Presented below are answers to common questions posed about the FACHEX program. There are two sections of FAQ’s: one for current Boston College employees who are applying to have their child considered for FACHEX at another participating Jesuit University (Outgoing Students), and one for employees of other Jesuit Universities who are applying to have their child considered for FACHEX at Boston College (Incoming Students). Please make sure you review the appropriate section.
Any current employee who is eligible for the Child Tuition Remission benefit at Boston College is eligible to apply to have their child considered for a potential FACHEX award at a participating institution. This benefit traditionally requires 5 or more years of continuous full time service. If you are uncertain about your employment history, or eligibility, please contact the Benefits Office (benefits@bc.edu) for clarification.
Normally not. If you are to become eligible for FACHEX benefits after your child has been accepted as a first-year student, or has completed the first year of college at a different school, you must contact the coordinator at the desired participating FACHEX institution at that time to see if it is still possible for your child to apply for FACHEX. Many schools only extend new FACHEX awards to incoming first-year students so it may be too late. The only exception to this would be a parent who would be FACHEX eligible by September of the year the student would be enrolled. In this case, a certification would most likely be granted, but at the discretion of the Benefits Office (benefits@bc.edu), who you should consult with first if you have any question about your service dates. You should also consult with the Benefits Office (benefits@bc.edu), if you feel you have unique circumstances that would fall outside of this definition.
Probably. If a new employee at Boston College has a child who is currently receiving the FACHEX tuition benefit due to the employee's prior employment at another Jesuit institution, Boston College's Benefits Office will re-certify the employee's eligibility for the continuation of the FACHEX benefit, provided the employee had completed at least five years of full-time service at the previous Jesuit school. This policy will apply only to a student receiving the FACHEX benefit at a Jesuit institution other than Boston College. The new employee will be responsible for providing to the Benefits Office (benefits@bc.edu), appropriate documentation of service from the prior Jesuit institution.
No. If your child wishes to attend Boston College that is covered through Tuition Remission.
No. The FACHEX program, (both incoming and outgoing), is only available to the children of current eligible Faculty and Staff members. There is no adult exchange program currently offered for the Faculty or Staff members themselves, or their spouses.
No. FACHEX, if offered, only covers 4 years of continuous full time undergraduate study during the traditional spring and fall semesters. It is not available for part time study, summer study, or for individual course remuneration.
After September 1st, but before December 1st, the parent employed at Boston College must complete the FACHEX Certification Form and return it to the Benefits Office (benefits@bc.edu). This information will then be entered by the Benefits Office into the Tuition Exchange Database to certify eligibility of the child to participate in the FACHEX program, should an award be available.
Yes. Participating schools have designated December 1st as the last date most will accept certification in the Tuition Exchange Database. For this reason, you should have your FACHEX Certification Form submitted before this deadline to allow time for processing and data entry.
The Benefits Office (benefits@bc.edu) will only process a late certification request if you contact the FACHEX Coordinator at the receiving school FIRST to see if they will still honor it. Many Schools WILL NOT, and the Benefits Office is the only office on campus that can certify your child's FACHEX eligibility in the Tuition Exchange Database, as this certification is dependent on your employment status.
No. Boston College will not assume responsibility for parents who either fail to follow the certification process, or fail to meet the established deadlines of the program. You can try to petition the desired school, but BC will not aid in this process, nor have we seen it be effective in the past.
No. Each school makes its own determination about how many children it can extend FACHEX to, and there is no guarantee to any employee that their child will be able to utilize the benefit at the school of their choice.
The selection process is highly selective. Most of the more popular schools in the program such as Fairfield, Fordham, and Loyola University Chicago often receive 100 or more applications each year for no more than a handful of new awards. Since FACHEX is normally offered to the most academically competitive student(s) in the pool, it is highly competitive both in terms of space and selectivity. You are welcome to contact the FACHEX Coordinator at the desired school to see if they know how many spots they have available for the year your child is applying. You should also consider applying for Financial Aid at the desired school(s), since a Financial Aid offer may make it possible to attend that school should FACHEX not be offered.
