Office of Human Resources and Development
Tuition Reimbursement
About Tuition Reimbursement
Please click the links below to learn about information on MCPS wellness and mindfulness learning opportunities for MCPS staff and students. Content that is offered by MCPS through in-house training will not be eligible for tuition reimbursement.
https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/staff/wellness/ https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studentservices/wellbeing/mindfulness.aspx
Quick Link to submit tuition reimbursement documentation. You must be signed into your MCPS Google account.
Tuition reimbursement is a negotiated benefit provided for all permanent MCPS staff.
Credits
All staff are eligible to be reimbursed for up to nine credits of tuition costs per fiscal year.
Fiscal Year
The fiscal year runs from July 1st through June 30th.
Dollar Amount
The dollar amount reimbursed for each credit earned, equals one half of the per credit tuition rate for the University of Maryland, College Park. Beginning fall of 2022, the MCPS FY23, per credit tuition reimbursement rate is $405.95 for graduate credit and $202.00 for undergraduate credit. One CPD credit is equivalent to one graduate credit. Fifteen Continuing Education Units are equal to one graduate credit. Courses that began in summer 2022 will be reimbursed at the MCPS FY22 rate. This is consistent with the University of Maryland increase in tuition rates that don't begin until the fall of 2022.
Eligible for Reimbursement
MCEA and MCAAP unit members may only be reimbursed for tuition costs. Books, materials or fees are not reimbursable. SEIU unit members are eligible to be reimbursed for tuition costs as well as the cost of fees. Reimbursement of all eligible tuition and fees combined, cannot exceed the current maximum per credit reimbursement rate. All scholarship or grant funding will be applied to the cost of tuition on a per credit basis to determine the actual cost of tuition paid by unit members. Tuition covered by grants or scholarships will not be reimbursed.
Timeline for Processing Application
The timeline for processing tuition reimbursement applications is six to eight weeks. Processing times are longer between traditional semester breaks due to the high volume of applications. Staff members will receive updates from PDO on the status of their application through their MCPS Outlook email account. Please watch for these communications throughout the fiscal year, including during the summer months. These communications often contain requests for additional information required to complete the processing of the application. If the additional information is not received in a timely manner, the application could be denied.
Please know that MCPS will deny reimbursement for coursework if:
- the content is not related to K-12 education (with exception for SEIU unit members).
- the course was taken at a non-accredited educational institution (with exception for SEIU unit members).
- the content is not related to any MCPS position.
- the content is non-secular.
- similar coursework is available through in-house training.
- the staff member has already been reimbursed for nine credits in the fiscal year.
- the coursework is submitted without all required supporting documentation.
- the supporting documentation does not have the staff member’s name visibly printed on the document by the educational or financial institution.
- tuition was paid for by someone other than the MCPS employee requesting reimbursement (including spouses or parents).
- the application was received in OHRD later than 60 days after the end of the course.
- the coursework start date was prior to the first day of employment at MCPS.
- the employee is on long term leave with exception for leave covered by FMLA.
- the course was taken at Dominican University
How to Apply
In order to access tuition reimbursement benefits, all staff must apply through the MCPS Professional Development Online (PDO) system, and submit the application including all supporting documentation within 60 days of your course end date. Tuition reimbursement applications must be submitted with the following supporting documentation:
- PDF copy of the PDO application form
- PDF of an unofficial transcript with staff member name clearly visible and preprinted by the educational institution. (Please do not send electronic transcripts directly from your university)
- PDF of a statement from the educational institution that includes all fees and tuition, scholarships, grants and loans, as well as class name or number. We must be able to see all financial transactions for the semester and the transactions must match the timeframe of payment and course schedule. There should be no blacked-out information on the statement and staff member name should be clearly visible and preprinted by the educational institution.
- Proof of Payment by the staff member; front/back of canceled check, credit card statement or bank statement showing the employee's name as the account holder. Please note: MCPS will only reimburse tuition costs incurred by MCPS employees. MCPS will not reimburse for tuition costs incurred by family members, including parents or spouses. Proof of payment MUST show that tuition was paid for by the employee.
Contact Us
Email: tuitionreimbursement@mcpsmd.org
Send tuition reimbursement paperwork to the following address:
Office of Human Resources and Development
Tuition Reimbursement
45 West Gude Drive, Suite 2100
Rockville, Maryland 20850
Phone: 301-315-7383
What does your negotiated agreement say?
Course Eligibility
MCPS provides a tuition reimbursement program for full-time and part-time unit members who complete coursework that enable them to continue their professional development and to maintain or increase their skills in their employment with MCPS.
If you have questions about course eligibility, please do not access the "Inquiry" tab in the PDO tuition reimbursement module. This tab is NOT monitored by the tuition reimbursement staff at this time. After reviewing this page, please send any remaining questions regarding course eligibility to tuitionreimbursement@mcpsmd.org.
Administrators are eligible to be reimbursed for coursework at any regionally accredited college, university or other educational agency.
