Mission
Statement & Purpose
As part of its mission statement the University System of Georgia and Georgia
Perimeter College are committed to
"the recruitment, hiring, and retention of the best possible faculty,
staff and administration." The Board of Regents of the University System
of Georgia is committed to creating a more educated Georgia. Both of these
commitments extend internally, as well as, externally. As part of its desire to
meet its employees evolving needs, the University System of Georgia (USG) has
established an educational assistance program, the Tuition Assistance Program
(TAP). The purpose of TAP is to foster the professional growth and development
of its eligible employees.
Section
802.18, Career Development, and Section
802.20, Tuition Assistance Program, of The Board
of Regents Policy Manual contain the system-wide policy guidelines for
this program.
Tuition
Assistance Program (TAP) Registration
Each "teaching institution" will establish its TAP employee
registration period. This period will begin immediately after the end of the
"teaching institution's" regular student registration period. The
specific dates for the employee registration period at each "teaching
institution" are listed at www.usg.edu/admin/humres/benefits/tuition/.
TAP enrollment is granted on a space-available basis. At Georgia Perimeter College an employee using TAP must register
during the employee registration period.
An employee who registers during normal student registration will not be
eligible for tuition assistance. At
Georgia Perimeter College, the employee registration period will be published
as part of the schedule of classes.
Please
note that at Georgia Perimeter College, all employee registrations, payments
and tuition waivers must be processed during the employee registration
period. Classes for which fees have not
been paid or waived will be purged during the regular purge for that term.
University
System of Georgia (USG) Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Registration Form
There is a single University System of Georgia TAP registration form. The TAP
registration form is located at www.usg.edu/admin/humres/benefits/tuition/.
Work
Schedule Arrangements
To the extent possible, no employee should take a course(s) that would require
him/her to be absent from work during regularly scheduled work hours. If
attendance in an approved TAP course requires that an employee be absent from
his/her assigned workstation during normal work hours, various accommodations
may be possible, depending upon the needs of the unit/department and of the
employee. The supervisor must certify that the employee's participation in TAP
will not adversely affect departmental services, or, result in undue hardship
for other employees. Alternate work arrangements will only be granted at the
discretion of the immediate supervisor. Supervisors are encouraged to make a
reasonable effort to find an appropriate work schedule accommodation. At Georgia Perimeter College, employees may request approval to take
courses that are held during their regular work hours if ALL of the conditions
below are met:
1. The course is not conducted at any time outside of the employee’s working
hours.
2. There is no acceptable substitute held outside of the employee’s work
hours.
3. The employee’s supervisor must verifiy thet his/her attendance will not
have a negative effect on the department’s services or activities.
4. The employee must claim annual leave or make up the classtime taken during
work hours. All make up time for staff
employees must be within the same workweek.
Tax
Implications for Participants
The federal government currently allows up to $5,250 annually, in
employer-provided educational assistance benefits, to be "tax free"
to TAP participants. This applies to both undergraduate and graduate-level
courses. This "tax free" exemption currently applies through 2010. An
employee must generally pay taxes on employer-provided educational assistance
benefits in excess of $5,250. This amount will be included in your wages (Box 1
of your Form W-2). A tax professional should be consulted for further
information concerning taxable tuition.
Ineligible
Programs
Employees may not enroll in certain programs or courses of study under the TAP
policy.
Those
ineligible programs, or courses of study, include academic courses in the
following professional schools: dental, law, medical, pharmacy, veterinary, or
executive/premiere or comparable graduate school programs. Other ineligible
programs, or courses of study, include: workshops, seminars, continuing
education courses, management development programs, special examinations for
admissions to degree programs, or private consultant refresher courses to take
examinations such as C.P.A. certification, admissions examinations, and related
types of programs or classes. Support for these types of programs, may be
provided by departmental policies.
