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MIT Employee Benefits

ELIGIBILITY

You are eligible to receive assistance under the Tuition Assistance Plan if you are paid by MIT, are appointed to work at MIT for at least one year, and work at least 50% of the full-time work schedule in your department, laboratory, or center. MORE

Time to enroll: Whenever you are eligible — no need to wait for Open Enrollment.

NEXT STEPS

1. Confirm that you are eligible for the Tuition Assistance Plan.
2. Determine if your course qualifies for reimbursement.
3. Request reimbursement.

DETAILS

WHAT IS COVERED

MIT provides tuition assistance to help you build and maintain the skills necessary to develop your career at MIT. The Tuition Assistance Plan covers:

• all levels of study, from GED to graduate level
• courses related to your job or career
• some career counseling or coaching sessions
• tuition for courses at MIT if you have been accepted to MIT as an Advanced Study Program Student or a Special Student
• tuition and some fees including registration, application, computer, library, lab, and curriculum support fees
• a calendar-year maximum of $5,250 in reimbursements, prorated for part-time employees

WHAT IS NOT COVERED

• professional seminars, conferences, workshops, and private study
• books and materials
• printing expenses for resumes and course materials
• travel expenses

WHO IS ELIGIBLE

• you have been appointed to work at MIT for at least one year
• you work at least 50% of the normal full-time work schedule in your department, laboratory, or center
• you are paid by MIT

WHO IS NOT ELIGIBLE

• visitor
• contractor
• postdoctoral fellow
• affiliate
• teaching or research assistant
• honorary lecturer
• consultant
• paid by MITemps
• student in a work-study program
• member of the armed services assigned to MIT
• family member who is not employed by MIT

ADDITIONAL STIPULATIONS

Employees on unpaid leave or long-term disability

• Reimbursement for eligible courses taken during an unpaid leave of absence will be made only if you return to work at MIT.
• If you are receiving long-term disability benefits, your eligibility will be considered on an individual basis.

Members of collective bargaining units

• If you are a member of a collective bargaining unit, all the provisions of the Tuition Assistance Plan are subject to the terms of your collective bargaining agreement.

MIT Advanced Study Program Students and MIT Special Students

• If you are being reimbursed for a course taken as an MIT Advanced Study Program Student or an MIT Special Student, you may not be reimbursed for courses taken in any other capacity during the same term.

Reimbursement

You must submit your request for reimbursement within one year of the course end date. You may request reimbursement online. Follow these step-by-step instructions to obtain reimbursement.

Prepayment option

First-time users of the Tuition Assistance Plan have the option of applying for prepayment before their courses begin. This one-time-only perk was created to alleviate some of the financial pressure associated with undertaking a course of study. The prepayment maximum is $750, and you must have been working at MIT for four months to qualify.

Prepayment is not available for correspondence courses, career counseling or coaching sessions, licensing or certification exams, or review courses. When you complete the course, you must submit proof that you have completed it successfully or return to MIT any money refunded to you by the educational institution.

Taxability

Reimbursements of undergraduate and graduate tuition and fees up to $5,250 are tax-exempt at present. The tax codes are continually subject to change, however. MIT will evaluate the latest Internal Revenue Code and the information provided by you in your application to determine whether the benefits you receive from the Tuition Assistance Plan are taxable.

Detailed summary

For complete plan rules, consult the Tuition Assistance Summary Plan Description (SPD) (PDF). If any conflict arises between the information on this site and in the SPD, the SPD will govern.

Help

For questions about the Tuition Assistance Plan, please contact the Benefits Office.

For technical support with the online tools, contact:

The MIT Computing Help Desk computing-help@mit.edu 
(617) 253-1101

This website is intended as a general overview of MIT's benefits plans only. We have made every effort to ensure its accuracy; however, in all cases, if there are any inconsistencies between this information and the official Plan Documents and contracts, the provisions in each benefits plan's Plan Document will govern.