This section provides an overview of many benefits available to faculty and staff. In the event of conflict between the overview provided in this handbook and the plan document or insurance plan, the plan document or insurance plan will govern. Complete descriptions are not possible in the handbook; employees should contact Human Resources for specific plan details. The Labor Agreement governs in the case of Union employees in all aspects of this section. Regular non-union employees who have a schedule involving a (.46) FTE or above, and Union employees who have a (.50) FTE or above are eligible to participate in the College’s benefit programs.

Carleton College will comply with all applicable laws such as ACA, FMLA, federal, state, and any applicable regulations.

Employment & Benefits

Tuition

Tuition for Dependents

Carleton College extends dependent tuition benefits to exempt employees with completion of six years of continuous employment in a benefits-eligible position at Carleton.  The benefit covers legal children, age 26 years or less as of September 1 in any given year, who attend accredited undergraduate college or universities to pursue their first degree.  The benefit is pro-rated (or scaled) for employees who work less than full time (1.0 FTE). The program offers three different options based on the institution the dependent attends:

  1. At Carleton the benefit is one-half of Carleton’s tuition.
  2. At fully accredited, non-ACM colleges and universities other than Carleton, the benefit is the least of:
    • 50% of tuition due,
    • 33% of Carleton’s tuition; or
    • Tuition due minus tuition-based financial aid
  3. At an ACM Peer institution, the benefit is scaled based on employee FTE as follows:
    • 1.0 – .83 FTE = 80% of tuition due for 4 years,
    • .82 – .65 FTE = 80% of tuition due for 3 years,
    • .46 – .64 FTE = 80% of tuition due for 2 years; or
    • Employees with an FTE less than .83 may opt out of the ACM tuition program.

Employees who participate in the ACM Program are responsible for completing ACM related forms and paying a one-time ACM administration fee (currently $25).

The dependent tuition benefit does not apply to summer program courses, special programs, interest on loans or other special fees. The benefit will not exceed four regular academic years per child and a maximum of twelve regular academic years per eligible full-employee or the pro-rated equivalent for part-time employees using the ACM benefit; if both parents work at the college, the benefit will be shared. If a current employee passes away while their dependent is receiving this benefit, the college will continue the benefit for that dependent, subject to the other conditions of this policy. Dependent tuition payment requests must be submitted prior to the end of the academic semester, term, or quarter for which payment is being requested.

Tuition for Spouses or Domestic Partners

The College will waive tuition charges for faculty and staff spouses or domestic partners who enroll as special students for one course per academic term at Carleton. All special students register for courses through the Office of the Registrar. Please refer to the Special Students policy in the Academic Regulations and Procedures section of this handbook.

Last Revised: November 10, 2023

For: Faculty, Staff

Last Reviewed: January 18, 2022

Maintained by: Human Resources