Dependent Child Tuition Waiver

OU Dependent Child Tuition Waiver Program

Application Deadlines

Employees with eligible dependents interested in applying for a tuition waiver must complete and submit a Dependent Child Tuition Waiver (DCTW) application. The parent is only required to complete the DCTW application once unless there is a lapse in eligibility. If the application is not received by the deadline listed below, the employee must wait until the next semester to apply. Application deadlines are:

Summer semester - May 1
Fall semester - August 31
Spring semester - January 31

Education Benefit

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.
The waiver can be used for tuition charges during summer or intersession regardless of the student's number of enrollment hours.
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 the Student Financial Center.
The DCTW may be used for online courses as long as the course is for credit towards a student’s first baccalaureate degree.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

DCTW Guidelines

The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure consistent implementation of the “Dependent Child Tuition Waiver Program” approved by the OU Board of Regents on Dec. 4, 2014, and modified by the University effective January 1, 2024.

Eligibility

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, the student must be a legal dependent of the employee. The term legal dependent refers to a natural born or adopted child or step-child under the age of 26. You may be required to submit proof of dependent relationship as part of the application process.
In order for dependent children to be eligible for the DCTW, the dependent children must satisfy each of the following conditions:
1. 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.
2. The eligible dependent must be under the age of 26 as of the DCTW application deadline.
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:
1. The students are in the final academic semester and they need fewer than 12 credit hours to satisfy the baccalaureate degree.
2. The student is enrolled in an OU Education Abroad program.
3. 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.
4. Special circumstances not covered above.
A death benefit is available for students actively utilizing the DCTW program whose parent passes away while they are employed or have retired from the university. All eligibility criteria must continue to be met. The death benefit for the DCTW will not exceed a total of five years or ten fall/spring semesters.

Application Process

Parents of eligible students must complete and submit a Dependent Child Tuition Waiver Program Application available on the Bursar Services website.

Applications for the DCTW can be completed by the parent only.
DCTW applications require information about the employee and student including:
1. Legal names of the OU employee and the student.
2. Student’s Sooner ID number.
3. Employee’s Employee ID (six digits) available on the paycheck earnings statement in Employee Self-Service. At HSC, this number is also called the HR ID number and can be found on the employee’s ID card.
After the application deadline for each term, Human Resources will verify the student is an eligible dependent, the employee’s FTE, and benefits eligibility.
The parent is only required to complete the DCTW application once unless there is a lapse in eligibility.
Requests for exemption from the full-time enrollment requirement must be resubmitted each semester.

Taxation Benefits

Benefits received under the Dependent Child Tuition Waiver Program are not taxable to the employee. The DCTW Program is administered as part of the student’s total financial aid package and will be reported to the IRS as financial aid.

Right to Amend or Terminate

As is the case with all of its employee benefits, the university reserves the right to amend or terminate these benefits at any time and from time to time, and retains the discretion to construe any ambiguity or uncertainty that might arise with respect to this Policy.

Norman campus: sfc@ou.edu or (405) 325-9000

Health Sciences Center: bursar@ouhsc.edu or (405) 271-2433