State of Indiana partners with Ivy Tech to offer education opportunities for state employees

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The State of Indiana and Ivy Tech Community College today announced a new partnership that will offer state employees an affordable education with no upfront tuition costs.

“This is an investment in our state employees that provide them with more flexibility to pursue education opportunities that ultimately contribute to a stronger workforce,” said Governor Eric J. Holcomb. “We are grateful for this partnership with Ivy Tech that will ease the up-front financial burden for our employees to enroll in courses.”

The state will join Ivy Tech’s Achieve Your Degree (AYD) program. Rather than paying for tuition expenses at the time of enrollment – which can be a barrier for some employees seeking to earn degrees and certificates – the state will pay Ivy Tech directly upon an employee’s successful completion of a course. State employees already have education reimbursement of up to $5,250 per year. Ivy Tech’s full-time annual tuition is less than $4,500, and the agreement with Ivy Tech means that employees won’t have to be reimbursed, but rather can enroll and begin taking classes with no upfront costs. Additionally, the College will provide the state with a rebate of up to 5% of the net tuition paid, which means the state will benefit from an even lower education cost.

All Ivy Tech campuses across the state are participating in the program.

“The State of Indiana is once again leading by example, this time by providing tuition assistance to employees, making it easier for individuals to pay for higher education,” Ivy Tech Community College President Sue Ellspermann said. “Programs like Achieve Your Degree can help businesses build their own talent pipeline through recruitment of individuals without a degree and helping those individuals learn the skills necessary to advance.”

Partnering with Ivy Tech Community College offers state employees access to more than 70 academic programs, as well as opportunities to receive associate degrees, short-term certificates and workforce certifications in various fields. Additionally, Ivy Tech’s Ivy+ Tuition and Textbooks model provides students with free textbooks for required courses through the spring 2023 and a flat rate tuition cost students who enroll in more than 12 credits.

On-site application assistance and academic advising are provided by Ivy Tech faculty and staff to accommodate state employees’ busy work schedules and to ensure appropriate course schedules. Ivy Tech will also provide individualized advising, financial aid and tutoring to foster employee success.

Through partnerships such as the Achieve Your Degree program at Ivy Tech, the State of Indiana can skill-up its current workforce and encourage employees to earn free credentials through on-campus and online coursework.

Tuition reimbursement and assistance is available up to $5,250, to all State of Indiana employees of executive branch agencies who:

• have been employed full-time continuously with the state for at least 12 months prior to submitting their Education Reimbursement program application;
• have not received a disciplinary action in the 12 months prior to the end of the course; and
• have completed the course with a satisfactory grade of at least a “C” or above (or an equivalent “pass” grade).

As part of its NextLevel State Work initiatives, the State of Indiana will continue to pursue partnerships, policies and programs that continue to make the State of Indiana a competitive, engaged and flexible workplace.