More parents are opting for jobs to secure tuition discounts for their children in college.

• In 2024, the average annual cost of private college tuition, as per College Data, is $41,540.
• An increasing number of parents are taking advantage of school jobs to access tuition benefits that have been available for years but are gaining popularity due to the rising cost of a college education.
• An Ohio family with multiple children estimates they will receive up to $500,000 in private college tuition at a significantly reduced cost.

Meghan Heater, 46, assembles sandwiches and tosses salads for hundreds of hungry college kids at the University of Dayton commissary in Ohio most weekday mornings.

Heater remarked, "It involves a considerable amount of standing and effort."

As a college staff member, Heater receives a significant discount on tuition at the private Marianist Catholic college with around 8,000 undergraduate students.

The cost of tuition at the university is approximately $47,000 annually, with board not included. Despite this, 96% of the students receive financial aid.

Four years have passed since the heater began working at the school, qualifying it for the highest tuition benefit of 95% off by the time the eldest daughter, now 15, graduates from high school. The two youngest daughters, 13 and 10, are eager to follow in their sister's footsteps.

Employee tuition perks draw parents

Some schools offer lower price tags for college, which appeals to parents like Heater who work there.

Heater, who had been a stay-at-home mom for several years, was trying to find a job that would allow her to spend a lot of time with her kids, like during the summer, while working the same hours as they are in school and still earning a good income.

Heater, whose spouse works at a nearby steel mill, contemplated working at a college. After researching universities in her area and their advantages, she opted for the University of Dayton, which provides tuition benefits for employees and their families.

Approximately 616 out of the University of Dayton's nearly 2,900 full-time employees utilize its tuition remission program for themselves or their dependents, according to Troy Washington, the school's vice president for human resources.

Workers and their dependents can utilize a tuition exchange program, which enables them to transfer their tuition benefits among participating schools, as stated by Washington.

How college employee tuition benefits work

Jacob Channel, a senior economist at LendingTree and a student aid expert, states that the growing appeal of working for a college is due to the spiraling cost of higher education.

Channel remarked that, given the high cost of college, many individuals are likely attempting to exploit it.

According to the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, 90% of colleges and universities offer tuition benefits to the children of full-time employees.

The majority of institutions, 73%, do not restrict the number of credit hours that children can apply the benefit to, meaning there is no limit on the number of classes they can take. However, half of these institutions have a waiting period of one year of service before employees can receive the benefit.

Although the programs are appealing, they come with drawbacks. For example, if the tuition benefit exceeds the IRS' guidelines of $5,250 annually, the excess is usually considered taxable income. The University of Dayton's Washington advises consulting a tax preparer because there may be exceptions and variations in such cases.

Channel advised that although the tax won't eliminate the advantage of the waiver, it's still important to consider it to avoid being caught off guard by a tax bill.

The University of Dayton requires students to meet admission requirements in order to be eligible for a tuition waiver.

'A lot of people don't know about these programs'

Sherry Kirkland, 71, retired after a 17-year career as a financial aid and academic advisor at Wilmington University in Delaware. While her husband worked full time, Kirkland began at the school in a secretarial role and utilized the tuition benefit for herself first.

She discovered the advantage could be applied to her family members after she delved further into her studies at the university.

She was aware of the tuition benefit by the time Kirkland's youngest son was old enough for college, allowing him to fully utilize it, she stated.

Kirkland stated that if he had known that he would have done the same for his other sons, the family would have taken out loans for their older children's education. He advised that getting education for free or at a significant discount is the best way to go.

A lack of awareness about tuition benefits programs may be hindering their popularity, she believes.

Seeing her youngest son graduate from college without a pile of bills was worth the hard work for parents.

Kirkland said, "Graduating him filled me with a wonderful feeling, so good it was."

How to make the most of employee tuition perks

The tuition benefit packages for employees' children differ significantly among schools, ranging from no benefits to full coverage, like Wilmington University.

The timeframe for receiving the maximum tuition break varies; for Heater, it took four years at the University of Dayton, while new hires at Southern New Hampshire University can take advantage of the tuition benefit for dependents after just six months.

Danielle Stanton, SNHU's chief administrative officer, stated that higher education is extremely expensive and not affordable, and as a parent, it can be challenging to help children navigate through it.

Stanton's daughter is currently utilizing SNHU's free tuition benefit, but Stanton emphasized that several factors must be taken into account before accepting a job at a college solely for the tuition discount.

Stanton stated that there are numerous "ifs" to consider, such as determining where your child desires to attend, evaluating the advantages of the college, and determining their eligibility.

She considers it worthwhile to continue heading to the mess hall at University of Dayton each morning, as she believes it will result in $500,000 in education for her daughters at a fraction of the cost if all three attend the college.

If the daughters do not want to attend the University of Dayton, they can explore the tuition exchange program. However, Heather believes that this will not be a problem.

Heater stated that they have been taught that they will be attending UD.