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KALAMAZOO—Beginning with the summer II session that begins June 27, Western ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ University will offer a payment deferral option to students whose employers will reimburse the cost of tuition.

The move is designed to ease the path of mid-career professionals who want to enhance their credentials but have a difficult time balancing family finances and semester-start tuition costs. Previously, many of those students paid their tuition costs and waited for reimbursement for several months until they had successfully completed the course and could document that fact.

"We've heard from both students and their employers that access to the caliber of degree programs WMU offers is what they want, and a strategy like this would greatly improve that access," says Dr. Susan Stapleton, dean of the Graduate College. "This will be an enormous benefit to people pursuing advanced degrees in business, engineering, health care and many other areas that will enhance the skill sets they bring to the work force."

Tuition payment deferral

This plan is open to all students—undergraduate and graduate—whose employers provide reimbursement. To apply for a deferment, a student must complete the application/promissory note and have the employer complete a form to verify eligibility for reimbursement. Instructions and the application can be found here.

The application can be submitted as soon as three weeks prior to the start of a class; a new application must be submitted for each semester. Once the University notifies the student of acceptance, the student will have to pay a $50 enrollment fee per semester and enter a checking or savings account that will automatically be charged 30 days after the semester ends.

Students who apply for the deferment cannot have any outstanding balance on their student accounts, and they must pay for any portion of tuition and fess that are not covered by their employer.

For more information, contact the Accounts Receivable office at (269) 387-2948.