University of California, Berkeley

Free UC Berkeley Extension Courses for Eligible Staff Employees

We are pleased to announce Sponsored Tuition for selected courses at UC Berkeley Extension, available to eligible staff employees.

Operational Excellence is improving administrative efficiency so we can better support UC Berkeley’s academic excellence. To support Operational Excellence, the Center for Organizational and Workforce Effectiveness (COrWE), in cooperation with UC Berkeley Extension, is providing free tuition at the time of enrollment for selected Extension courses. We encourage UC Berkeley staff employees to enroll in and complete courses that develop skills critical to success in the Operational Excellence environment.  

Prior to enrolling, the employee must:

  • Satisfy eligibility requirements
  • Obtain the support and signature of his/her supervisor
  • Sign a waiver allowing information to be given to UC Berkeley about enrollment and course completion

Because the funds available to support this program are limited, eligible staff employees may only receive sponsored tuition for up to three (3) courses between January and December.  The employee is responsible for incidental expenses such as books and lab fees. Failure to complete a course successfully may jeopardize eligibility for future participation.

Choosing Courses

At UC Berkeley, workforce learning and development is a joint, on-going effort on the part of employees, supervisors, and the campus. Employees should discuss available Extension courses with their supervisors to determine which courses can develop skills for current or future job duties and are a good fit with development plans and career goals. Employees must plan and receive supervisor approval for leave arrangements if they want to attend a course during working hours.

To View a list of available courses, log in to the UC Learning Center (see "Information and Enrollment", below). Program areas eligible for sponsored tuition include:

  • Business and Management
  • Computer Technology and Information Management
  • Environmental Engineering and Management
  • Writing, Editing and Technical Communications

Eligibility Requirements

  • UC Berkeley employee in an eligible personnel program, currently PPSM (PSS and MSP). Eligibility updates will be available in the “Sponsored Tuition at UC Berkeley Extension Program Description” in the UC Learning Center, available via Blu.
  • Career staff employee (appointments 2 and 7) or a contract staff employee (appointment 1)
  • Completed at least six months of service
  • Performance must be satisfactory or above with no formal written disciplinary action
  • On pay status at the time of enrollment

Information and Enrollment

For more information and enrollment instructions, visit the UC Learning Center:

  • Go to blu
  • Authenticate using your Calnet ID
  • Select UC LEARNING CENTER in the SELF-SERVICE section
  • In the Search box, type Sponsored Tuition
  • There will be two documents to review:
    • Sponsored Tuition Enrollment Form
    • Sponsored Tuition Program Description and Course Schedule
  • Click on the document you wish to view and select START

You can also find these instructions on our Learning Support page, under "Continuing Education."