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Tuition Benefits Changes

June 12, 2025

As the University manages its overall costs, we also must adjust certain terms of our tuition benefits, with no changes to the Dependent Reduced, Dependent Portable or Employee Portable plans for current faculty and staff. Changes to the tuition plans as detailed below will become effective January 1, 2026.  

For Current Faculty and Staff 

There will be no changes to the Dependent Reduced, Dependent Portable, or Employee Portable tuition benefits for current benefits-eligible faculty and staff. 

  • The Enhanced Employee Reduced benefit, which provides 90% reduced tuition without an annual limit for employees with a salary of less than $100,000, will no longer be available to any employee. Current benefits-eligible faculty and staff will remain eligible for the Employee Reduced benefit, which offers 90% reduced tuition with a $12,000 annual limit.  
  • Faculty and staff who take non-credit courses billed through CAESAR at Northwestern, such as certificate courses, may still use the Employee Reduced tuition benefit but will now be subject to an annual limit of $5,250. The annual limit of $12,000 includes the $5,250 limit for non-credit courses.  
  • The Employee Certificate tuition benefit, which provides reimbursement for non-credit courses taken at Northwestern that are billed outside of CAESAR, will no longer be available to any faculty or staff member. 
  • The Music Academy discount for music instruction will no longer be available to any faculty or staff member.
For New or Rehired Faculty and Staff 

Faculty and staff who are newly eligible for benefits, or who have been rehired into a benefits-eligible role with an employment gap greater than 6 months, on or after January 1, 2026, will have different Employee Reduced and Dependent Portable tuition benefits. 

  • The Employee Reduced benefit will offer 90% reduced tuition for an annual limit of $5,250 for all courses at Northwestern.
  • The Dependent Portable benefit will provide payment up to 40% of eligible tuition for eligible dependents taking courses at FAFSA-approved colleges or universities other than Northwestern. There are no changes to the waiting period for these benefits. 
  • No changes have been made to the Dependent Reduced DRU0 or DRU2 tuition benefit for new or rehired benefits-eligible faculty and staff.