Application Procedure and Responsibilities

Procedure

  1. The student confirms the institution(s) participate(s) in CIC–TEP. View the list of participating institutions.
  2. The student completes the Student Application Form, which sends an alert to the exporting liaison.
  3. The exporting liaison determines if the student meets the eligibility requirements to use the CIC–TEP benefit.
  4. If eligible, the exporting liaison submits the application to the importing institution(s) via the CIC–TEP Online Portal. 
  5. The importing liaison receives a system-generated email with the application information.
  6. The importing liaison determines if the application is approved or rejected and notifies the student.
  7. The importing liaison also updates the application’s status in the CIC–TEP Online Portal. This update can be viewed by the exporting liaison. To inquire about the status of a particular student, please contact the liaison directly. CIC will not provide specific details about individual applications.

Responsibilities of Student Applicants

  • Students must maintain good academic and social standing and satisfactory academic progress.
  • Students are responsible for all non-tuition expenses such as room, board, and fees.
  • Student applicants must be admissible at the import institution in accordance with regular institutional admission standards and must comply with all of the host/importing institution’s financial aid policies and procedures.
  • Student applicants are required to submit all financial aid awards to the host/importing institution.
  • Students are eligible for the CIC–TEP benefit for a total of eight semesters (consecutive or nonconsecutive).

Institutional Participation Guidelines

  • CIC–TEP institutions must be members of the Council of Independent Colleges. If your institution is a member of CIC, contact tep@cic.edu to enroll your institution in CIC-TEP. Institutions not members of CIC should contact memberservices@cic.edu for membership information.
  • Participating institutions must register annually for the CIC–TEP network.
  • The liaison officer is responsible for maintaining student applications using the CIC–TEP Online Portal, which includes verifying eligibility of export applicants and managing the approval process for import applications. His/her contact information is posted in the online list of participating institutions.
  • Institutions must be registered for CIC-TEP by August 31, 2025 to be a participating institution during the 2025–2026 year and to be eligible to import or export students during the 2026–2027 year.
  • Early registration provides maximum opportunity for student choice.
  • ​To update your institution’s primary CIC-TEP Liaison, email tep@cic.edu with the new contact’s full name, title, email, and phone. Please also include the name of the college president, indicating their approval. 
  • Please contact tep@cic.edu with questions.

Import Institution Responsibilities

  • The import institution determines whether student applicants are admissible, in accordance with regular institutional admission standards and in compliance with all import institution financial aid policies and procedures.
  • The institution is required to “import” a minimum of three new, admissions-qualified CIC–TEP applicants each year. Institutions are not required to consider applications received after April 1.
  • The import institution’s commitment to each student is limited to full tuition remission. Institutions may not grant a partial tuition waiver.
  • Student applicants are required to submit all financial aid awards to the import institution. Import institutions should establish detailed financial award policies. Import institutions may use other financial aid designated for tuition (such as Pell grants and some state scholarships) to offset a portion of the full tuition.
  • The import institution determines whether enrolled students are maintaining good academic standing and satisfactory academic progress.
  • Students in good standing are automatically eligible for up to three years of annual renewal of tuition remission for undergraduate study (for a total benefit of four years or eight semesters). Import institutions are under no obligation to extend the benefit beyond eight semesters.
  • The import institution must update the status of the student’s application through the CIC–TEP Online Portal and, if approved, also update the status to include the student’s decision to accept or reject the award.
  • The import institution may not import their own exports as CIC-TEP award recipients.

Export Institution Responsibilities

  • The export liaison must authorize participation by student applicants as full-time employees of the institution, dependents (according to the IRS definition of dependent), or spouses of full-time employees.
  • The exporting liaison must submit eligible applications received from students promptly to the importing institution.
  • No limit is placed on the total number of students that each institution may export.
  • If the qualifying employee drops below full-time employment at the export institution, or if a participating institution discontinues CIC–TEP membership, benefits will automatically terminate at the end of the current term.
  • The export liaison officer verifies continued eligibility of the student by annually renewing the CIC–TEP Student Application through the CIC–TEP Online Portal in a timely manner.