As we shared in May, additional non-medical benefits changes have been under consideration by Lehigh’s leadership following the 2025/26 Benefits Review. The following are the final changes we will be making as a result of this process.
About the term "Hire Date": For purposes of benefits eligibility, Hire Date is defined as the employee's official first day of work for pay (Effective Start Date), regardless of when the offer of employment was extended or signed.
Education Benefits
Introducing The Tuition Exchange
We are excited to announce that Lehigh is joining the Tuition Exchange. The Tuition Exchange (TE) is a network of more than 710 colleges and universities, located in 50 states/U.S. territories and nine international countries, that offer a reciprocal scholarship opportunity for the dependents of benefits eligible employees at member schools.
The TE benefit opportunity will be available to the dependents of all benefits eligible staff — nonexempt and exempt — and faculty with five years of service.
We will be hosting online information sessions and sharing more information about this new benefit opportunity in the near future.
Changes Effective January 1, 2027
Sunsetting Tuition Cash Grant
With the availability of the Tuition Exchange program, we are sunsetting the Tuition Cash Grant program over the next 16 months.
For benefits eligible staff and faculty whose hire date is prior to January 1, 2027:
- Dependents who begin receiving a tuition cash grant prior to January 1, 2028 will continue to receive the grant until they have exhausted their four years of the benefit.
- No new tuition cash grants will be awarded after January 1, 2028.
Dependents of employees whose hire date is January 1, 2027 or later will not be eligible for the tuition cash grant program.
Undergraduate Dependent Tuition Remission
Five Year Waiting Period
In alignment with our peer institutions, we are eliminating 50% undergraduate tuition remission for dependents during the first five years of employment. As has been the case, when a benefits eligible employee completes 5 years of continuous benefits-eligible employment, their dependents are eligible for 100% tuition remission, subject to admission to Lehigh.
- Employees whose hire date is before January 1, 2027 will still be eligible to receive 50% undergraduate tuition remission for dependents in their first five years.
- Employees whose hire date is on or after January 1, 2027 will not be eligible for dependent undergraduate tuition remission during their first five years of employment.
Policy Clarification
Maximum Number of Semesters of Undergraduate Tuition Remission per Dependent
Dependents receiving the Lehigh undergraduate tuition remission benefit receive a maximum of eight (8) semesters of tuition remission.
If you have concerns about how this clarification may impact your dependent(s) currently receiving undergraduate tuition remission, please contact the Benefits Team.
Maximum Age of Matriculation
To align our policy with general IRS standards of dependency, we are adjusting the maximum age of matriculation (enrollment) for dependent children.
- Undergraduate tuition remission benefit maximum age of matriculation will be 24 years old
- Graduate tuition remission benefit maximum age of matriculation will be 30 years old
Summer and Winter Term
Summer and Winter undergraduate terms will no longer be included in the dependent tuition remission benefit after the 2026- 2027 Winter Term.
Flex MBA Program
The Flex MBA program will no longer be eligible for tuition remission benefits. Employees and dependents/spouses enrolled in the Flex MBA program prior to January 1, 2027 are not impacted by this change.
Employee Graduate Tuition Remission
Continuation of Work Expectation
Employees beginning classes in Lehigh University graduate programs under the tuition remission program after January 1, 2027 will be expected to continue to work at Lehigh for at least two years following completion of their degree or certificate or face the potential of a partial repayment obligation upon separation.
If an employee voluntarily separates or is terminated for cause during the two years following completion of their degree or certificate, the employee will be subject to partial repayment of tuition benefits received. Please refer to the chart at right for detailed information.
| Years of Service | Repayment Obligation |
|---|---|
| 20 or more | No repayment obligation |
| 10-19 years | 25% of graduate tuition remitted |
| 0-9 years | 50% of graduate tuition remitted |
Retirement Plan
Base Contribution Schedule
Employees with a hire date on or after January 1, 2027 will receive base contributions to the Lehigh University Retirement Plan on the following schedule:
| Years of Service | Base Contribution |
|---|---|
| Less than 3 | 3% |
| 3 to 5 | 5% |
| More than 5 | 8% |
All other aspects of the plan are unchanged. Employees with a hire date prior to January 1, 2027 are not impacted by this adjustment.
Additional Resources and FAQ
Information Sessions
Learn more about education benefits changes at an upcoming one-hour information session.
Please reach out to the Benefits Team in Human Resources to discuss your individual situation.
Yes. If your dependent is eligible for the Tuition Cash Grant and enrolled as an undergraduate at another institution before January 1, 2028, they will receive the Tuition Cash Grant for all four years.
Yes. Dependents of all employees with 5 years of continuous benefits eligible service, including faculty, nonexempt staff, and exempt staff, will be eligible to apply through the Tuition Exchange.
No. The Tuition Cash Grant can only be used for tuition. Therefore, a dependent attending a university tuition-free through the Tuition Exchange is not eligible to receive the Tuition Cash Grant.
The recommendations of the Benefits Review Working Group are one piece of a larger set of data used to determine potential changes. In making these decisions, the financial leaders of the university sought to balance the realities of our financial resources with our goal to continue offering excellent benefits that match our values and are competitive with peer institutions. This allows us to continue to attract high quality employees while meeting the needs of our students, implementing the Lehigh Strategy, and fulfilling our mission.
The Benefits Working Group recommended several of the changes announced on August 28th. These are:
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Enrolling in Tuition Exchange Program
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Adjusting maximum age of enrollment
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Employee graduate remission continuation of work expectations and repayment obligation for early separation
We closed the last fiscal year with a balanced budget, as was planned. That discipline has allowed us to make a few investments critical to meeting our goals and mission, such as providing the financial aid needed to give all students access to a Lehigh education, supporting the hiring of outstanding faculty and staff, maintaining critical campus infrastructure, network and systems, and supporting the people who make Lehigh such an amazing University.
But sustaining our strength, especially in the face of increasing competition for undergraduate and graduate students, rising operating costs, increasing healthcare costs, significant needs for maintenance and capital renewal and the decline in federal research funding, requires us to make careful and deliberate choices about where and how we allocate our financial resources. These factors have forced many universities into making significant cuts in programs and personnel. We are hoping to minimize such cuts through targeted cost reductions in areas such as benefit costs.
Visit the Educational Benefits section of the HR website.