The Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) provides a tuition waiver to full-time, benefits-eligible employees who have maintained this status for at least six months within the University of System of Georgia.
Need Assistance?
- Email Education Assistance
Guidelines
An employee will be required to go through the regular student admissions process prior to applying for TAP. The Office of the Registrar handles residency status. Any employee whose resident status is classified as out-of-state must have this resolved prior to enrollment to be eligible for in-state tuition rates. University System employees are eligible for an out-of-state waiver via application submitted to the Office of the Registrar.
This program is available to Georgia Tech employees who are full-time and successfully completed at least six months of employment in a full-time, benefits-eligible position by the application deadline date. Time worked in a temporary position does not count towards the six-month eligibility requirement.
A TAP application must be completed each semester by the deadline. Each eligible employee may seek approval to enroll in up to nine academic semester hours for each of the three designated semester periods: Fall Semester, Spring Semester and Summer Semester. You must apply for TAP by the TAP application deadline in order to receive the waiver of tuition and mandatory fees, employees must register only during the designated employee registration period.
Additional Information
Tuition Assistance Application Period & Deadlines
| Semester | Application Period |
| Fall | June 15 – July 15 |
| Spring | October 15 – November 15 |
| Summer | March 15 – April 15 |
Submit one application per semester up to 30 days prior to the application deadline for program consideration. If the deadline is on a holiday or weekend, the business day prior then applies.
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 total cost 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.
Application Procedures
- Apply for school through the Student Admissions office of the USG institution you plan to take academic coursework at during their designated application intake dates.
- • Complete the TAP application which can be found on the USG Tap website. If you are unsure of the courses you are taking, put your best guess. It can be changed later. Applications can be sent via campus mail, emailed or dropped off at Georgia Tech Human Resources by the deadline date.
- Campus mail instructions - Address to "Tap Coordinator, Mail code 0435"
- Email instructions - Email to eduassist@gatech.edu
- Drop off instructions - Deliver to Georgia Tech Human Resources, 500 Tech Parkway. You may leave with customer service.
- If the deadline date falls on a holiday or on a weekend, the application deadline will be the last business day prior.
After you submit your TAP application, you will receive an email acknowledging receipt and further instructions. Save this email for your records. Approval emails for people attending Georgia Tech will be sent approximately 30 days after the application deadline date – after grades are posted for the previous semester. Approval emails for people attending other USG institutions will be sent as soon as the teaching institution sends, which will be within the 30-day window after the deadline date.
You must only register during the TAP employee registration dates. If you register prior to the employee registration period, you risk the chance of your classes being dropped and/or losing your TAP waiver.
[NOTE: If you haven’t heard back from the school you applied to and the deadline date is near, please continue to move forward with the TAP application process and fill one out anyway.]
Registration & Eligibility
The TAP Program is a University System of Georgia Program that is available to all USG employees who meet the eligibility criteria. Full details about the TAP policy can be found on the Board of Regents website. In order to serve you more efficiently, we ask that you please read the full BOR policy before contacting our office with questions. Answers to most of your questions can be found here.
If approved, register for classes only during the employee registration period as designated by the institution you plan to take academic coursework. To check the registration dates for your school, please go here. Registration periods are added by semester for each university. Check back regularly for new dates.
Tax Implications for TAP Participants
- Undergraduate educational assistance benefits are generally excluded from tax reporting or withholdings.
- Graduate educational assistance benefits are excludable from tax reporting and withholding up to $5,250 annually. A tax professional should be consulted for further information concerning taxable tuition.
Graduate educational assistance in excess of $5,250 will generally be subject to tax reporting and withholdings except under certain circumstances. Any employee who believes that they are eligible to exclude graduate education costs in excess of $5,250 must apply by completing the Graduate Student Tax Waiver Application. The waiver must be submitted to the TAP Coordinator along with your TAP application before the deadline each semester. Additional information is available at benefits.usg.edu/work-life/tuition-assistance-program.
TAP Tax Schedule
If you are not eligible to exclude graduate education costs in excess of $5,250 your taxable income will automatically be updated to reflect your TAP benefits. After the add/drop period each semester, Georgia Tech Human Resources will calculate the additional amount to withhold in taxes. To reduce the financial burden on the employee, an equal portion of that amount will be withheld over three months. 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.
TAP Tax Responsibility Letter
Employees that are not eligible to exclude graduate education costs in excess of $5,250 will receive an email from Human Resources after each add-drop period.