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March 16, 2000

Tuition exchange program an option for college-bound dependents of employees

The national Tuition Exchange (TE) Pro- gram offers dependent children of Pitt employees the opportunity to attend some 450 participating colleges and universities at reduced tuition or no charge.

A Pitt medical professor recently called Suzanne McColloch, the University's tuition exchange liaison, to see whether his son, a sophomore at Duquesne University, would qualify for a TE scholarship at that school.

Both Pitt and Duquesne participate in the TE program. Yet, McColloch had to tell the prof that it was too late for his son because TE applications must be submitted before students enroll as freshmen.

The medical prof "wasn't very happy with me," said McColloch, who is Pitt senior associate director for Admissions and Financial Aid. "I thought, 'Hey, don't shoot the messenger.'"

To McColloch, the incident was another indicator that Pitt faculty and staff with children aren't as familiar as they ought to be with the TE program, which was restructured 12 years ago.

"Some faculty and staff who started work at Pitt 20 years ago, and who now have college-age kids, might not even realize the program exists," McColloch said.

By participating in the Tuition Exchange, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit consortium, schools confer on their employees the right to apply for TE scholarships for dependent children to study at any other consortium member institution.

Each school "imports" about the same number of TE scholarship students as it "exports." Pitt, for example, currently provides scholarships to a total of about 60 students from consortium member institutions. In return, about 60 dependents of Pitt employees are receiving scholarships at consortium schools.

It's not strictly a one-to-one trade between individual participants. McColloch said: "Conceivably, all 60 of our TE scholarship students could go to Syracuse University, if Syracuse would accept them. In return, Pitt could provide scholarships to 60 students from various consortium member schools, not necessarily including Syracuse."

While large schools such as Pitt accept a dozen or more TE scholars annually, small school such as Bucknell may accept only five or six, McColloch said.

TE scholarships typically cover undergraduate tuition for four years, up to $17,200 per year. Fees and room and board charges are not covered.

Pitt Human Resources staff emphasize that the TE program is a scholarship opportunity rather than a fringe benefit. Human Resources assists employees in applying, but can't predict the likelihood or guarantee the acceptance of an individual's son or daughter into the program.

The number of Pitt employee requests for TE scholarships tends to exceed those available. In that situation, selection is based on parents' length of service here. It's rare that children of faculty and staff with less then 10 years of service receive TE scholarships.

Details on the program are available at the Human Resources website (www.hr.pitt edu). Click on "Educational benefits for staff, faculty and dependents." This site provides a list of participating colleges and universities.

General information also is available on the Tuition Exchange consortium's website: www.tuitionexchange.org/coverage.htm

— Bruce Steele


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