A Dissertation Submitted to Mzumbe University Dar es Salaam Campus in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of the Degree of Master of Science in Human resource management (Msc.HRM) of Mzumbe University.This study intended to assess the effects of non monetary rewards to employees’ performance in the public higher learning institutions in Tanzania. The study was conducted with the following objectives: To find out types of non monetary rewards given to employees in the public higher learning institutions in Tanzania; to examine criteria used for rewarding employees using non monetary rewards in the public higher learning institutions in Tanzania and finally explore the perception of employees towards non monetary rewards in the public higher learning institutions in Tanzania. Data were collected through Questionnaires, Interviews and Documentary Review, the analysis of responses, non-monetary rewards are valued highly by the employees, even in the absence of monetary incentives. Among the non-monetary incentives, job related non-monetary incentives are more preferred as the incentive that would increase the employees’ interests in their jobs the most. It is recommended that the Higher learning institutions in Tanzania should adopt a clearly laid out non-monetary rewarding scheme for the employees in the Higher Learning Institutions. Since non-monetary rewarding scheme existing in the Higher Learning Institutions are ineffective, proper policies should be implemented to enable fair promotions to uplift the employee motivations. The study also recommends that for the Higher Learning Institutions to realize the best from its employees, proper training must be provided to enhance productivity/performance. Specifically, the Higher Learning Institutions should conduct regular staff training to help them further their knowledge and skills and enable employees to perform better after the training. The study concludes with direction for future research