Foreign National Tax Information

Tax Info for Nonresident Alien Scholarship Recipients

To comply with tax rules and regulations, Valdosta State University must charge all nonresident alien students, who are not exempt by a tax treaty, a tax on the amount of scholarship they receive over tuition and fees. 

The departments that award scholarships to nonresident aliens will send a list of students with their home countries and scholarship information to Financial Services.  Financial Services will use this information to research tax treaties to find any applicable exemptions.

If there are applicable tax treaty exemptions, and the student meets the requirements set forth in the treaty, the student will be required to complete Form W-8BEN and the VSU Tax Information Form for Foreign Nationals.  These forms must include the student’s social security number (or ITIN if a SSN is denied).

If there are no applicable tax treaty exemptions, or if the student does not meet the requirements of the tax treaty, the amount of scholarship received over tuition and fees will be taxed at a rate of 14%. This is a reduced rate and requires that the student be present in the U.S. under an F, J, M or Q visa type.  Financial Services must receive a copy of the student’s visa and social security card as well as their permanent address in the home country.  

The following are requirements for scholarship recipients:

Scholarship Recipients:

(Submit to Awarding Department/Financial Services)

• VSU TAX INFORMATION FORM FOR FOREIGN NATIONALS 
• Copies of all immigration documents – Passport, Visa, I-94, I-20, etc.
• Copy of Social Security Card or ITIN
• Form W-8BEN (download from http://www.irs.gov)
• Other forms required by Awarding Department

If you have any questions, please email Diana Owens at dmowens@valdosta.edu or call us at (229) 333-5708.