Paying for Graduate School: check with your employer!

With tuition costs on the rise, sometimes it can be difficult to justify continuing your education. Mortgage payments, undergraduate loans, and day-to-day costs can cause many in the workforce to push the thought of graduate school aside. If that’s you, hold on one second because the solution to your financing dilemma could be one office down from you! That’s right; your current employer might be able to help foot the bill for your graduate school or certificate courses.

Many employers participate in a tuition reimbursement program and finance up to 100% of their employees’ tuition bills! To an employer, your professional development equals profit. The potential of you creating more efficient systems or providing new ways of analyzing data could save the company millions of dollars. The best part of it all is that you’ll become more marketable in your field!

If you aren’t sure if this benefit is available, consider calling your human resources office. Every program is different, so here are a few key questions to ask your employer/human resources associate before registering for your first course:

Does our company offer a tuition reimbursement program?
How long must an employee work for the company before participating in the program?
Does an employee pay up front for the course and then get reimbursed, or is there another option?
Is there a limit on the number of courses one can take per year?
Is there a certain grade one must achieve in order to receive the reimbursement?
Hopefully your organization does participate in tuition reimbursement and you are now on your way to Office Max to buy binders and pens. Don’t forget to express your appreciation for this great benefit and make sure to relay new information from your courses to your co-workers and boss. Good luck!