Appeals
An employee may not appeal any institutional decision regarding the TAP program
to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia or to the President
of Georgia Periemeter College. Each USG institution will utilize its internal
review process to review TAP application denials. At Georgia Perimeter College, an employee cannot appeal a
decision based on schedule/work hour conflicts as they relate to departmental
services or eligibility. It your
request is not approved for other reasons, you may appeal the decision to the
Campus Provost or Vice President, whichever is appropriate. The appeals process must be complete prior
to the employee registration period.
The appeal must be in writing and clearly state why the course should be
allowed. The Provost/Vice President
must notify the employee of their decision within 5 working days of the receipt
of the appeal. If the appeal is
approved, all supporting documentation must be attached to the TAP application
form and forwarded to the Human Resources Department.
University
System of Georgia TAP Coordinators
The name, title, address, e-mail address, telephone number, and FAX number for
each institutional TAP Coordinator may be found at www.usg.edu/admin/humres/benefits/tuition/.
Eligibility
The tuition assistance program is available to full time benefits-eligible
employees of the USG who have successfully completed at least six (6) months of
employment in a benefits-eligible position, as of the date of the TAP
application deadline for the desired academic semester.
Process
·
An employee
will be required to go through the regular student admissions process, prior to
applying for TAP; and
·
An employee
must complete a TAP application for each semester in attendance.
·
An employee
must have the approval of the department manager and the Human Resources
Department. In addtion, space must be
available in classes.
·
An employee
must agree to satisfactorily complete the course(s) and show evidence of
completion.
Maximum
Credits
·
An employee
may seek approval to enroll in up to eight (8) academic semester credit hours
for each of the three designated semester periods: Fall Semester, Spring
Semester, and Summer Semester.
TAP
Application Deadlines
·
The
following University System of Georgia TAP application deadlines will apply to
all University System of Georgia institutions: (If any of these dates fall on a
holiday or on a weekend, the application deadline will be the last business day
prior to the dates identified.)
Fall Semester
July
15th
Spring Semester November 15th
Summer Semester April 15th
Distance
Learning and Web-Based Courses
·
TAP
participants may enroll in distance learning and web-based courses offered by
the University System of Georgia. If the tuition for these courses is greater
than the System-approved normal tuition amount, USG institutions may elect to
waive only that portion of the tuition that does not exceed the System-approved
normal tuition amount. An employee will be responsible for paying the remainder
of the tuition cost.
Grade
Requirements
·
An employee
must receive a grade of "C", or better, in each approved TAP course.
The employee must furnish a copy of his/her grade(s) to the TAP Coordinator of
the "home institution".
·
An employee
who receives a grade of "D", or below, in an approved TAP course will
be ineligible to participate in the program for one semester. In an instance
such as this, the TAP participant will not be personally responsible for
repayment for this course.
·
An employee,
who receives an "Incomplete" in an approved TAP course, will have
until the end of the following semester to complete the coursework and submit
his/her final course grade to the TAP Coordinator of the "home
institution". An employee must do this to continue participating in the
TAP program the next academic semester.
Other
Restrictions and/or Conditions
·
TAP is a
supplemental educational assistance employee program. An employee who is
eligible for Pell Grants must apply his/her Pell Grant monies toward tuition
and fees before receiving a TAP waiver.
·
If an
employee withdraws from an approved TAP course prior to its completion, the
employee will be ineligible to participate in TAP for one semester.
·
Eligibility
for TAP participation does not guarantee admission into all University
System of Georgia degree programs:
An employee must follow the policies and procedures of the "teaching
institution" in which he/she enrolls to be formally accepted as a TAP
participant for limited-slot enrollment programs. Upon receiving approval to
participate in a limited-slot enrollment program from the "teaching
institution", the course(s) should be listed on the TAP application.
