Special Situations Involving Residency

The following descriptions should help in understanding what the Committee considers when reviewing certain situations.

Dependent versus Independent Students

• If a student is listed as a dependent on their parent or legal guardian’s previous year’s tax returns or receives more than 50% of their financial support from a parent or guardian, they are considered a dependent student and Georgia College considers the student to be a resident, for tuition purposes, of the parent or guardian’s state of residence. (A legal guardian must provide court and/or financial documentation of support for the student.)

• Independent students who wish to establish in-state residency for tuition purposes must document that their parent(s) have not claimed them as a tax dependent for the twelve months prior to the start of the term, and that the students have provided for more than 50% of their financial support as shown in federal and state tax returns.

• At times, current students at Georgia College may have their residency status changed to in-state, but they must show detailed evidence that they are an actual resident of Georgia, and they would have lived in Georgia even if they had not been in college. Current students may call the Graduate Admissions Office at 478-445-6289 if they have more questions regarding this situation.

Separated Family Situations

If a student lives outside Georgia, but a parent is a Georgia resident, it is sometimes possible for the student to be considered a Georgia resident for tuition purposes. The student and the parent must document that the parent has lived in Georgia for the twelve consecutive month period prior to enrollment.

Military Personnel and U.S. Citizens Living Abroad

• Dependents of active duty military personnel who claim Georgia residency must provide Georgia College with documentation, such as Georgia tax records or a Leave and Earnings statement.

• Dependents of active military personnel who are residents of other states but are stationed in Georgia can receive a waiver of the out-of-state tuition difference, providing the parent(s) submit documentation to the Business Office showing the military posting. The waiver continues only as long as the requirements are met.

• Dependents of U.S. citizens living abroad who consider themselves residents of Georgia must provide Georgia tax records and documentation showing Georgia as their last state of residency, as well as proof of a prior domicile in Georgia to which they may return.

Non-U.S. Citizens

Non-U.S. citizens are only eligible for in-state residency if they are lawful permanent residents as documented by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service or have been granted a visa in an eligible category. These students must still provide documentation of in-state residency for the twelve month period. F-1 student visas are not eligible.

Waivers of Out-of-State Tuition

Students may be eligible for a waiver of the out-of-state tuition difference if they are in one of the following categories: full-time employees of the University System, their spouse and dependent children; full-time teachers in a Georgia public school and their dependent children; active-duty military personnel and their dependents while stationed in Georgia. These students do not need to complete the Petition for Residency, but should contact the Business Office for more details about the required documentation needed.

State of Georgia HOPE Scholarship Situations

Residency decisions and qualifications surrounding the state-sponsored HOPE scholarship program are made by the Georgia Student Finance Commission and the HOPE Program, and so any questions regarding the HOPE scholarship should be directed towards these programs specifically.

As stated before, all petitions for in-state residency are considered in their entirety, so every file must be reviewed based upon its own merit. As well, this page is meant as a general guide about Georgia residency for tuition purposes, but does not supersede any existing policies for in-state residency found in the codes of the University System of Georgia.