCTS benefit is generally not taxable if it covers undergraduate education; however, under the Internal Revenue Code, the child must be a natural, adopted, foster or stepchild and a dependent. For tax purposes, a child is a dependent if you provide more than half of the child's support. In short, a child can be a dependent even if he/she does not qualify as an exemption on your tax return. In the event of divorced or separated parents, if either of the parents can pass the support test, BOTH parents pass it.
If you indicate that the student is not your dependent, these additional taxes will be deducted from your paycheck during the semester in which the award is made using the withholding rate determined by your completed W4 form on file in payroll.
Retirees with a taxable value will receive a 1099 at the end of the calendar year.
All taxes will apply to the benefits paid for the children of an employee's domestic partner. State taxes will not be applied to the benefit paid for the children of the same-sex spouse who was married in NYS and can provide a marriage license (this also applies to other qualified same-sex marriages).
Visit the Department of Financial Affairs for details on taxes.
Benefits for graduate CCTS are taxable. The CCTS award and withholding will be reflected on your annual wage and tax statement (W-2) if you are an active employee. The net value of the award will be reflected on the student's bursar account. Graduate CCTS must be completed at Cornell and only employees hired prior to July 1, 1985 are eligible to receive this CCTS benefit.
Visit the Department of Financial Affairs for details.