Dependent Child Tuition Waiver

1. The waiver can be applied to the completion of the student’s first baccalaureate degree, not to exceed a total of five years or ten fall/spring semesters.

2. The waiver can be used for tuition charges during summer or intersession regardless of the student's number of enrollment hours.

3. The waiver can be used for OU tuition charges during education abroad if the program is provided by OU and the student is enrolled at OU during education abroad. If the student is enrolled less than full-time during education abroad, then the student must apply for exemption from the full-time enrollment rule through Student Financial Center.

4. The DCTW may be used for online courses as long as the course is for credit towards a student’s first baccalaureate degree.

5. This tuition waiver does not apply to any Advanced Programs courses, noncredit continuing education courses or special academic programs, such as those in OU's Extended Campus-College of Professional and Continuing Studies, Sooner Rose, or the College of Liberal Studies, which have special regulations regarding tuition waivers.

6. The DCTW Program may not be used to obtain a second bachelor’s degree, a graduate degree, or a post-baccalaureate professional degree. The student must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student. 

7. The DCTW Program waives resident tuition charges. All other charges associated with registration and enrollment are the responsibility of the student. If the student has other tuition waivers, the difference cannot be applied to other charges. 

8. The DCTW Program does not cover any tuition charges incurred before the eligible dependent is admitted as a degree-seeking student including fees or tuition for Advanced Placement, pre-college programs, or high school concurrent enrollment.

9. Non-resident students who are dependents of employees and eligible for the DCTW Program will receive a waiver of non-resident tuition that equals resident tuition. The non-resident student is responsible for paying the fees and remaining tuition charges associated with their registration. 

1. The DCTW Program is part of the comprehensive benefits package provided to OU employees and retirees. To be eligible for the DCTW Program, an employee must be in a benefits eligible position and appointed at .75 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE). To be eligible for the DCTW Program, a retiree must be enrolled in OU medical insurance.

2. Some employees are only eligible for medical insurance coverage in the BCBS HSA plan as part of compliance with the federal Affordable Care Act. The dependents of these employees are not eligible for the DCTW Program or other university benefits.

3. The dependent children of current eligible employees must be enrolled in OU employee medical insurance before the application deadline.

    a.  Dependent children can be added to OU employee medical insurance by their parent: 1) during Annual Benefits Enrollment each fall; 2) at the time of the employee’s initial eligibility for medical insurance, 3) if the employee experiences an Applicable Qualifying Event as defined by the IRS and described on the Human Resources website (http://hr.ou.edu/benefits/BenefitsChanges.asp). Outside of these three conditions, parents cannot add their dependent children to OU medical insurance.

    b.  The OU Board of Regents approved the Dependent Child Tuition Waiver Program including the provision requiring your child's coverage in OU employee medical insurance at their December 4, 2014 meeting.  Coverage in the OU employee medical plan is a fundamental requirement for the waiver.  There are no exceptions to this rule.  You are the best person to determine if participation in this program is right for your family, and we want to help whenever possible.  Review other financial aid opportunities through the Student Financial Center and email sfc@ou.edu with any questions.

4. New employees may add their OU students to medical insurance during the parent’s first 31 days of OU employment. To be eligible for the DCTW, the student must have coverage in the OU employee medical insurance plan and submit the DCTW application by the application deadline for the semester in which they want the DCTW. Both the parent and student must meet all eligibility requirements described in this document.

5. When an employee’s OU employment ends, the student remains eligible for the DCTW if they were covered by their parent’s OU employee medical insurance as of the application deadline for that semester. They will not be eligible for future semesters.

6. In order for dependent children to be eligible for the DCTW, the dependent children must satisfy each of the following conditions:

    a.  Enrolled as dependents in the OU medical insurance plan.

    b.  Enrolled as degree-seeking full-time students in a program of study leading to their first baccalaureate degree. To continue receiving the DCTW, dependent children must maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the Office of Financial Aid.  

    c.  The eligible dependent must be under the age of 26 as of the DCTW application deadline.

7. Students may apply for an exemption from the full-time enrollment requirement. The exemption process is coordinated by the Norman campus Student Financial Center or the Health Sciences Center Office of Financial Aid. Exemption request must be resubmitted each school year. An exemption may be made when:

    a. The students are in the final academic semester and they need fewer than 12 credit hours to satisfy the baccalaureate degree.

    b. The student is enrolled in an OU Education Abroad program.

    c. The student has a disability that has been made known to the OU Accessibility and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) A letter from the ADRC must be included with the exemption request form.

    d. Special circumstances not covered above.