Tuition Classification

USG Board of Regents Policy Manual's Section 4.3 regards student residency, and it contains these subsections:

• 4.3.1 Out-of-State Enrollment
• 4.3.2 Classification of Students for Tuition Purposes
  • 4.3.2.1 Description of Terms Used in the Policy
    • Dependent Student
    • Emancipated
    • Independent Student
  • 4.3.2.2 United States Citizens
    • Independent Students
    • Dependent Students
  • 4.3.2.3 Non-Citizens
• 4.3.3 Tuition Differential Waivers
• 4.3.4 Verification of Lawful Presence

Out-of-Country Residency Classification 

Beginning Fall 2024, the University System of Georgia (USG) implemented a new, third level, of tuition classification for out-of-country. Students are now classified as residents of Georgia, non-residents of Georgia, or out-of-country for tuition classification purposes.  Students who did not graduate from a high school in the United States, or do not currently hold one of the following immigration statuses are classified as out-of-country. 

• U.S. Citizenship

• Lawful Permanent Residence

• Other eligible non-citizen status as defined by federal Title IV regulations

Students may review their residency classification in Oscar under the Students tab.  In this tab, click on the Student Profile tile. Current tuition rates are available with the Bursar's Office. 

Students should submit the "Request for a Change in Out-of-Country Tuition Status" form if they believe that their out-of-country status is an error or an oversight and would like to request a review of the classification. 

Please direct questions to tuitionclass@registrar.gatech.edu. 

This petition should be submitted only if the Office of Undergraduate or Graduate Admission has already notified you that you have been classified as a non-resident for tuition purposes and you have good reasons to believe that further information could alter that decision.

You must demonstrate that you, your parent, your spouse, or your U.S. court-appointed guardian (if you are a minor) is a legal resident of Georgia for tuition purposes. You may establish this claim by providing documentation to support the definition established by the Board of Regents. Please note that establishing residency for tuition purposes as defined by the Board of Regents is different from establishing residency with regards to voting, having a Georgia driver's license or vehicle tag, etc., and it requires more than establishing eligibility to vote, securing a Georgia driver's license, and/or paying taxes.

Deadlines for submission are:

• Fall Semester: August 1
• Spring Semester: December 1
• Summer Semester: May 1

Petitions for previous semesters will not be reviewed. Any Petition which is incomplete at the tuition-payment deadline will be reviewed for the subsequent academic term.

Upload documents here: Registrar’s Office Document Upload Portal

*File form updated Aug. 2021

The USG Board of Regents Policy Manual defines these terms with regard to tuition classification:

• Adoption
• Asylee
• Continuous enrollment
• Dependent student
• Domicile
• Durational Requirement
• Eligible non-citizens
• Emancipated
• Full-time employment
• Independent student
• In-state student
• In-state tuition classification
• Lawful permanent resident
• Legal guardian
• Military personnel
• Non-citizen
• Non-immigrant
• Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) 20-3-66
• Out-of-country student
• Out-of-state student
• Out-of-state tuition classification
• Out-of-state tuition waiver
• Post-secondary educational institution
• Reciprocal exchange program
• Refugee
• Residency
• Spouses and dependent children
• Title IV regulations
• Traditional academic semester
• U.S. citizen