- Course Fee Courtesy Policy (Faculty Handbook)
- Course Fee Courtesy annual memorandum
- Sent to Deans, Directors and Chairpersons from the Assistant Provost and Assistant Vice President for Academic Human Resources.
- FAQs about the CFC for Faculty and Academic Staff
- Course Fee Courtesy Application
FAQs about the Course Fee Courtesy (CFC) for Faculty and Academic Staff
FACULTY/ACADEMIC STAFF ELIGIBILITY
Q1. I am a faculty/academic staff member. Am I eligible for the Course Fee Courtesy?
Q2. If I take a leave of absence will my eligibility for the CFC end?
Q3. If I terminate or am not reappointed will my eligibility for the CFC end?
Q4. In the case of retirement or death what happens to my eligibility?
Q5. If I drop below full-time employment will my eligibility end?
Q6. When and how does Academic Human Resources check for continuing eligibility for faculty/academic staff currently participating in the CFC?
STUDENT ELIGIBILITY
Q7. Must a student be admitted to MSU to be eligible?
Q8. Must a student be working on the first bachelor’s degree to be eligible?
Q9. What relationship to an eligible faculty/academic staff member is required for student eligibility?
Q10. Does the number of credits a student has attempted affect eligibility for the CFC?
Q11. Does the number of credits a student takes per semester affect eligibility for the CFC?
Q12. Is there any provision for a high school student taking advanced placement courses at MSU?
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Q13. When do I need to apply?
Q14. How do I apply?
Q15. How often must I apply?
Q16. What action is needed to ensure that the CFC is applied to Overseas Study programs?
Q17. What action is needed to ensure that the CFC is applied to off-campus courses?
FINANCIAL AIDS, REFUNDS, FURTHER QUESTIONS
Q18. How does the CFC affect the student’s financial aid package?
Q19. What happens to CFC funds when a student drops courses or withdraws from school during the refund period?
Q20. Who should I contact if I have further questions concerning the CFC for faculty/academic staff?
FACULTY/ACADEMIC STAFF ELIGIBILITY (full-time = 90% to 100% employment)
Q1. I am a faculty/academic staff member. Am I eligible for the Course Fee Courtesy?
1.1 Full-time appointments in the tenure system; full-time appointments in the specialist, librarian, National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, MSU Extension continuing appointment systems; or other continuing appointment; full-time appointments in executive management positions; and full-time appointments on contracts that specify immediate eligibility for the CFC are eligible for the CFC immediately upon appointment. For administrative purposes, the appointment must begin by September 1 for eligibility for Fall semester, by January 15 for eligibility for Spring semester, or by June 1 for eligibility for Summer semester.
1.2 Full-time Health Programs (HP) faculty are eligible for the CFC upon commencement of the first additional HP appointment. For administrative purposes, the first additional HP appointment must begin by September 1 for eligibility for Fall semester, by January 15 for eligibility for Spring semester, or by June 1 for eligibility for Summer semester.
1.3 Full-time faculty/academic staff with fixed-term appointments (i.e., appointment status is fixed-term, rolling fixed-term, contract, or rolling contract) who are not included in 1.1 or 1.2 above are eligible for the CFC upon attainment of 60 full-time equivalent (FTE) service months. For administrative purposes, the 60 FTE must be reached by September 1 for eligibility for Fall semester, by January 15 for eligibility for Spring semester, or by June 1 for eligibility for Summer semester. (For further information on FTE Service Months see /HRsite/Documents/Faculty/Handbooks/Faculty/RetBenPrograms/vii-fteservice.htm)
1.4 Faculty/academic staff must be covered under 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 above to be eligible.
Q2. If I take a leave of absence will my eligibility for the CFC end?
The requirement of full-time status for the CFC is based on percent employment only. Percent of pay during leaves of absence is distinct from percent employment. Thus, leaves at less than 90% pay and leaves without pay do not affect eligibility for the CFC.
Q3. If I terminate or am not reappointed will my eligibility for the CFC end?
Yes, your eligibility will end at the end of the semester during which you terminate or your last appointment ends, whichever is earlier.
Q4. In the case of retirement or death what happens to my eligibility?
If you are eligible at the time you retire, are vested for retirement, or die; your eligibility will continue indefinitely.
Q5. If I drop below full-time employment will my eligibility end?
5.1 If you have a tenure system or other continuing system appointment, and the change to less than full-time is temporary, your eligibility will continue.
