(photo courtesy USCG)

Active Duty Coast Guard Stationed in Colorado

These instructions are for Coast Guard service members who are permanently assigned to an installation in Colorado Springs and their dependent family members.  Please follow these instructions carefully. Contact the Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC) Peterson AFB office at (719) 502-4300 if you have any questions. 

Review the current PPCC college catalog.  If you are a current student, you can skip to course registration.  

NEW STUDENTS

1.  ADVISING
Contact your servicing Education Services Officer (ESO) to discuss your academic plans. Be sure that you understand the degree plan and what tuition charges and fees the Coast Guard will approve and support with Tuition Assistance (TA) dollars.  If you are interested in a PPCC associate’s degree, please contact the Peterson AFB PPCC office at (719) 502-4300 to make an appointment with the PPCC academic advisor or send an email to mil.programs@ppcc.edu.     

2.  APPLY TO PPCC before you request TA through the CG.  It’s simple.  Complete an online application.  It’s free!  This process takes about 24- to 48-hours for review and approval.

3.  TAKE THE PLACEMENT TEST
This is a Colorado state requirement and is one test that everybody aces. The placement test is available at the Peterson AFB and Fort Carson offices.  Please review for placement testing days and times.  You can also contact our office to request online study guides to assist in preparing for the placement test.

4.  CREDIT FOR MILITARY SERVICE
To learn how your military service may apply to a PPCC Associates Degree, please choose Credit for Prior Learning.  If you have any questions concerning this process, please send an email to the DMVP Credit for Prior learning Advisor at Richard.Rayborn@ppcc.edu.    

5.  TRANSFER COURSES
You may already be well on the way to getting a degree from PPCC! You should tell our advisor of any college-level courses that you have already successfully completed from an accredited college or university. In addition, you may need to request an official copy of your transcripts from your former college(s) and have them sent directly to:

   Pikes Peak Community College
   Campus Box 8
   5675 South Academy Blvd.
   Colorado Springs, CO  80906

Download a Transcript Request Form 
We can accept hand-carried transcripts only if they are in their original, sealed envelopes from the granting college/university. 

6.  TURN IN A GREEN FORM
Submitting the Tuition Classification Certification form or Green Form enables you and your family members to receive the PPCC in-state tuition rate.  This form must be submitted every semester/term in which the student enrolls.  The Green Form is available at the Peterson AFB Education Center and should be turned in at the PPCC office, room 112 at the education center. 
IMPORTANT:  Military members permanently assigned (PCS) to Colorado and their family members must have the Green Form completed and signed by an Education Services official at the Peterson AFB Education Center.  Failure to submit a Green Form by the published drop (or census) date of the semester/term in which the student is enrolled will result in being charged the non-resident tuition rate. Military members not on PCS orders to Colorado and their family members are not eligible to receive the Green Form.  As a result, they will be charged the non-resident tuition rate. 

7.  APPLY FOR THE COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY FUND (COF) 
Military members permanently assigned (PCS) to an installation in Colorado and their family members must register for the College Opportunity Fund (COF). You only need to register once but if you don’t you will be personally responsible for paying the tuition portion that COF would have paid. Remember, you must always authorize the use of your COF funds for your classes each semester/term when you register.  Coast Guard TA will not pay the COF amount of the tuition bill.  If you do not have a Colorado Drivers License, or if you have a Colorado Drivers License for less than one year, please visit the PPCC Military Programs Office at the Peterson AFB Education Center to complete a paper copy of the COF application.  If you have a Colorado Drivers License longer than one year, you may complete and submit the COF application form online.  If you have any questions about COF registration, please send us an email at mil.programs@ppcc.edu.  Military members not on PCS orders to Colorado and their family members cannot register for COF.  They must pay the non-resident tuition rate.

8.  REGISTER FOR CLASSES WITH PPCC
Check out the latest class offerings by reviewing the current class schedule.  If you need assistance, send us an e-mail at mil.programs@ppcc.edu or come to the Peterson AFB Education Center, room 112 to register for the class(es) you are interested in.  
Note: To confirm your eligibility to receive TA, please review.  Make sure you understand when you can apply for TA.  If you apply too early TA may not be approved; too late, you’ll pay the bill.  Because PPCC has numerous class start dates be sure you are aware of the start date for your particular class.   Register with PPCC first to ensure you have a seat in the classes you want and are eligible to take.  If you decide not to take the class, be sure to contact PPCC and drop the course prior to the PPCC published drop date.  You must also contact your TA approving authority to de-obligate your TA.  If you fail to do so you could be held responsible for paying all associated tuition and fees.

9.  BOOKS AND COURSE MATERIALS
You can order your books and materials through the on-line PPCC Bookstore.  Of course you can visit any one of the campus bookstores to purchase textbooks, course materials and the latest outerwear and PPCC accessories. 

10.  APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID  
Besides Coast Guard TA, you might be eligible for financial aid to defray some of the costs not covered by TA.  Getting help is easier than you think. The earlier you submit your financial aid application the better your chances to be considered for all available sources of financial assistance. Apply online at fafsa.gov.edu.  

11.  CHANGING YOUR CLASS SCHEDULE -  ADDING/CHANGING/DROPPING CLASSES
Classes can be added, changed, or dropped only up to the last day of registration.  If you need to add/change/drop a class, do so on or before the drop (census) date at choose.   Make sure you also contact your TA approving authority to change/de-obligate the TA payment.  Once the semester/term begins and the drop period passes, courses cannot be changed. 

12.  WITHDRAW AFTER CLASS HAS BEGUN 
If you are unable to complete a class due to military reasons (duty, deployment, etc.) you must notify your TA approving authority or you will be held responsible for paying the TA dollars. Be sure to also comply with the PPCC published withdraw deadlines.  If you need to withdraw from a class, choose.  PPCC rules regarding drop and withdraw deadlines, grades, fees, and appeal and waiver requirements can be reviewed in the current PPCC catalog. 

BEYOND THE ASSOCIATES DEGREE

Pikes Peak Community College classes are easily transferable to other community colleges as well as four year institutions across the country.  The challenges of military duty, family activities and a busy life style in general do not make it easy to attend a classroom.  That's when the PPCC Degrees at Ease Online Campus becomes an excellent option for continuing or completing an associates degree.  If you have Internet access, then this program is for you.  This degree option makes it easy for you to achieve your educational goal in quick time.  How does the Degrees at Ease Online Campus work?  To get that information and to find degree transfer options beyond the associates degree program, please choose Degrees at Ease Online Campus.