Tuition Assistance Program at Valdosta State

Visit USG Tap Policy for more information and details.

TAP eligibility approval does not guarantee admission into University System of Georgia degree programs. Some programs may have restrictions or limited-slot enrollment for TAP participants. For questions regarding program limitations or restrictions, please contact the program of study for details.

TAP Information:

  • TAP is an employee supplemental educational assistance program that fosters the professional growth and development of eligible employees.
  • USG Employees can attend any USG institution under the TAP program.
  • An employee may seek approval to enroll in up to nine (9) academic semester credit hours for each of the three designated semester periods: Fall Semester, Spring Semester, and Summer Semester.
  • The following fees, if applicable, are waived for TAP attendees: tuition, student late registration fee, student technology fee, student activity fee, student athletic/recreation fee and VSU online course fees. This includes all mandatory VSU student fees. Other fees and charges at VSU not waived include those required by the course or institution such as transcripts, graduation, exam/testing fees, lab fees, and student health insurance fees. TAP students are required to complete the student health insurance waiver each semester to have the student health insurance charge waived.  Any remaining balance not covered by TAP must be paid by the fee payment deadline to avoid cancellation of course schedule.
  • Scholarship and grant money awarded to TAP participants will be applied to your balance before TAP is applied. TAP is a supplemental educational assistance employee program.  In addition to all scholarships and gift aid being applied to your balance before TAP, an employee who is eligible for Pell Grants must apply his/her Pell Grant monies toward tuition and fees before receiving a TAP waiver. 
  • The federal government currently allows up to $5,250 annually, in employer-provided educational assistance benefits, to be “tax free” to TAP participants. This only applies to graduate-level courses (students taking UG classes do not have an annual taxability limit). An employee must generally pay taxes on employer-provided educational assistance benefits in excess of $5,250 unless a graduate tax waiver form is approved.  If applying for the graduate tax waiver, the TAP participant will submit this form to the TAP coordinator of the home institution each semester (tap@valdosta.edu).  If you are not approved for the tax waiver or choose not to submit a waiver form, the taxed 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. 
  • Employees participating in TAP are encouraged to monitor their tuition charges within the student portal each semester and promptly contact the Bursar’s Office at their school of enrollment for an explanation of tuition amounts.
  • If you are a VSU employee and taking classes at VSU, as a TAP participant, you are eligible to apply for the COSA Blazer Book Award Scholarship! Click here to submit an application for the Blazer Book Award Scholarship. If you have questions, please contact the Blazer Book Award Committee at cosa@valdosta.edu. 

Eligibility:

  • Must be employed as a full time benefits-eligible employee of the USG for at least (6) months prior to the TAP application deadline. Currently, TAP is also available to Part-Time Nursing faculty members seeking a graduate degree in Nursing.
  • If your employment status changes from active full-time benefits eligible, 1.0 FTE, during the semester that you are utilizing TAP, then you must notify the TAP Coordinator so that they can determine if you are still eligible. Please note that being out on certain leave categories may make you ineligible for the TAP program. 
  • Have approval from your supervisor. 
  • Apply for admission to the teaching institution through the normal student admission process. If you have not been accepted as a student at the teaching institution or into your desired program prior to the TAP application deadline, you will still need to submit your TAP application by the application deadline date. Notify the TAP Coordinator upon submitting your application that you are awaiting word on your admission acceptance.  You must still complete the TAP application by the applicable deadline.
  • Submit a new TAP application to your home institution (employer) by the designated deadline for each semester in which the TAP waiver is desired. 
  • Receive a grade of "C" or better in each class where a TAP waiver has been applied. Grades below "C" or "withdrawals" will result in TAP ineligibility for the following term. The grade must be a “C” or better at the time of processing and before the fee payment deadline. Those receiving an "incomplete" grade will be given one additional term to meet this requirement.
  • ALWAYS wait to register for courses until the designated TAP registration period provided by the teaching institution.  (Remember, TAP is a USG benefit; therefore, registration is based upon space availability. Those who register prior to the designated time period will have to drop and re-register during the appropriate registration period to have the TAP waiver applied.) 
  • If you are taking a class that starts after the official start of the semester (such as a B-term class), the following dates apply regarding your TAP benefits and registration period limitations:

    Any changes made to your registration after the dates listed below for each term may result in charges not covered by the TAP benefit.  While registration does remain open, be sure to finalize your registration for all terms prior to the deadlines below for their respective semesters in order to have the TAP waiver applied. Failure to do so could result in a balance due to Valdosta State University. You must be registered for all classes (regardless of the term start date) that the TAP waiver is to be applied to by:

    Semester

    Registration Deadline
    Fall Semester September 1
    Spring Semester February 1
    Summer Semester June 1

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.) 

Applications are accepted starting the 15th of the month before the deadlines for their respective semesters:  June 15th, October 15th, and March 15th and are due by close of business.

In order to ensure that your TAP application is processed in a timely manner, please submit your completed application as early as possible within the acceptance window in order to make sure that HR can process your application before the deadline.  If there are any errors or missing information on your application, it must be corrected and returned for processing prior to the deadline.  It is the applicant's responsibility to submit an accurate and completed application by the deadline and ensure that they have received confirmation of their TAP eligibility.

Semester

Applications Accepted Starting

Application Deadlines
Fall Semester June 15 July 15
Spring Semester October 15 November 15
Summer Semester March 15 April 15

Resources:

Valdosta State University TAP Coordinator:

Wendy Byrd
Human Resources/Employee and Organizational Development
Entrance 5, University Center
Phone: 229-333-5106
Fax: 229-259-5030
Email: tap@valdosta.edu