Residency Requirements - Proof of Residency - Eligibility for In-State Tuition
Residency Requirements
To qualify for in-state residency status for tuition purposes at our institution, applicants must provide documentation to support their claim of Georgia residency. Establishing residency requires proof of domicile in the State of Georgia, meaning a student must show an intent to make Georgia their permanent home. No single factor alone will determine residency, but a combination of objective factors will be considered. These factors may include, but are not limited to, property ownership, voter registration, and state tax filings.
How to Establish Georgia Residency
To establish Georgia residency, the student must meet the following criteria:
A dependent student may qualify for in-state residency if:
- The student's parent or legal guardian has established and maintained domicile in Georgia for at least 12 consecutive months before the start of the semester for which the student is seeking in-state tuition.
- The student graduated from an eligible Georgia high school, or the parent or legal guardian claimed the student as a dependent on their most recent federal income tax return.
An independent student qualifies for in-state residency if:
- The student has established and maintained domicile in Georgia for at least 12 consecutive months before the start of the semester for which in-state tuition is being sought.
- The student must show clear evidence of domicile for reasons other than attending college.
Documentation Required to Establish Residency
To verify Georgia residency, applicants must provide one of the following documents, which must show 12 consecutive months of residency prior to the first day of the semester in which the student is enrolling:
- Georgia Driver’s License or State ID (unexpired, issue date must reflect 12 consecutive months of residency)
- Voter Registration Card (unexpired, issue date must reflect 12 consecutive months of residency)
- Automobile Registration (must show the past two years, 24 months)
- Georgia State Tax Form (GA 500, long form) (must show full year of residency)
- Utility Bill (must reflect the last 12 consecutive months)
- Home Deed
- Lease Agreement (signed and effective date must show 12 consecutive months before the semester start date)
- DD-2214 (for military personnel)
- Military ID or Orders (unexpired)
Retaining Georgia Residency
Dependent Students: If the parent or legal guardian of a dependent student, who has established Georgia residency, moves out of state, the student can retain Georgia residency status as long as they remain continuously enrolled at a TCSG college.
Independent Students: If an independent student who was initially determined to be a Georgia resident temporarily relocates outside the state but returns to Georgia within 12 months, they will retain their Georgia residency status for in-state tuition purposes.
Petition for Residency
If an applicant did not qualify for residency at the time when their application was submitted, they may petition for in-state residency once the meet the requirements. To petition for residency contact the Office of Enrollment Services atcenrollment@atlantatech.edu. If the petition for residency is approved it will be effective beginning the next semester a student enrolls, and the change is not retroactive to prior semesters.
Additional documentation will need to be submitted at the time of the petition. Documents should prove that you have met the Georgia State Residency requirements; if a dependent - under 24 years of age and are claimed as a dependent of a parent/guardian, must have lived in Georgia for the past 12 consecutive months. If a dependent, documents must show that you have lived in Georgia for the past 12 consecutive months.
Acceptable forms of additional documentation that can be submitted during the petition for residency include: 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, State of issuance of business, professional, or other licenses, and Location of checking, savings or other banking accounts.
Eligibility for In-State Tuition Waivers
Non-citizens are classified as international students and are not eligible for in-state tuition. By default, they will be charged the international tuition rate. However, at the discretion of the College President, the international rate may be waived and replaced with the out-of-state tuition rate for non-citizens who are verified as lawfully present in the United States in accordance with state and federal immigration laws. Students in the following classifications are eligible for an out-of-state tuition exemption, which does not affect eligibility for the HOPE Scholarship or Grant (except for military personnel and their dependents, as provided in GSFC regulations):
- Employees and their children who move to Georgia for employment with a new or expanding industry as defined in OCGA 20-4-40.
- Full-time employees of the Technical College System of Georgia, their spouses, and dependent children.
- Full-time teachers in a public school, a military base, or a public postsecondary college, their spouses, and dependent children.
- United States military personnel stationed in Georgia and on active duty, and their dependents living in Georgia.
- United States military personnel, spouses, and dependent children reassigned outside Georgia who remain continuously enrolled and on active military status.
- United States military personnel and their dependents domiciled in Georgia but stationed outside the state.
- Students domiciled in out-of-state counties bordering Georgia counties who are enrolled in a Technical College with a local reciprocity agreement.
- Career consular officers and their dependents who are citizens of the foreign nation their consular office represents, living in Georgia under orders of their respective governments, provided their nation practices educational reciprocity with the United States.
- Members of a uniformed military service of the United States who, within 36 months of separation, enroll in an academic program and demonstrate an intent to become domiciled in Georgia (includes spouses and dependent children).
- No person who is unlawfully present in the United States is eligible for any exemption of the tuition differential.
Non-citizens requesting in-state tuition must verify lawful presence following TCSG Procedure 6.2.2p. Policy Manual – TCSG | Technical College System of Georgia.
Notwithstanding any provision in this procedure, any person who is unlawfully present in the United States will not be eligible for any exemption of the tuition differential.