Teachers are eligible to be reimbursed for coursework at any regionally accredited college or university for graduate coursework, as well as CPDs or CEUs at other educational agencies.
Support staff are eligible to be reimbursed for coursework and fees at any regionally accredited college, university or other educational agency.
Tuition Reimbursement Course Criteria
All reimbursement is limited to courses approved by the district.
Coursework must meet all of the following criteria as applicable in order to be deemed of sufficient quality to be approved for tuition reimbursement. Exceptions will be made for courses that are required for a degreed program. Courses must:
- 1 Not currently be offered by the MCPS in-service program.
- 2 Be instructional based with specific goals and measurable outcomes.
- 3 Add value to the unit members’ knowledge of job or assist them in preparing for another position within MCPS, including leadership positions.
- 4 Be designed to develop knowledge or skills unique to the unit member rather than repeating content or learning covered in a previously taken course.
- 5 Improve and increase a teachers' knowledge of the academic subjects they currently teach, or provide needed requirements for additional certification or certification renewal. Coursework may also provide a pathway to leadership positions within MCPS.
- 6 Be accompanied with a certificate of completion showing the amount of CPDs or CEUs earned, to reimburse for CPDs or CEUs.
- 7 Be completed with a “B” or better. All undergraduate coursework must be completed with a “C” or better. All coursework rated on a pass/fail approach must be completed with a pass rating. MCEA unit members must provide documentation showing a “pass” grade is equal to a “B” or better on the university/college grading scale.
Physical education or health coursework will only be reimbursed to staff members who are currently assigned as a physical education or health teacher.
Commonly requested coursework that is not eligible for tuition reimbursement include Google Apps (and variations), religious coursework, self-improvement or wellness coursework, Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint instruction, any course taken at Dominican University, or physical education coursework taken when the MCEA unit member is not a current physical education teacher.
Supporting Documentation Examples
Proof of Tuition
Proof of Payment
Proof of Eligible Grade
Appeals and Acceleration
Accelerated Tuition Reimbursement (ATR)
All permanent MCPS employees may apply for a maximum of nine credits per fiscal year of tuition reimbursement. MCPS has the option to approve more than nine credits per fiscal year based on system need and the number of credits required (per fiscal year) by a university program. Acceleration must be required by the employee's university. In general, if a non-accelerated option is available, accelerated tuition reimbursement will not be approved. Requests for acceleration based entirely on the employee's desire to complete a program at an accelerated pace will be denied. This does not limit the employee from enrolling in an accelerated program of their choice, focused in K-12 instruction or leadership, and then applying for nine credits per fiscal year of tuition reimbursement.
Employees considering accelerated programs that meet a current critical need in MCPS, including SEIU unit members, are encouraged to apply.
All applications for accelerated tuition reimbursement must be submitted prior to the start of the program, with an attached program of studies, the number of credits to be earned during a specific time frame, and signed by the university's program coordinator. Under no circumstances will more than 45 credits be reimbursed over a five year period.
The ATR application can be accessed here: Accelerated Tuition Reimbursement Application. After completing the application please upload and submit the application to tuitionreimbursement@mcpsmd.org. Screen shots will not be accepted. All submissions and uploads must be in pdf format.
Appeals
All tuition reimbursement requests must be received in the tuition reimbursement unit within 60 calendar days of the employee's course end date. This is the course end date or last day of class, not the date when grades are received or transcripts are provided. Official transcripts are not required by the tuition reimbursement unit. Exceptions will not be made for missing the deadline due to grades or transcripts. When the employee enrolls in a non traditional semester course, it is the employee's responsibility to ensure final grades will be accessible prior to 60 days of the course end date. This is especially true for on-line, self-paced, year-long courses.
Submitting an application for tuition reimbursement along with all supporting documentation within 60 days of the course end date, is a negotiated requirement in all three union negotiated agreements. Missing the 60 day deadline due to employee error cannot be appealed under any circumstance. If MCPS has made a processing error, please contact tuitionreimbursement@mcpsmd.org
- Employees may appeal:
- Applications that have been denied due to eligibility of a course.
- Applications that have been processed in error by MCPS.
- Applications for accelerated tuition reimbursement that have been denied.
The Tuition Reimbursement Appeal Form can be accessed here: Tuition Reimbursement Appeal. After completing the application please upload and submit the application to tuitionreimbursement@mcpsmd.org. Screen shots will not be accepted.All submissions and uploads must be in pdf format.
What happens to my appeal?
Once received by the tuition reimbursement unit, the processor will gather all information including the original application and any email correspondence. The processor will forward the appeal request and all supporting documentation to the fiscal specialist for review.
- The fiscal specialist will make a determination to uphold or reverse the denial.
- If the fiscal specialist upholds the denial, at the employee's request, it will be forwarded to the Chief of the Office of Human Resources and Development.
- The appeal will be reviewed by the Chief and a final decision will be made.
- If the Chief overturns the denial, the application will be approved and processed as soon as possible.
- If the Chief upholds the denial, the application will remain denied.
How long will it take?
The appeal process can take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks.
