TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Participation in the Tuition Assistance Program shall be available to full-time benefits-eligible employees who have successfully completed at least six months of employment in a benefits-eligible position as of the date of the Tuition Assistance Program application deadline for the desired academic semester.

Full-time employees (who meet the applicable admissions standards and who have received appropriate prior authorization from their supervisor) may enroll in up to nine academic semester credit hours for each of the three designated semester periods: fall semester, spring semester, and summer semester.

Student status will be secondary to employee status in all considerations, including student fee waivers. Tuition assistance is the waiver of tuition and the waiver of certain fees. Tuition Assistance Program participation will be granted on a space-available basis. For limited-slot enrollment programs, approval must be granted by the teaching institution. An employee must receive a grade of C or better in each approved Tuition Assistance Program academic course.

Employees may not enroll in the following professional schools: dental, medical, pharmacy, veterinary, law, or executive/premiere or comparable graduate programs (BR Minutes, September 2004).

Employee Auditing of Courses

Employees of a USG institution may attend classes offered by the same institution without registering as “auditors” and without credit being offered for such attendance. This provision applies to non-credit courses on a space-available basis. Institutions may permit employees to attend job-related continuing education classes, as determined by appropriate supervisory authority, at a reduced rate or without payment of a fee (BoR Minutes, 1987-88, p. 197; 1987-88 p. 310; 1988-89, p. 42; 1989-90 p. 147).

Special Tuition Assistance Program for Nursing Faculty

The University System and the institutions encourage full-time faculty, staff, and administrators to participate in development activities and study by remitting tuition for those activities that have been authorized by the employee’s institution. Due to the current shortage of nursing faculty in the state of Georgia, the Tuition Assistance Program is available to Part-Time Nursing Faculty members seeking a graduate degree in Nursing. Any part-time nursing faculty member taking advantage of this program shall be required to work full time within the University System at least two (2) years following receipt of the graduate degree in Nursing (or Education, if such would allow one to teach Nursing at the University level). The utilization of this program by part-time nursing faculty shall end in 2015, unless such utilization is extended by further action of the Board.

Participation in the Tuition Assistance Program for Nursing Faculty shall be available to part-time nursing faculty who have successfully completed at least six (6) months of employment as of the date of the Tuition Assistance Program application deadline for the desired academic semester. Qualified part-time nursing faculty (who meet the applicable admissions standards and who have received appropriate prior authorization from their institution) may enroll in up to nine academic semester credit hours for each of the three designated semester periods: fall semester, spring semester, and summer semester. Student status will be secondary to employee status in all considerations, including student fee waivers. Tuition assistance is the waiver of tuition and the waiver of certain fees. Tuition Assistance Program participation will be granted on a space-available basis. For limited-slot enrollment programs, approval must be granted by the teaching institution. An employee must receive a grade of B or better in each approved Tuition Assistance Program academic course.