Probably not, but each school sets their own policies on these scenarios, so you should check with the FACHEX Coordinator at that school to find out.
Probably Not. As described in a question above, FACHEX, if offered, usually only covers 4 years of continuous full time undergraduate study. You should consult with the FACHEX Coordinator at the affected school and follow what ever guidelines they give you. Each school's policies and practices are different, and Boston College can not advise on their behalf.
Most schools notify a student by April 1st. It is important to realize, however, that once a certification has been entered into the Tuition Exchange Database any communication regarding the FACHEX award will happen directly between the FACHEX Coordinator at the school(s) to which the child has applied, and the child or child's family. Boston College cannot aid in this process, as each school sets their policy regarding how/when FACHEX decisions will be communicated.
Normally not. You should check with the FACHEX Coordinator at the receiving school to see their policy for FACHEX renewals. Traditionally, if your child receives a FACHEX award, it will be automatically renewed on an annual basis provided the student continues to attend the school who offered the FACHEX award full time, and the parent maintains their respective employment/FACHEX eligibility at their home institution. Should a parent terminate their employment and/or subsequently fail to maintain FACHEX eligibility at their home institution, the student’s FACHEX award will be terminated by the receiving institution. FACHEX eligibility status is checked annually by the receiving institution using the Tuition Exchange Database, and only the home employing institution (which at Boston College is our Benefits Office) can re-certify your child as continuing to be FACHEX eligible, since FACHEX is tied to an employment benefit. Should a child loose FACHEX funding, the family would be encouraged to apply for Financial Aid at the school their child is attending. You can contact the Benefits Office (benefits@bc.edu) if you have any concerns about your ability to maintain your employment/FACHEX eligibility.
Probably Not. Most schools only accept FACHEX applications from incoming first-year students. You should check with the FACHEX Coordinator at the desired school(s) to see if this is possible before attempting certification.
No. FACHEX is only available for 4 years of traditional full time undergraduate study.
No. Although the FACHEX program across all AJCU participating institutions utilize the Tuition Exchange Database for FACHEX certifications, Boston College does not participate in the Tuition Exchange program. We only offer FACHEX.
Boston College does not provide generalized admission counseling, nor maintain academic program information about any of the participating schools. We suggest, instead, that you either contact the schools directly, or view their websites. There are also college profiles and major selection information available though outside companies such as the College Board or you can consult the guidance counselor at your child’s school.
The selection process is highly selective. As described above, we receive 100 or more applicants annually for a handful of new available awards. Since FACHEX is awarded to the most academically competitive student(s) in that year's application pool, it is highly competitive both in terms of availability and academic selectivity. There are also NO guarantees to the children of any Faculty or Staff member that they will be able to utilize the FACHEX benefit at the school of their choice.
Students should apply by the Priority Scholarship Deadline of November 1st, and make sure to list their parent's employer as a participating Jesuit University in the Parent Employer field on the common application. FACHEX applicants may choose to have their application reviewed under the Early Decision I, Early Decision II, or Regular Decision considerations, so long as they have all of their admissions materials submitted by the Priority Scholarship Deadline of 11/1. Parents must also contact the FACHEX Coordinator at their Home institution and follow their employer's procedures to have their child certified in the Tuition Exchange database, as eligible to participate in the FACHEX program. Failure to follow the Priority Scholarship Deadline, or to have your child certified as FACHEX eligible in the Tuition Exchange database, will result in failure to be considered for a FACHEX award. There are NO exceptions to this policy, and only a home institution can certify their employee's children as FACHEX eligible in the Tuition Exchange database. BC can not circumvent that requirement for any parent.
No. Early Decision I and Early Decision II are both binding commitments to attend Boston College upon admission. If your child applies through either EDI or EDII and is admitted, they are committed to attend Boston College and the FACHEX award is separate and apart from the admission decision. We strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with EDI, EDII, and RD before deciding upon one of those options. As a condition to being considered for FACHEX, an applicant must apply by November 1st, but they may apply through EDI, EDII, or RD.
No, Boston College does not offer interviews for Admission, or programs like FACHEX. For the fairness of all candidates, only information collected for the admissions application is reviewed. No personal interviews, meetings, or expression of FACHEX interest outside of the application requirements will be considered.
