Research Foundation Education Assistance Program (REAP)

The Research Foundation Education Assistance Program (REAP) is a tuition reimbursement program available to eligible RFCUNY employees for courses offered by, conducted at a facility of, and leading to an undergraduate or graduate degree from The City University of New York (CUNY).

Program eligibility is as follows:

• RF employees who have been continuously employed under Full-time status for at least one year without a break in service
• Part-time A employees whose scheduled hours equal at least 20 hours of assigned work per week for at least one year without a break in service
• Employees with multiple concurrent Part-time appointments whose cumulative scheduled hours are equivalent to Full-time or Part-time A status for at least one year without a break in service.

The employee must be currently active in an eligible status, as described, on the first day of classes and must continue in such eligible status without a break in service, through the last day of scheduled examination.

For courses taken in pursuit of an undergraduate or graduate degree by eligible matriculated students, actual tuition paid, at then current CUNY tuition rates, for any undergraduate or graduate level courses offered by and taken at any CUNY institution (senior or community college or professional school) as a matriculated student, will be reimbursed as follows: 

• For eligible Full-time (or its equivalent) employees, the program shall pay the full tuition for a maximum of two courses per academic year, regardless of cost.
• For Part-time A (or its equivalent) employees, the program shall pay the full tuition for one course per academic year, regardless of cost.

For certificate, credit-bearing and non-credit bearing courses taken at any CUNY institution, that are job related, as attested to by the Principal Investigator/Project Director, reimbursement will be as follows:

• For eligible Full-time (or its equivalent) employees, the program shall pay the tuition equivalent to that of a three (3) credit undergraduate or graduate level course, whichever is applicable, for a maximum of two courses per academic year.
• For Part-time A (or its equivalent) employees, the program shall pay the tuition equivalent to that of a three (3) credit undergraduate or graduate level course, whichever is applicable, for a maximum of one course per academic year.

Reimbursement for job-related courses is not dependent upon matriculated status.

The program is available to matriculated and non-matriculated students. If non-matriculated, the course(s) must be job-related as attested to by the Principal Investigator/Project Director. The following procedure must be followed to apply for tuition reimbursement:

• Employee must submit an application to RFCUNY's Office of Human Resources on or before the last day the employee is entitled to add or drop the class. Since reimbursement is available on a first-come, first-served basis, employees are encouraged to submit their applications upon course registration. The application process requires that the employee’s (applicant's) Principal Investigator/Project Director confirm that the course(s) for which tuition reimbursement is being sought will not interfere with the employee's work schedule.
• Certificate, credit and non-credit bearing courses not taken in pursuit of a degree requires that the employee's (applicant's) Principal Investigator/Project Director attest that the course is job-related.
• All applications, whether approved or disallowed, will be returned to the employee as soon as practicable. If the application is disallowed, the reason for disallowance will be indicated.
• The employee applicant must inform RFCUNY's Office of Human Resources of any course substitution immediately after registration. The Office of Human Resources will review the amended request, and will inform the employee whether the amended request has been approved or disapproved.
• Upon completion of the courses(s) approved for tuition reimbursement and within 60 days of the last day of final exams, the employee must present the following to RFCUNY's Office of Human Resources in order to receive reimbursement;
  • A copy of the original application, indicating that the course(s) was approved by RFCUNY's Office of Human Resources;
  • Proof of matriculated status in a CUNY degree program (when applicable);
  • The original bursar's receipt indicating the amount of tuition paid directly by the employee (employees will not be reimbursed for any part of their tuition which was covered by financial aid other than by student loans);
  • A copy of the employee's grade report for the approved course(s), indicating the achievement of at least a grade of C, P, or SP if applicable;
  • A copy of the employee's transcript indicating the maintenance of an average of a C or better for the applicable session

•  For certificate, credit bearing or non-credit bearing courses, the employee must present the following to the RFCUNY's Office of Human Resources:
  • Registration confirmation showing the name of the CUNY college attended
  • Name of the course(s) completed
  • The amount paid for tuition
  • Method of payment (loan, credit card, cash, etc.)
  • A signed letter from the college (on college letterhead) stating that they have completed the course or a copy of the certificate

Until further notice, completed applications should be emailed to:  Ratna_Karki@rfcuny.org

The deadline for submissions is the last day that a class can be dropped. The academic year begins with the fall semester.  There will be no rollover of unused funds from one academic year to another.

Reimbursement is not available for remedial coursework. Reimbursement is for tuition only; no fees (including late fees), books, etc. Reimbursement is for actual out-of-pocket expenses, not reimbursed from other sources, e.g., financial aid (other than student loans).

To be reimbursed, the employee/student must prove that they have achieved either a grade of C or better in the course(s) taken, a grade of Pass in a course taken Pass/Fail (limited to one Pass/Fail course per session), or a "P" or "SP" in a non-graded doctoral dissertation course, and that they have maintained an average of C or better for the applicable session.

Eligibility for tuition reimbursement for credit-bearing courses taken in pursuit of a degree extends for up to six (6) consecutive academic years, from and including the year of the first award of benefits.

If an applicant has completed their degree and pursues an additional degree (e.g. completed Master’s and pursuing PH.D), their eligibility for tuition reimbursement on the second degree will commence from the year of their first award of the most recent benefits and extend for up to 6 academic years.

For purposes of this program, a "break in service" is defined as a lapse in employment for a period of time in excess of 30 days, from the end of one appointment and the beginning of the next appointment.

All tuition reimbursements are subject to current IRS regulations. This pertains to the calendar year in which the reimbursement is made, not the academic year in which the class was taken. All REAP reimbursements will be paid in the form of a direct deposit to the bank account(s) on file normally used for payroll. RFCUNY will no longer issue paper checks for reimbursements to employees with direct deposit. The reimbursement will appear as a lump sum in the paycheck and will not be taxed unless the amount exceeds $5,250. In that case, only the amount above $5,250 will be taxed. If an employee currently receives a paycheck in the form of a paper check, reimbursements will continue to be made by paper check.

The Research Foundation reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to amend and/or eliminate this benefit at any time.

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