The Georgia Board of Regents (BOR) mandates that all applicants desiring admission to a University System of Georgia (USG) institution directly state whether he or she, if admitted, means to attend the institution at the in-state tuition rate. Any person who intends to acquire in-state tuition status must first verify that he or she is a US citizen. Only in-state residents are able to receive in-state tuition. Please note: an in-state resident is defined as any person whose domicile has been established and maintained in the state of Georgia for a period of at least twelve (12) consecutive months immediately preceding the first day of classes for the term.

Residency Forms and Tuition Waiver Forms

For all current forms, please visit the Registrar's Determination of Residency for Tuition page.

Commonly sought waivers include:

  • Florida Border County Waiver for residents of Baker/Columbia/Hamilton/Jefferson/Leon/Madison/Nassau Counties.  Please note: the Border State Waiver does not apply to Graduate Students. The Border State Waiver only applies to Undergraduate students. 
  • Economic Advantage Waiver
  • Non-resident Student Waiver
  • Full-time GA School Employee Waiver (Teacher or Full-time employee)
  • USG Employee Waiver

Please note: petitions and waivers must be submitted with supporting documentation.


Out-of-State Tuition Waivers

If none of the above tuition waivers apply, the student may request an out-of-state waiver directly to the Graduate School.  VSU has permission from the Board of Regents to award a limited number of out-of-state tuition waivers.  If a student is awarded an out-of-state tuition waiver. The student is assessed the in-state tuition rate.  

To apply for an out-of-state waiver, the student's graduate program advisor must submit a request on behalf of the student.  The request is submitted to the Associate Provost of Graduate Studies and Research.  The request should include the student's name, ID number, degree program and the student's state or country of residence.

VERIFICATION OF LAWFUL PRESENCE

Valdosta State University, in compliance with the USG guidelines, must also verify lawful presence of every successfully admitted person.  To verify one's citizenship status, VSU requires one of the following documents to be submitted along with the applicant’s application materials:

  • Your completed FAFSA for the most recently available financial aid year.  The Valdosta State University school code for FAFSA is 001599.
  • A certified US birth certificate showing the applicant was born in the US or a US territory. A photocopy is not acceptable.
  • A copy of a current US passport
  • Copy a driver's license or state issued ID card issued by the state of Georgia or any of the USG approved states.  Licenses/ID cards must be valid and meet USG requirements; limited-term are not acceptable
  • Copy of a US certificate of naturalization
  • Copy of a US certificate of citizenship
  • A US certificate of birth abroad issued by the Department of State or a consular report of birth abroad
  • A current, valid permanent Resident Card (USCIS form l-151 or l-551).
  • Current ID issued by the State of Georgia
  • Current Military ID (service member only, not dependent).

Please note: any applicant whose status cannot be verified through any of the above methods is not eligible for in-state tuition regardless of how long he or she has lived in Georgia.

Documents (except the certified birth certificate) may be emailed as a scanned document (pdf, jpg, etc.) to gradschool@valdosta.edu If you choose to submit your birth certificate for verification, you will need to bring the original to the Graduate School, located on the main campus in Converse Hall Suite 3100.