Evangel drops tuition break for children of employees

Evangel University will no longer offer automatic tuition breaks for students who are the children of faculty and staff.

The longstanding benefit will not be available during the 2026-27 school year.

Evangel confirmed, in a statement, that it “made the difficult but necessary decision to discontinue the employee tuition remission.”

“We recognize the deep value this benefit has held for many of our employees and their families, and we are committed to supporting those with students who are currently enrolled and receiving this benefit as they move through this transition,” the university wrote in the statement.

“We remain committed to our people and are exploring sustainable ways to support employees who desire an Evangel education for their children.”

In response to questions from the Springfield Business Journal, Michael Kolstad, vice president for strategic initiatives, said the university has an estimated 200 full-time faculty and staff.

“The number of impacted students would be 8-12 new students each year,” he said, in a message to SBJ. 

He said over four or five years, an average of 30 to 40 students would receive lower tuition because of the employee benefit.

According to estimated costs posted by Evangel, full-time undergraduate students pay $13,609 in tuition and $665 in fees per semester for the 2025-26 year.

Evangel posted the estimated cost for full-time undergraduate students for 2026-27, which include $15,004 for tuition, covering 12-18 credit hours, and a general fee of $738 per semester. 

The annual total for students who opt to live and eat on campus, which adds expense, is estimated at $41,700 for next year.

Evangel had 2,741 students enrolled during the fall 2025 semester.

Kolstad said the change is expected to save the university money, but it was not immediately clear how much. 

He said the tuition discount was available to all full-time employees but the discount level – which could vary from 50% to 90% – depended on length of service.

In examining the perk, Kolstad said the university learned it was not offering the benefit the same way as many other institutions. 

He said many of other universities required employees to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as a FAFSA, and other financial aid forms to see if they qualified for state subsidies or federal grants.

“Then, after that, the school would come in and add to that,” he said. “It made a lot more sense.”

Drury University provides tuition breaks for the children of employees and Cris Belvin, director of communications and media relations, said families are expected to fill out financial aid forms, including FAFSA.

Missouri State University does not require FAFSA to be filled out in order for faculty and staff, or their spouses and children, to receive the waiver but completing the forms are recommended for all students, according to a spokesperson.

Kolstad said the university is still looking at steps to support employees and their children in the future but acknowledged this change was not well received.

“We’re in a position where we’ve had a lot of wins the last few years, but there are some things we really need to take care of, just in our operations,” he said. “This was one of those.”

Evangel currently offers tuition discounts for eligible students connected to business, church, or organizational partners. They include Assemblies of God affiliates, Global University, Convoy of Hope and others.

Asked if any of that will change, Kolstad responded: “No decisions related to tuition discounts for our partners have been made. This includes General Council of the Assemblies of God employees.”