5.2 If you have a continuing system appointment and the change to less than full-time is open ended, and you are not yet vested for retirement, your eligibility will end at the end of the semester during which the change to less than full-time is effective. (Open-ended appointments at less than full-time are not available in the tenure system.)
5.3 If you have a fixed-term appointment, your eligibility will end at the end of the semester during which the change to less than full-time is effective.
Q6. When and how does Academic Human Resources check for continuing eligibility for faculty/academic staff currently participating in the CFC?
For individuals participating in the CFC, a check is made once a semester to determine whether eligibility will be continued for the following semester. In all cases the determination is made based on approved personnel actions that have been entered into the Academic Human Resources database prior to the check date.
The check dates are August 1 for Fall semester, December 1 for Spring semester, and May 1 for Summer semester eligibility.
If an employee is not eligible based on information in the database on the check date, the CFC will stop at the end of the semester during which the check is made. The employee will be notified by e-mail that the CFC will stop at the end of the current semester. If personnel actions that change an employee from non-eligible to eligible status are entered into the database after the check date, the employee must reapply for the CFC. The employee must reapply regardless of the reason the personnel action was not on the database.
Check for Fall semester: On August 1, if the faculty/academic staff member is employed full-time at any time during the August 16 through September 1 period according to the database, the CFC will continue automatically. If not, the CFC will stop at the end of the current Summer semester.
Check for Spring semester: On December 1, if the faculty/academic staff member is employed full-time at any time during the January 1 through January 15 period according to the database, the CFC will continue automatically. If not, the CFC will stop at the end of the current Fall semester.
Check for Summer semester: On May 1, if the faculty/academic staff member is employed full-time at any time during the May 16 through June 1 period according to the database, the CFC will continue automatically. If not, the CFC will stop at the end of the current Spring semester.
STUDENT ELIGIBILITY
Q7. Must a student be admitted to MSU to be eligible?
Yes, student applicants must be admitted or readmitted to MSU in accordance with the normal requirements for admission or readmission. Students taking classes in a status that does not require admission to MSU (such as but not limited to, lifelong education, or guest student status) are not eligible for the CFC.
Q8. Must a student be working on the first bachelor’s degree to be eligible?
The student must be enrolled in Agricultural Technology or a degree granting program leading to a first baccalaureate degree (no preference students are eligible).
OR
Undergraduate students may be accepted into certain graduate professional programs after two years of undergraduate work, or before completing work for a baccalaureate degree. In these cases, a student who is otherwise eligible for the Course Fee Courtesy (except for the switch from undergraduate to graduate professional status) will be granted the Course Fee Courtesy as a special exception, through the semester in which the 120th post-high school credit is attempted.
Q9. What relationship to an eligible faculty/academic staff member is required for student eligibility?
The student must be the dependent child of an eligible faculty/academic staff member. (The child is dependent if she/he qualifies as an IRS dependent of the eligible faculty/academic staff member or if the faculty/academic staff member provides more than 50% of the student’s support);
OR
the student is the spouse/MSU-recognized same-sex domestic partner of an eligible faculty/academic staff member.
Q10. Does the number of credits a student has attempted affect eligibility for the CFC?
Credits attempted must total less than 120. Credits attempted will be calculated by adding to the student's total credits earned (which includes transfer credits, P grades and CR grades) the total of credits for repeated courses and/or for courses in which the student received Deferred, Incomplete, N, W, ET, No Credit and 0.0. Each semester after a student has reached 90 credits attempted the Financial Aids Office will send the student notice of the number of credits attempted.
Q11. Does the number of credits a student takes per semester affect eligibility for the CFC?
The CFC covers part-time student credit loads as well as full-time student credit loads.
Q12. Is there any provision for a high school student taking advanced placement courses at MSU?
A high school student taking advanced placement courses at MSU is not immediately eligible for Course Fee Courtesy. However, if the student is later admitted as a regular student at MSU, is enrolled in classes, and all other elements for Course Fee Courtesy eligibility are met, Course Fee Courtesy credit for the courses taken earlier as a high school student will be applied to current tuition bills. (The ‘yes’ box must be checked on the application for the question “Did the student take MSU credit courses while in high school?”)
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Q13. When do I need to apply?
The application deadlines are:
| June 1 |
for Fall |
| October 1 |
for Spring |
| March 1 |
for Summer |
Applications submitted in accordance with the above deadlines will have the CFC credit appear on the student's bill as a credit. Applications submitted after the deadline including applications submitted after the student has already registered, will be processed. However, the CFC credit may not be shown on the student's current bill but will appear on a subsequent bill.