Your child should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission at 617-552-3100 (before the admissions deadlines). They are the ONLY office at BC that can adjust an applicant's admission file.
For data security reasons, the AJCU now requires FACHEX applicants are certified as FACHEX eligible via the Tuition Exchange Database, instead of the formerly used certification letters/emails. Parents should contact their home institution's FACHEX Coordinator to follow their process to be certified. Only the home institution can certify an employee child as FACHEX eligible in the database. Failure to have your child certified in this database, will result in a failure of your child to be considered for FACHEX at any school. There are NO exceptions.
It is the responsibility of the parent/student to research the Admissions and FACHEX policies of the Universities they are applying to, and follow those deadlines/procedures. NO EXCEPTIONS will be accepted.
All FACHEX eligible students applying to BC will be notified by April 1st of their FACHEX decision. The initial FACHEX notification will be sent separate from the Admission or Financial Aid decision letters.
No. Boston College only reviews incoming first-year students for FACHEX. A student not offered the benefit as an entering first-year student will not be offered the benefit at Boston College later.
No. At Boston College, if your child receives a FACHEX award here, it will be automatically renewed on an annual basis provided your child continues to attend Boston College full time, and you maintain your employment/FACHEX eligibility at your home institution. Should a parent terminate their employment and/or subsequently fail to maintain FACHEX eligibility at their home institution, the student’s FACHEX award will be terminated by the receiving institution. FACHEX eligibility status is checked annually by Boston College using the Tuition Exchange Database, and only your home employing institution can re-certify your child as FACHEX eligible, since FACHEX is tied to your employee benefit. Should your child lose FACHEX funding due to lack of maintaining FACHEX eligibility, your family would be encouraged to apply for Financial Aid. Complete information about applying for Financial Aid at Boston College be found on our Office of Student Services website. The Office of Student Services can also be contacted if you have a question about why your child's existing FACHEX award that was re-certified in the Tuition Exchange Database is not yet appearing on their file, as sometimes there is a system delay in the summer, which is normally fixed by August.
FACHEX recipients who participate in a Boston College Study Abroad Program during the fall or spring semester will continue to receive the FACHEX benefit during the academic year. If your child enters a Study Abroad Program not sponsored by BC, it will not be funded through FACHEX, and there is no guarantee FACHEX can be reinstated when the student returns. There are NO exceptions to this policy regardless of major, or circumstance. Summer study abroad programs, regardless of host, are also never covered by FACHEX.
Probably Not. FACHEX at Boston College, if offered, only covers 4 years of continuous full time undergraduate study during the traditional fall and spring semesters. If a recipient decides to interrupt his/her studies at BC they should notify the FACHEX Coordinator at BC before the end of the last funded semester. Reinstatement under FACHEX will depend on the availability of FACHEX openings at the time of reinstatement, and it is not guaranteed.
No. As described in the question above, FACHEX at Boston College only covers 4 years of continuous full time undergraduate study during the traditional fall and spring semesters. You would have to find another source of funding for any summer courses, or summer study abroad experiences.
No. FACHEX is only available for 4 years of traditional full time undergraduate study.
No. Although the FACHEX program across all AJCU participating institutions utilize the Tuition Exchange Database for FACHEX certifications, Boston College does not participate in the Tuition Exchange program. We only offer FACHEX.
Yes. The Office of Undergraduate Admission hosts student-guided tours and comprehensive information sessions. Please refer to their website for the schedule, or obtainment of admission materials.
The FACHEX Coordinator at Boston College does not provide generalized academic counseling. We suggest, instead, that you view BC's website to review our undergraduate academic offerings. There are also college profiles and major selection information available though outside companies such as the College Board, or you can consult the guidance counselor at your child’s school.
Definitely. As explained previously, FACHEX awards at Boston College are extremely competitive and limited in number. For this reason, it is highly recommended that all FACHEX applicants also apply for Financial Aid, since a Financial Aid offer may make it possible to attend Boston College should a FACHEX award not be extended. You can review the Office of Student Services website for more information about how to apply for Financial Aid.
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