You will need to create a CCAF Goal and select VSU as your GEM school when applying for Air Force tuition assistance in the AFVEC portal. When preparing your TA authorization, keep in mind the TA rules.  Your TA Authorization CAN be submitted 45 days before the first day of class and MUST be submitted no later than 7 days prior to the first day of class to keep from being denied. If you are a first-time TA user you are required to attend a TA briefing before your first TA is submitted. Contact your Education and Training Flight for dates and times. You must have an approved TA in the system by the TA deadline or you will not be able to use TA for that course.  If you have no approved TA in AF Portal and you have already registered for courses you will be dropped by the VSU payment deadline.  For deadline information check the Bursar website.  If you are a first time TA user you are required to attend a TA briefing before you submit your first TA.  For those airmen outside of the local area, please check with your Education and Training Flight for days and times of your TA briefing.  If you are stationed locally, the Education and Training Flight, located in the Information Learning Center, Bldg 328 conducts TA briefings twice a week: Every Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. and Thursday at 9:00 a.m. room 104.  To speak with an education counselor please call (229) 257-3150.  


Fee Schedule 

Instructions for TA Submission:
The image of the AF Form 1227 (see below) will aid you in preparing your TA form correctly.  Please note that the letters on the image correspond to important sections you should take note of when completing your request.
A.  Course Description:
Make sure the course name and course number on your TA authorization match the course name and number on your GEM Course Completion Plan in AFVEC.  Two items are required for the course description: Course prefix and Course Title. Course prefix is comprised of the first four letters of the discipline and the course number will be four numbers which show the level of the course. Course title should be taken from your GEM plan and annotated just as you see it there.
B.  Dates: Ensure correct dates for your course are annotated correctly as they are tied to grade submission. 
These dates are the first day of your course and the end of the semester. Grades are required to be posted in the AF Portal no later than 60 days after your class end date; however, grades are posted to your official VSU  transcript only at the end of the semester which could sometimes be past the 60-day mark.  If you take a course the first 8-weeks of the semester, most likely your grade will not be loaded to your official VSU transcript, so please remember that it is your responsibility to have your professor/instructor email your grade to moody@valdosta.edu so it can be upload to the AI Portal. If you taking a course the last 8-weeks of the semester you will be fine because the course will be completed by the end of the semester and will be posted to your transcript at the end of the semester.
C.  Credits: Ensure you use the correct course credit amounts.  You can find this information on the GEM Plan or GEM Course Descriptions.
D/E.  Credit Cost/GOV Cost:  Cost for GEM courses:  Multiply course credit hours x cost to obtain the GOV Cost.
eCore = $159 per credit hour
SmartPath Core = $250 per credit hour

Total Instructional Fees:  LEAVE BLANK.  Fees for active duty military are waived.

AF Form 1227a
You must provide VSU with an approved TA Authorization form before the posted deadlines.  You have the option of emailing us your TA form by emailing to pplesane@valdosta.edu and moody@valdosta.edu, It will be sent to the Bursary or you can also email or fax your TA authorization to Jordan Thompson at jordroberts@valdosta.edu and in the subject line annotate Military TA, your Last, First Name along with your student ID number (870....) or fax to VSU Bursary, Attn: Jordan Roberts at (229) 259-2051. Once your TA form is processed through the Bursary, your student account balance will be adjusted accordingly by removing all fees.  Please note, that if an approved TA is not in AF Portal by the VSU payment deadline, you will be dropped from your course(s). 

Veterans Benefits
For those wanting to use your veterans benefits, please contact the VSU Veterans Affairs Office. Sandra DiPietro is your Veterans Affairs Coordinator/VA Certifying Official and can be reached at (229) 333-5431 or sfdipietro@valdosta.edu .

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