Microsoft Tuition Reimbursement | How Does it Work?

Many companies in the U.S. offer education benefits to students in the form of tuition assistance or tuition reimbursement. Working for companies that pay for college tuition, like Microsoft, can be a great way for employees to further their education.

Microsoft doesn't advertise its tuition benefits, but they do offer tuition reimbursement benefits to eligible employees. Keep reading as we dive into how Microsoft tuition reimbursement works.

Does Microsoft Offer Tuition Reimbursement?

Tuition reimbursement programs are programs where students pay out-of-pocket for their degree program, and then their company pays them back what they spent. These differ from tuition assistance programs, in which the company pays the college or university directly.

Microsoft is pretty tight-lipped about employee benefits, but it appears they offer some form of a tuition benefit to eligible employees. However, it is unclear if this is a tuition reimbursement program or tuition assistance.

Understanding Microsoft's Tuition Reimbursement Program

Microsoft doesn't advertise specific employee benefits and perks, but it's clear they offer some tuition reimbursement for eligible employees. We've scoured the web and listed what we do know below.

Tuition Assistance

According to Fortune, Microsoft offers tuition assistance to cover the cost of tuition, books, and other fees for any course related to business. Ex-employees on Fishbowl don't specify a field of study but say that the program needs to be approved and that the process goes faster if your field of study is related to your career or career goals.

For example, if you're an entry-level software developer and want to earn a master's in software development, the tuition assistance plan should cover your tuition costs. However, this is not clearly stated on the public Microsoft website.

Microsoft also has partnerships with universities that offer debt-free programs. They also have some partnerships where universities will give opportunities to defer tuition payments and access discounts.

Reimbursement Limit

Through Microsoft's tuition assistance program, students can receive up to $10,000 per calendar year to pay for degrees and certifications at an accredited university. However, there is no lifetime cap on this number, according to Fortune, so you can use up that $10,000 cap every year until you've completed your program.

Are Costs Associated With Books and Supplies Covered?

According to Cordant, the tuition reimbursement program at Microsoft covers tuition, books, and supplies.

Keep in mind that there is no separate stipend for books and supplies. The $10,000 Microsoft provides is for tuition, fees, books, and supplies altogether.

Eligibility

Microsoft does not state to the public which employees are eligible for the tuition assistance program. In many companies, only full-time employees are eligible for benefits, but some companies extend benefits to part-time employees as well.

The Microsoft career website says only that U.S.-based employees have access to benefits. However, it does not specify when those benefits go into effect and whether they are for all employees or only full-time employees.

Employment Status

Regardless of what employees receive Microsoft benefits, if you are a benefit-eligible employee, you will need to be employed by Microsoft to obtain these benefits.

Some companies require students to be employed with the company when they start their course and when the course concludes to receive tuition reimbursement. Microsoft does not state if this is their policy or not.

What Educational Programs Does Microsoft Cover?

According to Fortune, Microsoft only covers tuition for business programs. Other resources online say that the courses have to be related to your career or career goals at Microsoft, meaning if you want to become a software engineer you could take software engineering courses - for a data science career you could take data science courses.

There doesn't appear to be a limit to the program level that is covered (e.g., master's degrees). This means you may be able to get your tuition expenses covered for bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, certificates, and other types of professional development.

Is There a Minimum Grade Requirement To Maintain Benefits?

Many employers set a minimum grade requirement to maintain benefits, but not all do. For example, Apple sets a minimum of a B-, while Starbucks does not list a minimum, although they will not cover courses you fail.

Microsoft does not state to the public if there is a minimum grade requirement to maintain benefits. If you're an employee, check your benefits statement to learn more.

Application Process

Microsoft doesn't state on their benefits page how to apply for benefits at Microsoft. However, Microsoft uses EdAssist by Bright Horizons, an organization that helps companies manage employee education benefits. Below, we've listed the information we were able to find about the application process.

Pre-Approval

To use your Microsoft tuition assistance plan, you'll need to ensure that both you and your program are pre-approved for this plan.

According to users on Fishbowl, you'll need management approval to use your education benefits, and management may also need to approve the program you're applying for. You must also ensure your school or program is listed on the EdAssist site.

Enrollment

While Microsoft doesn't have public documents stating how the enrollment process works, you'll likely start by applying to and enrolling in your pre-approved program.

Once you've done this, you'll fill out an application for tuition assistance on the EdAssist portal for Microsoft employees. The website should tell you exactly what you need for the application.

Academic Support

Many colleges and universities provide academic support services to help students navigate higher education. These can include career services, tutoring services, accessibility services, and more.

Students struggling to obtain their tuition assistance or who need help determining what is considered an eligible expense should reach out to EdAssist or their HR or Benefits team.

Microsoft HR or Benefits Department

Most companies, especially corporations, have a human resources (HR) department. HR departments are responsible for managing the relationship between companies and their employees and handling things like hiring, training, and setting base salaries and benefits.

In large companies, there is a specific department within HR that handles benefits. Microsoft offers a variety of benefits to eligible employees, including discounted childcare, adoption assistance, health savings accounts, health insurance, and other general healthcare and wellness benefits. This is also the department to talk to if you need help with your education benefits.

What Is the Microsoft Tuition Scholarship?

The Microsoft Tuition Scholarships are scholarships offered by Microsoft to help students who are not Microsoft employees. These scholarships are gifts that go toward your tuition costs and don't need to be repaid.

Who Is Eligible?

Eligibility varies between programs, but generally, you must:

• be enrolled full-time in a bachelor's degree program at a four-year college or university in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico
• be working toward an undergraduate degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related STEM discipline
• maintain at least a 3.0 GPA

Some programs have more specific requirements. For example, Microsoft's HOLA Scholarship is for students of Hispanic or Latinx descent, while the BAM scholarship is for those of African descent, including African Americans.

Does Microsoft Pay for Graduate School?

Through Microsoft's tuition assistant program, students can earn graduate degrees as well as undergraduate degrees and certificates. There is no specific level of degree the program will pay for.

This is a great opportunity for Microsoft employees to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or to pursue continuing education to further their careers.