·
Participation
in the TAP program does not guarantee continued employment with the University
System of Georgia.
|
Responsibility |
Required Actions |
|
Employee |
1. Completes and signs the TAP
application (available on line at www.usg.edu/admin/humres/benefits/tuition/).
|
|
Immediate Supervisor |
3. Promptly reviews the TAP application
and advises the employee if his/her request is approved or denied. |
|
Immediate Supervisor &
Employee |
4. If an approved TAP course(s)
is scheduled to meet during an employee's regularly scheduled work hours, the
immediate supervisor will advise the employee if his/her work hours must be
rescheduled; or, if the employee's class hours must be reported as annual
leave (if available). |
|
Immediate Supervisor |
5.
Signs the approved TAP application and forwards the original document to the
TAP Coordinator of the employee's home institution by semester deadlines: Fall
Semester
July
15th |
|
Immediate Supervisor &
Employee |
6. Each retains a copy of the
approved TAP application for departmental and personnel files. |
|
TAP Coordinator of the Home
Institution |
7. Verifies employee eligibility
and grants "home institution" approval. Notifies the TAP
Coordinator of the "teaching institution" within ten (10) business
days of the application deadline. |
|
TAP Coordinator of the
Teaching Institution |
8. If the TAP participant
enrolls in a limited-slot academic class at a "teaching
institution", the TAP Coordinator of the "teaching
institution" will advise the TAP Coordinator of the "home institution"
if the employee will be accepted as a class member. |
|
Employee |
9. Registers for TAP course(s)
during the designated employee registration period of the "teaching
institution". (Please see www.usg.edu/admin/humres/benefits/tuition/.)
|
|
Employee & Immediate
Supervisor |
10. If a desired course(s) is
filled before the employee registration period, the employee may receive
approval from his/her immediate supervisor to enroll in an alternate
course(s). The employee will be required to notify his/her "home
institution" TAP Coordinator in writing or by e-mail of this decision,
and, the employee will be required to notify his/her immediate supervisor of
the change. |
|
Employee & TAP
Coordinator (Home Institution) |
11. The employee must submit a
copy of his/her final grade to the TAP Coordinator of the "home
institution" to continue participation in the TAP program. |
The
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia reserves the right to
change this program, with or without notice.
Full
Time Employee
A full time employee is an employee who has a 1.0 FTE (full time equivalent)
work commitment.
Home
Institution
The location where the employee conducts the major portion of his/her work
and/or research is considered the "home institution". The "home
institution" must be located within the State of Georgia.
Exceptions:
1.
The home
institution for an out-of-state employee is the employing institution located
within the State of Georgia.
2.
The home
institution for a University System Office employee is the institution at which
he/she is admitted as a student.
Limited-Slot
Enrollment Program
A limited-slot enrollment program is a degree program for which there are a
limited number of spaces allowed in the program, and, for which there may be
additional criteria required (such as work experience in a related field).
Student Fees
TAP participants are identified as faculty or staff, and, their status as a
student is secondary in all considerations, including student fee waivers.
The
following fees are waived by all USG institutions for TAP attendees: tuition, student late registration fee, student technology fee,
student health insurance fee, student activity fee, and student
athletic/recreation fee. TAP attendees, whose student health fee, student
activity fee, and athletic fee are waived, are ineligible for
the services sponsored by these fees unless the fees are paid separately.
Other
student fees and charges, as defined by the "teaching institution", are
not waived for TAP attendees. Such student fees must be paid as required
by the course or institution (e.g., transcript, graduation, exam and testing
fees, and lab fees).
Teaching
Institution
The "teaching institution" is the University System of Georgia
institution at which a TAP participant has met the admissions requirements and
is approved for enrollment in an academic credit course(s).
Tuition
Assistance
Tuition assistance is the waiver of tuition and the waiver of certain
fees (Please see Student Fees). Tuition assistance requires an
approved TAP application and space availability within the course(s) and/or
degree program of the institution
Revised to reflect mandatory Board of Regents policy
changes, 11/1/04
Policy title changed from Tuition Remission &
Reimbursement to Tuition Assistance Plan, 11/1/04