Residency Requirements
TCSG Residency Procedure
- Each technical college shall be responsible for the verification of the lawful presence in the United States of every successfully admitted student applying for Georgia resident tuition status as required by state and federal immigration laws. Verification procedures shall comply with O.C.G.A. § 50-36-1. Lawful presence will be obtained through one of the following:
a. Submission of lawful presence documentation to the local technical college; or
b. Information provided by Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) for Dual Enrollment.
Citizenship Requirements:
a) A student meets the Citizenship Requirements, for purposes of this procedure and the related policies, if he or she is a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or an Eligible Non-Citizen, typically verified with documentation such as a Driver’s License/ID card indicating citizenship was provided to the state at the time of application, Birth Certificate, U.S. Passport, Permanent Resident Card (Form 1-551), Certificate of Nationalization (USCIS form N-550 or N-570), or a FAFSA using a Social Security Number.
b) According to the Federal Title IV definition, a student meets the Citizenship requirements for this procedure and the related policies if he or she is an Eligible Non-Citizen.
c) Ineligible Non-Citizens: Non-citizens do not qualify for in-state tuition; however, the college president may waiver international tuition and allow out-of-state rates for those verified as lawfully present under state and federal law.
- A student’s residency status is determined by objective circumstances showing intent to maintain a permanent presence (domicile) in Georgia. No single factor is conclusive, and no set number of factors is required. The following indicators may be considered when documenting domicile, though this is not an exhaustive list:
- Location of employment.
- Location of voter registration.
- Location of property, including home purchase, and taxes paid thereon.
- State for which the individual filed and paid state income taxes.
- Address and other information on federal and state income tax returns.
- State where the person’s automobile title is registered and the payment of property taxes thereon.
- Address on driver’s license and state of issuance.
- Address on the Georgia Driver’s License Bureau ID.
- Reason for initially coming to Georgia.
- State of issuance of business, professional, or other licenses.
- Location of checking, savings, or other banking accounts.
- Georgia Residency
Dependent Students:
a) A Dependent Student meets the Georgia Residency Requirements, for purposes of this procedure and the related policies, if his or her Parent has established and maintained Domicile in the State of Georgia for at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the first day of classes of the school term for which the student is seeking in-state tuition, and
i. Such student graduated from an Eligible High School, Home School Program, or High School Equivalency Program located in the State of Georgia; or
ii. The Parent claimed the student as a dependent on the Parent’s most recent federal income tax return.
b) A Dependent Student meets the Georgia residency requirements if a U.S. court-appointed legal guardian has maintained domicile in Georgia for at least 12 consecutive months before the first day of classes, provided the guardianship was not established to avoid out-of-state tuition.
c) Individuals applying for the HOPE High School Equivalency (HSE) Examination Grant are considered dependent solely for determining residency for the HOPE HSE Examination Grant if they are under age of 18 at the time of applying.
Independent Students:
a) An Independent Student meets the Georgia Residency requirements, for purposes of this procedure and the related policies, if he or she has established and maintained Domicile in the State of Georgia for at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the first day of classes of the school term for which the student is seeking In-State Tuition.
b) It is presumed that no Independent Student shall have gained or acquired Georgia Residency, for purposes of this procedure and the related policies, while attending a TCSG college without clear evidence of having established a Domicile in the State of Georgia for purposes other than attending a TCSG college.
c) Individuals applying for the HOPE HSE Examination Grant are considered independent solely for determining residency for the HOPE HSE Examination Grant if they are 18 years of age or greater at the time of applying.
Retaining Georgia Residency
a) Dependent Students: If the Parent or United States court-appointed Legal Guardian of a Dependent Student who was correctly determined to meet Georgia Residency requirements for the purposes of this procedure and the related policies, establishes Domicile outside the State of Georgia, such student shall continue to retain his or her status as a Georgia Resident, for purposes of this procedure and the related policies, as long as such student remains Continuously Enrolled in a TCSG college.
b) Independent Students: If an Independent Student who was correctly determined to meet Georgia Residency requirements, for purposes of this procedure and the related policies, temporarily relocates outside the State of Georgia, but returns to the State of Georgia within 12 months, such student shall retain his or her status as a Georgia Resident, for purposes of In-State Tuition.
Eligibility for Out-of-State Tuition Exemption:
Students in the following classifications are eligible for Out of State Tuition Exemption. These exemptions do not affect the student’s eligibility for the HOPE Scholarship or Grant, except for exemptions for military personnel and their dependents as provided for in the GSFC regulations:
a) Employees, their spouses, and their children who move to Georgia for employment with a new or expanding industry as defined in OCGA 20-4-40;
b) Full-time employees of the Technical College System of Georgia, their spouses, and dependent children;
c) Full-time teachers in a public school, a military base, or a public postsecondary college, their spouses, and dependent children;
d) United States military personnel stationed in Georgia and on active duty and their dependents living in Georgia;
e) United States military personnel, spouses and dependent children reassigned outside Georgia, who remain continuously enrolled and on active military status;
f) United States military personnel and their dependents that are domiciled in Georgia, but are stationed outside the State;
g) Members of the Georgia National Guard;
h) Members of a reserve component of the United States Armed Forces, assigned to a reserve and located in Georgia;
i) Students who are Domiciled in out-of-state counties bordering on Georgia counties and who are enrolled in a Technical College with a local reciprocity agreement;
j) Career consular officers and their dependents that are citizens of the foreign nation which their consular office represents, and who are living in Georgia under orders of their respective governments. This exemption shall apply only to those consular officers whose nations operate on the principle of educational reciprocity with the United States.
k) Veterans of a uniformed military services of the United States, who enroll in an academic program and demonstrate an intent to become domiciled in Georgia. This exemption may also be ranted to their spouses and dependent children.
l) Students receiving benefits under the post 9/11, Montgomery, or Veterans Readiness and Employment GI Bill, and served on active duty for at least 90 days after September 10, 2001, who live in the State or Georgia on or before the first day of the term;
m) Students who are described as covered individuals in 38 U.S.C 3679©;
n) Student who are dually enrolled and did not meet the residency requirements for Dual enrollment funding for the first day of class;
o) Students from a homeless situation as defined in O.C.G.A 20-3-66; or
p) At the discretion of the TCSG commissioner or technical college president, student(s) who are domiciled outside of Georgia and are enrolled at a Technical College, under a special mitigating circumstance.
Notwithstanding any provision in this procedure, no person who is unlawfully present in the United States shall be eligible for any exemption of the tuition differential.