Next Mile Tuition

Reimbursement Program
Application & Reimbursement Process
Learner enrolls in course and pays tuition. Once you have successfully completed
the course (with a C or better), you may start the reimbursement request process.

STEP 1

Create your InStride account at

[Link] by clicking “Get Started.”
Check eligibility to ensure you meet your DSP’s
tenure requirement and are working 3+ days per week.

STEP 2

Select “Start New Request” from the tuition

reimbursement module on your dashboard. Begin
your request by submitting course information.
In order to qualify for tuition reimbursement, you must be
employed with your same DSP from the time of course enrollment
through completion of the course, submission of documentation,
and until reimbursement payment is received. Please note you
will not be able to complete your tuition reimbursement request
and get reimbursed until you meet all eligibility requirements.

STEP 3

Submit your tuition bill by finding the course under

“In-Progress Requests,” select “View Details.”

STEP 4

Upload documents like your transcript (or

certificate of completion of CDL) and your tuition bill
(or receipt for training).
If you have required textbooks for your course, you can add your
textbook receipt to your request.

STEP 5

Payment will be made via your DSPs payroll

within 30 to 60 days upon approval.
 Table of Contents
Starting a New Course Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1. Creating your InStride account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. Starting a new request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3. Entering course information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4. Changing or editing a course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
5. Completing a course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Submitting Reimbursement Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1. Submitting your request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2. Selecting course for reimbursement . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3. Submitting your tuition bill and grade report . . . . 5
4. Documentation rejection or partial approval . . . . 6
5. Re-uploading and re-submitting documents . . . . 6 Watch the tuition reimbursement video
6. Payment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 or find detailed instructions below:
Questions / InStride Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Starting a New Course Request

1. Create your InStride account at [Link] by clicking “Get Started.”

• During account creation, you will be asked the question, “How do you plan to use your education coverage?” Select
“Get tuition reimbursement for a learning option outside of the education program.”

If you’ve already created your account, sign in using your registered email address and password.

• Once you’ve answered the questions, you’ll be taken to your personalized dashboard where you can start a
new request.

2. Once you have successfully completed your course (with a C or better), you may start a new request.

• Select “Start New Request” from the tuition reimbursement module on your dashboard and follow steps below to
complete your request. You can also learn more by selecting “Tips for submitting a reimbursement request.”

• If you already created an account and did not select the tuition reimbursement option at the time, you can access
the tuition reimbursement module by clicking on the drop-down tool in the top right corner of the module.

| Note: You do not need to submit a request for reimbursement for programs you have enrolled in
through the upfront tuition academic network (courses available on [Link]/programs).
Tuition reimbursement requests are for courses taken at institutions outside of the Next Mile academic
network that you have paid for (or plan to pay for) out-of-pocket.

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 • In order to qualify for tuition reimbursement, you must be employed with your same DSP from the time of course
enrollment through completion of the course, submission of documentation, and until reimbursement payment is
received. Please note you will not be able to complete your tuition reimbursement request and get reimbursed until
you meet all eligibility requirements.
• If you become ineligible during the time of your course, you must wait until you regain eligibility to upload
documents for reimbursement and complete the tuition reimbursement request.
• You must submit your reimbursement request and upload the required documentation within 60 days after your
course’s end date.

3. Enter course information and submit the request

• For each course, you will need to submit an individual request.

• Enter course details. *Note: Make sure you enter the total tuition amount for the course, not tuition amount per
credit.
• Once all fields are complete, select “Continue” to submit your request.
| Requests can be started while the course is in progress, however, you must submit your reimbursement
request and upload their required documentation within 60 days after the course end date.

• Select “Create Another Request” for additional courses, or you can return to your “Reimbursement Summary.”

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 4. If you need to change or edit a course, contact Support at DAsupport@[Link].

5. Course complete

• Once you’ve completed your course, you will receive an email reminder to upload proof of completion and tuition
bill documentation.
| Requests can be started while the course is in progress, however, you must upload the required
documentation within 60 days after the course’s end date to receive reimbursement.

• To submit your documents, return to your Reimbursement Summary in the Next Mile dashboard by logging in with
your email and password at [Link].

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 Submitting Reimbursement Request and Uploading Documentation
1. Submit your request for reimbursement within 60 days of completing the course.
a. In order to qualify for tuition reimbursement, you must be employed with your same DSP from the time of course
enrollment through completion of the course, submission of documentation, and until reimbursement payment is
received. Please note you will not be able to complete a tuition reimbursement and get reimbursed until you meet
all eligibility requirements.
b. If you become ineligible during the time of your course, you must wait until you regain eligibility to upload
documents for reimbursement and complete the tuition reimbursement request.

2. In the Tuition Reimbursement module, under “In-Progress Requests”, select “View Details” for the course
you’re seeking reimbursement for.

3. Submit your tuition bill and grade report on the Request Details page by clicking “Upload Documents.”
You will need a transcript/grade report, tuition bill, and book receipts.

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 Make sure your documents have the appropriate information.

• Upload any of the following documents: Transcript/Grade Report, or CDL Certificate of Completion (example here),
CDL Trainer Endorsement Letter, or Temporary CDL. These documents should include:
| Student name
| Course name
| Grade received or proof of completion
| Credit earned (if applicable)

• Tuition Bill (example here) needs to include:

| Student name
| Course names or term
| Itemized list of specific expenses charged
| Proof of payment
— Receipt(s) for CDL training (proof of payment not required)

• If you’d like to request books that were required for your course, please select Yes from the dropdown and upload
your book receipt. If you do not have a book receipt, select No.
• Review document upload instructions and accepted file types. Select document type from the drop down menu,
choose file and upload documents. If you need to upload more than one document to meet a single requirement,
you may select multiple files by holding the Ctrl key. You must upload your Transcript and Tuition Bill separately.

4. If your documentation is rejected or if your payment was only partially approved and you want to know
more information, return to the page where you originally uploaded documents. Scroll down to the
bottom of the screen next to the history of the documents. This is where you will see a text field with
additional context.

This is where you will see a text field with additional context.

5. Once you have documentation with all of the necessary elements, please re-upload and submit the
documents for review.
• Here is an example of a statement of charges bill with all required fields.

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 6. Payment will be made via your DSPs payroll within 30 to 60 days upon approval. The calendar year
maximum ($5,250) will be applied toward the year you receive reimbursement payment. (E.g. If you
receive $3,000 of reimbursement payment in January 2024, it will count towards your 2024 $5,250
calendar year maximum.)

Questions? Connect with InStride Support and Personal Education Advisors

• Submit the support form and you will receive an email response within 1-2 business days.
• Call a Personal Education Advisor at 1-800-914-5902 for live support

Phone hours:
| Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET
| Saturday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET