Military personnel and their dependents are considered legal residents of Georgia for tuition purposes providing that the home of record and the current legal address for tax purposes are both in the state of Georgia. Such military personnel need only to provide evidence of such information to assure proper classification upon admission to any academic program offered at Valdosta State University. Normally, a statement from the base personnel office and/or base finance officer reflecting current status will be considered adequate proof. Waiver is renewable annually.

Military personnel who are not currently legal residents of the state of Georgia, but who are in the state on active duty military assignment were extended a special exception on the non-resident fee assessment by the Board of Regents in 1977. This special exception applies to spouse and to dependents who meet the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1954, as amended (50% of their support).

Military personnel and their dependents who are assigned to System institutions for educational purposes are not qualified for the special exception and must otherwise qualify or be assessed the normal non-resident tuition.

Upon separation from military, or transfer of the military person from the State of Georgia, the waiver of fees is automatically nullified and the non-resident assessment is re-established immediately, unless residency requirements have otherwise been met while stationed in the state. Normally, change in legal address for military purposes, withholding and payment of state income taxes, payment of ad valorem taxes, claiming homestead exemption, etc. for a twelve month period prior to severance or transfer shall be considered proof to reside permanently in the state, irrespective of military commitments.

It shall be the student's responsibility to register under correct classification for tuition purposes. Failure to notify appropriate University officials when changes in military status or station occur shall result in retroactive assessment of fees where detected.

Questions concerning these regulations may be addressed to the Office of the Registrar Attn: Stanley Jones 229-333-5729, sjones@valdosta.edu, Valdosta State University, 1500 North Patterson Street, Valdosta, GA 31698.

Qualification

To apply for the waiver based on military assignment, the student must complete the information requested on the following form, provide the required documentation, and forward it to the institution in enough time to allow processing of the waiver for the requested semester.

Either of these forms can be also obtained by visiting the VSU Center office at Moody. Once completed the student will need to attach a copy of the orders assigning them to Moody and a current copy of their Leave and Earnings Statement (LES). If the student prefers, the VSU Center can also fax these documents to the Registrar's Office. Once the form has been received and processed by the Registrar's office students will receive a letter notifying you of waiver approval. It is important to note that the Military Waiver Application is to be renewed annually and submitted to the Registrar's Office.