You asked why the University of Connecticut (UConn) and the Connecticut State University (CSU) System do not grant tuition waivers to veterans for summer courses.

SUMMARY

The veterans’ tuition waivers apply only to courses paid for out of colleges' tuition revenue and not to so-called "extension-fund" courses paid for from student fees. Extension courses are typically summer and evening classes. Often they are noncredit "enrichment courses" that are not part of degree programs. Extension courses are intended to be self-sustaining, entirely supported by student fees, as opposed to being supported partly by state appropriations as regular programs are. Because the waiver applies to tuition, and summer students do not pay tuition at UConn and CSU, the institutions do not have to waive the course fees for veterans. But in practice, CSU waives half of the fees for eligible veterans.

THE LAW AND VETERANS’ TUITION WAIVERS

The law requires the University of Connecticut, the CSU, and the Community-Technical College System to set tuition fees for the colleges and other fees they deem necessary. It requires the colleges to waive tuition fees for honorably discharged wartime veterans (1) accepted for admission to the institutions and (2) residing in Connecticut at the time of acceptance (CGS §§ 10a-77(d), -99(d), and -105(e)). (Attachment 1 shows the qualifying post-1940 wartime periods. To qualify for the waiver, the veteran, with exception, must have served at least 90 days. )

The law defines “tuition” as a “direct charge for institutional programs, which is clearly delineated from any other fees. ” It specifies that fees charged for educational extension programs and summer school sessions under the statutes authorizing the tuition waivers “shall not be deemed to be tuition [fees]. . . . ”

UCONN

According to the college’s legislative liaison, UConn’s College of Continuing Studies Bachelor of General Studies summer programs are financially self-supporting, that is, the college must generate sufficient revenue from these programs to cover the operating expenses of providing them. All students, including veterans who participate in them, are charged course fees, which are not tuition fees as defined in statutes. (The Veterans’ Administration pays the fees for veterans with a disability waiver, according to the dean’s office. ) Because these are not tuition fees, the college does not waive them for veterans or other students eligible for tuition waivers.

CSU

According to CSU’s legislative liaison, CSU does not grant tuition waivers during the summer because the schools do not charge tuition for summer courses. Rather, they charge fees, which is in keeping with the statute exempting charges for summer courses from the definition of tuition charges. Although the tuition waiver law does not apply to fees, CSU waives 50% of the course fees for veterans who qualify for a tuition waiver. According to the legislative liason, this waiver is basically the equivalent of the tuition waiver. The course fee waivers are made pursuant to CSU Board Resolution 98-10, Tuition and Fee Waiver Authorizations. (The complete text of the resolution is available at http: //www. ctstateu. edu/bot/resolutions/1998/98-10. html. )

Table 1: Post-1940 “Service in Time of War”*

VR: ro