A Step-by-Step Guide to Evolving from Tuition Reimbursement to Tuition Disbursement

Thomas Stone - Senior Research Analyst, i4cp

September 5, 2018

In the effort to encourage and empower their employees to pursue continuous development, high-performance organizations are evolving their tuition assistance models from ones that require tuition reimbursement to ones that promote tuition disbursement.

By removing requirements of employee prepayment or reimbursement upon completion, these high-performers are enabling many more employees to participate in valuable tuition assistance programs that will help them achieve their educational goals and pursue uncapped career aspirations.

As detailed in last month's infographic Understanding the Key Elements of Successful Tuition Assistance Programs , developed by UpSkill America at the Aspen Institute and i4cp, high-performance organizations are more likely to use a modern tuition assistance program to attract, develop, and retain quality talent that will help them address current and future organizational needs.

In many tuition assistance programs, organizations pay tuition, fees, and textbook costs for participants’ education. But a reimbursement model can greatly limit employee participation in such programs due to upfront costs requirements or lengthy wait times for reimbursement.

Read how Discover Financial is putting such a program into practice , and check out the second in a series of upskilling infographics, a step-by-step guide to move beyond tuition reimbursement and to a tuition disbursement model:

Thomas Stone, Senior Research Analyst

Tom Stone is a Senior Research Analyst at the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp). He has led major research studies on workforce readiness, hybrid and remote work, HR technology, leadership behaviors, succession management, automation and AI, and other topics. Tom is the regular co-host of i4cp's Next Practices Weekly event series, leads i4cp's HR benchmarking efforts, and is heavily involved with i4cp’s Chief Learning and Talent Officer Board and i4cp’s Workforce Planning Exchange. Tom has 25+ years of experience in the Learning and Development and broader Human Capital industry. Prior to joining i4cp, Tom was Director, Technology Based Learning at Dale Carnegie Training, where he led the product development for their live online and other digital offerings. Earlier in his career Tom also served as a Senior Research Analyst at Taleo and held various positions, including Product Design Architect and Content Development Manager at Element K. Tom is a popular speaker and has spoken at over 150 regional, national, and international conferences on a wide range of topics. He is also co-author of the book "Interact and Engage! 75+ Activities for Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars" (ATD Press, Second Edition, 2022). In addition to his research and writing in the Human Capital industry, Tom is also an avid baseball fan and wrote the book "Now Taking the Field: Baseball’s All-Time Dream Teams for All 30 Franchises" (ACTA Sports, 2019).