University of Washington Bothell Education Program
Tuition Exemption Policy
Purpose
The University of Washington Bothell Education Program has identified a need to exempt specific
courses within the Master of Education degree from tuition exemption enrollment in order to maintain
academic excellence and fiscal viability.
Policy
Tuition exemption authority
Authority is granted for The University of Washington Tuition Exemption Program under RCW
28B.15.558. This policy provides UW employees, other state employees and members of the
Washington State National Guard the opportunity to have tuition waived for up to 6 credits per
quarter on a “space available” basis. The policy further recognizes that certain courses may not be
available under the Tuition Exemption Program such as UW Extension or distance learning
courses, independent study, internships or any self-sustaining courses. In addition, the policy
states that “…academic or fiscal considerations may exclude certain state-funded courses or
programs from the Tuition Exemption program.”
Education Program Tuition Exemption Policy
The Education Program at University of Washington Bothell (UWB) has limited tuition‐exemption
enrollment in select graduate level courses in order to maintain academic excellence and fiscal viability.
Graduate students starting in the Education Program in Autumn Quarter 2012 and beyond will not be
allowed to use tuition exemption to enroll in the following courses:
B EDUC 501: Inquiry in Education
B EDUC 502: Teachers’ Self-Understanding
B EDUC 504: Theories of Organizational Change and School Reform
Students will be allowed to use their tuition exemption to enroll in graduate level Education courses other
than those listed above, according to the University of Washington Tuition Exemption Program rules
based on RCW 28B.15.558. Any courses listed as “practicum” or “independent study” are not included in
the Tuition Exemption program by definition.
Rationale
In order to provide an option for students who are eligible for tuition exemption while containing the
tuition waiver authority of the Education Program within a range that is tolerable with respect to program
quality, fiscal constraints, enrollment, and available space, University of Washington Bothell will include
the three core courses in the Master of Education degree (B EDUC 501; B EDUC 502; B EDUC 504) in
the courses not available for enrollment under the Tuition Exemption Program.
The Master of Education degree at the University of Washington Bothell is designed as a professional
development opportunity for those in the field of Education. Many of the individuals who benefit from
this academic experience work within a public education institution and the department strongly believes
that serving this population is an integral part of the program mandate. The graduate recruiting and
admissions processes in the M.Ed. program do not take eligibility for the Tuition Exemption program into
consideration when admitting students into the program. However, the inclusion of these tuition‐exempt
students has a significant resulting impact on Full‐Time Equivalent (FTE) calculations and fiscal stability
of the department as well as the teaching load of the faculty.
This is especially evident in the three core courses required for the Master of Education degree (B EDUC
501; B EDUC 502; and B EDUC 504). Each of these required courses is offered once a year and taught
by a permanent Education Program faculty member. In order to accommodate the high demand for these
courses, the program often authorizes additional enrollment over the expected course limit. The difficulty
with this strategy is that the core courses rely on specific pedagogy for their success: group discussions
that are best facilitated in smaller, seminar-sized groups; faculty supervision of students’ online activities
which makes up two thirds of the course activities; and intensive evaluation of each student’s written
work which comprises at least 50% of the course grade. As a result, a strategy of systematic
over‐enrollment results in a decline in academic quality due to the excessive teaching load.
The preferred strategy for handling this demand would be to offer additional sections of these core
courses so that there is space available for every student who wants to enroll. This would equalize the
teaching load for the course and significantly improve the quality of the student’s educational experience.
However, this option would result in the course being available within the Tuition Exemption program
every quarter and would have an obvious impact on the departments’ FTE calculations resulting in
substantial fiscal constraints. For this reason, the department is recommending the removal of these three
courses from the Tuition Exemption program allowing it to offer the courses in a way that accommodates
all students without consequences to the program’s fiscal stability.
An additional advantage to making this change part of the department’s tuition exemption policy is the
ability to advise potential students on the need to include that tuition when budgeting for the program,
thus preventing unpleasant surprises during their course of study.
Registration Procedures
In order to register using tuition exemption, students should carefully follow the steps identified in UWB
registration guidelines. Questions regarding the procedure are to be directed to the UW Bothell Registrar.
Procedures and Responsible Organization
The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs is responsible for the content of this policy. Changes will be
authorized through adoption by the Chancellor’s Executive Committee and final approval of the
Chancellor. Students with questions or comments about this policy should contact the Office of
Enrollment Management. A review of the policy will be conducted on a biennial basis.
References
This policy complies with the guidelines as found in:
RCW 28B.15.558
UWB registration procedures
WAC 478-160-163(6)
UW Administrative Policy Statement 22.1, Section 3
Revision Date
Reviewed and Forwarded for Approval
____________________________________________________________________________
Susan Jeffords, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Date
Approval
___________________________________________________________________________
Kenyon Chan, Chancellor
Date