Beginning in fall 2007, UAB moved the Educational Assistance certification process online through Oracle Self-Service. Employees interested in taking advantage of the program for an entire academic year must annually certify themselves and eligible dependents/spouses after the summer term and before the fall semester prior to the Drop/Add date on the academic calendar. The certification is subject to validation each semester to ensure eligibility requirements are being met according to the policy.

If an employee has not previously certified for the academic year and the employee or eligible dependent/spouse decides to enroll in classes for the spring semester or for the summer term, he or she may do so and take advantage of the benefit as long as certification takes place before the Drop/Add date for that term.

For example, those interested in taking classes for this spring must certify by the Drop/Add date of Jan. 14. If you fail to certify in time for spring classes, you can certify yourself or other eligible dependents by the Drop/Add date for the summer session.

Online registration for the benefit can be found under the Educational Assistance section of the Oracle self-service menu. Log in to Oracle via www.uab.edu, select the Adminsystems link, then Oracle HR & Finance System.

Employees will then be required to re-certify themselves and eligible dependents annually before the fall semester if they wish to take part in the Educational Assistance Program for the next academic year. Failure to re-certify each year will mean that credit will not be given for the educational assistance benefit.

The Educational Assistance Program is a benefit available to all full-time regular employees and all 3/12-hour shift employees. To participate in the program, an employee must have completed at least six months of continuous service prior to the Drop/Add date for that term.

UAB will pay in-state tuition for up to 18 semester hours taken at any time during an academic year for course work taken only at UAB and only for coursework eligible for UAB academic credit.

Undergraduate students must have at least a 2.0 UAB undergraduate grade-point average on any prior course work taken at UAB and must maintain an undergraduate UAB grade-point average of 2.0 to participate. Graduate students must have at least a 3.0 overall UAB graduate grade point average on any prior course work taken at UAB and must maintain a graduate UAB grade point average of 3.0.

For more detailed information on the Educational Assistance Program including dependents and spouses, visit here. For any questions regarding certification and re-certification for educational assistance, contact your HR consultant directly or HR Benefits at 934-3458.