Tuition Exchange

Stetson University takes part in two tuition exchange programs: the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and the Tuition Exchange Program (TEP). These programs offer a chance for you, as a dependent of eligible faculty or staff, to receive a scholarship at other schools that are part of the consortium. Each school in the program has its own rules for accepting students (imports) and sending students (exports).

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If you are a tuition exchange import, you're a student from another school looking to attend Stetson University through one of the tuition exchange programs.

On the other hand, if you are a tuition exchange export, you're the dependent of a Stetson University faculty or staff member who is trying to get into one of the other schools that are part of the tuition exchange program.

For an up-to-date list of participating institutions, you can visit the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and Tuition Exchange Program (TEP) websites.

You should first complete Stetson University's Preliminary Application by November 1 to find out if you are eligible for the tuition exchange benefit. Once your application is approved by the Office of Student Financial Aid, follow the steps below depending on which program you are applying to (CIC or TEP).

The schools you are applying to will notify your family once they have made a decision about the Tuition Exchange Scholarship. This usually happens in the spring semester. By April 1, make sure to let Stetson University's Tuition Exchange Liaison know in writing whether you are accepting or rejecting the Tuition Exchange Scholarship and which school you will be attending.

Preliminary Application

The preliminary application deadline is November 1. You should turn in your pre-certification application as soon as possible so that your eligibility can be determined. Be sure to complete your admissions applications to the schools you're applying to in a timely manner to give yourself the best chance at receiving a Tuition Exchange Scholarship.

Tuition Exchange Guidelines Exports (PDF)
Preliminary Application for Exports (PDF)

You can find detailed guidelines, requirements and FAQs on the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) website.

Once the Office of Student Financial Aid confirms you're eligible to export, you and your parent will need to complete an online CIC application.

The importing liaison at the school you are applying to will get an automatic email with your application details. They will decide whether to approve or deny your application and let you know.

Afterward, the importing liaison will update the status of your application in the CIC-TEP Online Portal, which can be seen by Stetson University's exporting liaison.

Once the Office of Student Financial Aid confirms your eligibility, you can go ahead and submit the online TE-EZ application. When you fill out the application, make sure to enter valid email addresses for both you and your parent. You can choose up to 10 schools on the application.

After submitting your application, Stetson University's exporting liaison will be notified.

If Stetson University confirms your export eligibility, your EZ application will be sent to the chosen schools you listed. If your application is not eligible, both you and your parent will be informed, and the application will not be forwarded to the chosen schools.

At this point, the schools you applied to will handle the rest of the process.

Starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, the TEP Tuition Exchange scholarship at Stetson University is available to you at $43,000. This amount includes other types of financial aid, like the Pell Grant, Florida Bright Futures, the Florida EASE Grant, and more. In addition to the Tuition Exchange Scholarship, you can also receive federal student loans and private loans if needed.

Tuition Exchange Imports must complete the FAFSA

Tuition Exchange Guidelines for Imports

Stetson University participates in two tuition exchange programs for dependents of full-time faculty and staff employees at member institutions.

The Tuition Exchange, Inc. (TEP) has members from approximately 600 U.S. colleges and universities.

Colleges and universities participating in this program have agreed to waive some or all tuition for participants from other member institutions.

The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) membership includes more than 370 institutions throughout the United States.

This is a network of CIC colleges and universities willing to cover the tuition charges of students from families of full-time employees of other CIC participating institutions. Spouses and dependents of the full-time employees of the CIC participating institutions are eligible. Each participating institution in CIC agrees to accept (import) three or more students from other colleges without regard to the number of students it exports.

Incoming students need to apply to the institution where their parent or spouse works; the student will be considered an ‘Export’ from that college or university. Meanwhile, the student is

considered to be an ‘Import’ here at Stetson. Student applicants must be admissible and must comply with all of the host/importing institution’s financial aid policies and procedures.

The CIC Tuition Exchange Scholarship is a full-tuition scholarship inclusive of other federal, state funding and outside funding. The TEP Tuition Exchange Scholarship is $43,000 and is inclusive of other federal, state funding and outside funding.

For example, if a student is eligible for a Pell Grant or the EASE or Bright Futures, this ‘external funding’ is not awarded on top of the Tuition Exchange Scholarship. The Tuition Exchange Scholarship is reduced by the other funds.
In other words, the student’s total financial aid award, disregarding loans, covers the cost of tuition.

Here are other informational aspects.

The Tuition Exchange Scholarship replaces any previous scholarship awarded by Stetson.
Any room and board charges will need to be covered by the student’s family.
Tuition Exchange Scholarships are only awarded for Fall and Spring semesters. Summer session charges are not covered.
The Tuition Exchange Scholarship cannot be awarded for Study Abroad. Tuition costs are covered only on the DeLand campus.

The importing institution sets the number and criteria for award decision. Satisfying admissions criteria does not make awards automatic. The primary obligation of Stetson and each member institution is to maintain a balanced student exchange pattern. That means keeping a reasonable match between students from Stetson going to other schools (exports) and students coming to Stetson from other schools (imports). A member institution may import as many as it wishes. It may not however, export more than it imports.

Procedure:

Simultaneously, the applicant does the following:
1. Applies for admission to Stetson University.
2. Completes a FAFSA and CSS Profile
  1. Stetson’s FAFSA school code: 001531
  2. Stetson’s CSS Profile school code: 5630
3. The employee of the participating institution (the parent or spouse of the applicant) applies to their employer to participate in the TEP or CIC program.
The deadlines for consideration for a Tuition Exchange Scholarship are:
1. Student must be accepted to Stetson by February 15, and
2. Stetson must be notified regarding the student’s Tuition Exchange application by

February 15.

Stetson is notified by the ‘exporting’ institution regarding the application for participation in the TEP or CIC Programs. The student’s status as a ‘potential’ recipient of the tuition exchange scholarships is coded in Connect. The student receives a letter confirming this status.
1. NOTE: This status as an applicant for TEP or CIC awards does not interfere with the Merit Awarding process as an applicant to Stetson.
The selection of the TEP and CIC recipients is made by March 1. The selected students are notified within two weeks. No late applications will be considered.
By May 1, the students awarded the scholarship must notify Stetson’s Tuition Exchange Officer in writing of their acceptance or rejection of the TEP or CIC Scholarship.

Recertification:

The exporting institution will notify Stetson, directly or indirectly, when the student is re- certified as an Export for the following year.

The student will be notified regarding the renewal of the TEP or CIC award for the following year as soon as:

Official Spring grades are recorded by the Registrar, and
Re-certification from the certifying school is received.

Students participating in the TEP or CIC scholarship program must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Stetson University’s SAP policy may be found in the catalog.

Please feel free to contact the TE Officer if you have any questions regarding Tuition Exchange: