8-7. Use of the GPC for Tuition Assistance
a.
Military Tuition Assistance
. Cardholders may use the GPC as the payment method for military tuition assistance invoices. DD Form 2171, Request for Tuition Assistance (TA), provides financial assistance for voluntary off-duty education programs in support of soldiers’ professional and personal self-development. Advance payments are authorized under the TA Program in accordance with AR 621-5. All
course enrollments must be approved prior to
start
of class. Soldiers must request TA through the
,
prior to the course start date or before the school’s late registration period.
b.
Air National Guard Tuition Assistance
. ANG TA funds are requested by the student using an AF Form 1227, Authority for Tuition Assistance - Education Services Program. The AF Form 1227 must be used as an approval document, which equates to a commitment, but not as an obligation document. Only AF Form 1227s generated in the Air Force Virtual Education Center (AFVEC) will be utilized for TA payments.
c.
Academic Degree Training
. Academic degree training is training or education with the stated objective of obtaining an academic degree from an accredited college or university. The academic degree
must
be related to the performance of the employee’s official duties and part of a planned, systematic, and coordinated program of professional development, endorsed by the Army that supports organizational goals and
results
and the results are measurable in terms of individual and organization performance. See AR 350-1, section 4-17, for requirements and limitations.
d.
Cardholders may use the GPC to pay for academic degree training approved by the appropriate authority indicated in AR 350-1. Academic degree training requests, regardless of funding source (career program or command), require approval by the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) (ASA (M&RA)). This does not apply to employees in Army-sponsored Intern or Fellows programs. Employees must not circumvent the academic degree training approval and funding process by submitting requests for the approval of individual college courses, annotating that such training is not part of an academic degree training program.