The University System of Georgia allows students who have been admitted to the University of West Georgia as out-of-state for tuition purposes, to apply for in-state status by filing a petition for reclassification or to receive in-state tuition rates as an out-of-state student through various tuition differential waivers.

 

Petition & Waiver Overview

Applications for a petition or waiver should not be completed until the student has been fully admitted to the university, and all Tuition Differential Waivers are due in the Registrar’s Office at least 2 weeks prior to the posted fee payment deadline of the term in which the waiver is requested. Fee payment deadlines are available from the Office of Student Accounts and Billing Services’s Office or from the current SCOOP. Waivers received after this date run the risk of not being processed in time for fee payment.

Digital Signature Process

The Petition and all waivers require student signatures. For help creating your digital signature, please visit the Adobe Webpage for setting up and managing your signature.  Forms cannot be signed if completed in the browser. In addition to your digital signature, all forms completed digitally will need to be sent to the Office of the Registrar at registrar@westga.edu from a UWG email account. If you have any trouble with the digital signature you may print the form, sign, and return in pdf format to registrar@westga.edu, mail, fax, or deliver to the Student Solutions Team in the Momentum Center. 

Petition for In-State Tuition Status

University of West Georgia students are responsible for registering under the proper tuition classification. Students who have been classified as out-of-state for tuition purposes and believe they are entitled to be classified in-state for tuition purposes may petition the institution for a change of status. For more information about the classification of students for tuition purposes, See Board of Regents Policy Manual, section 403.02 in the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Policy Manual.

Students should download and complete the Petition and return it with all applicable supporting documents to the Registrar’s Office by posted deadline. Incomplete petitions will be returned to the student. Petition for In-State Tuition Form (PDF, 329KB)

Enrollment of Persons 62 Years of Age or Older/Senior Citizen Waiver

If you are a Georgia resident 62 years of age or older, you may be eligible for a tuition and fee waiver. To apply, please submit your Georgia Driver's License or other official document showing age and residency to the Office of the Registrar for review.

Tuition Differential Waivers

The University of West Georgia awards out-of-state tuition differential waivers and assess in-state tuition for certain nonresidents of Georgia under the following conditions: For more information about tuition differential waivers, see Board of Regents Policy Manual, section 704.041 on the USG website.

Full-time employees of the University System, their spouses, and their dependent children.
Full-Time USG Employee Waiver (PDF, 55K)

Full-time employees in the public schools of Georgia or Technical College System of Georgia, their spouses, and their dependent children. Teachers employed full-time on military bases in Georgia shall also qualify for this waiver.
Full-Time Public School and TCSG Employee Waiver (PDF, 53KB)
Full-Time Teachers on Military Bases Waiver (PDF, 43KB)

Career consular officers, their spouses, and their dependent children who are citizens of the foreign nation that their consular office represents and who are stationed and living in Georgia under orders of their respective governments. Career Consular Waiver (PDF, 55KB)

Beginning Spring 2022 all previous military and military-connected students waiver applications will be combined into one application. Previous Applications included are as follows: Military Personnel,Georgia National Guard or U.S. Military Reserves, and Recently Separated Military Personnel.

Basis for Waiver Request must be one of the following

1. Military Sponsor is an Active Duty Service Member; or

2. Military Sponsor is an Active Member of the Georgia National Guard or the U.S. Military Reserves; or

3. Military Sponser is a Separated Military Member.

Military & Military Connected Students Waiver (645K)

 

Students domiciled in an out-of-state county bordering Georgia, enrolling in a program offered at a location approved by the Board of Regents and for which the offering institution has been granted permission to award Border County waivers. The University of West Georgia has permission to grant Border Waivers to Residents of Cleburne or Randolph counties in Alabama. Border County Waiver (PDF, 90KB)

Students domiciled in another state bordering Georgia. For the University of West Georgia, students who have been domiciled in Alabama (effective Spring 2018), Florida (effective Fall 2022), North Carolina (effective Fall 2022); South Carolina (effective Fall 2022); and Tennessee (effective Fall 2022) for 12 consecutive months prior to the first day of classes for the term in which they plan on enrolling may be eligible for the waiver.

The waiver is granted to degree seeking students attending at the undergraduate level only.

Spouses who are not residents of one of the aforementioned states are not eligible to receive the waiver until providing evidence of residency in one of these states.

The Waiver may be granted to dependent children when the parent or legal guardian has been domiciled in one of the following states: Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee for 12 consecutive months prior to the first day of classes for the term in which the student plans on enrolling. Border State Waiver Form (PDF, 257K)

This application form is for students that are continuing at UWG.

New (attending for the first time), transfer and readmit students should not complete this waiver application. If you are a new, transfer or readmit student, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for information on and to apply for this waiver.

As of the first day of classes for the term, an Economic Advantage waiver may be granted under the following conditions:

U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents, and Eligible Non-Citizens

  1. Dependent Students
    Dependent students providing clear and convincing evidence that the student’s parent or U.S. court-appointed legal guardian relocated to the state of Georgia to accept full-time, self-sustaining employment. The relocation must be for reasons other than enrolling in an institution of higher education and appropriate steps to establish domicile in the state must be taken. The employment upon which the relocation was based must be held at the time the waiver is awarded.
  2. Independent Students
    Independent students providing clear and convincing evidence that they, or their spouse, relocated to the state of Georgia to accept full-time, self-sustaining employment. The relocation to the state must be for reasons other than enrolling in an institution of higher education and appropriate steps to establish domicile in the state must be taken. The employment upon which the relocation was based must be held at the time the waiver is awarded. 
  3. U.S. refugees, asylees, and other eligible noncitizens
    U.S. refugees, asylees, and other eligible noncitizens as defined by the federal Title IV regulations may be extended the same consideration for the Economic Advantage waiver as citizens and lawful permanent residents of the Waiver eligibility for the above qualifying students expires twelve (12) months from the date the waiver is awarded.

Economic Advantage Waiver (PDF, 68KB)

Non-Citizens (those who are not considered Eligible Non-Citizens by the U.S. Department of Education)

  1. Dependent Students
    Non-citizen dependent students providing clear and convincing evidence that the student’s parent or U.S. court-appointed legal guardian relocated to the state of Georgia to accept full-time, self-sustaining employment and entered the state in a valid, employment-authorized status. The relocation must be for reasons other than enrolling in an institution of higher education and appropriate steps to establish domicile in the state must be taken. The employment upon which the relocation was based must be held at the time the waiver is awarded. Additionally, the non-citizen dependent student must provide clear evidence that the parent, or U.S. court-appointed legal guardian, is taking legally permissible steps to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the United States.
  2. Independent Students
    Non-citizen independent students must provide clear and convincing evidence that they, or their spouse, relocated to the state of Georgia to accept full-time, self-sustaining employment and entered the state in a valid, employment authorized status. The relocation must be for reasons other than enrolling in an institution of higher education and appropriate steps to establish domicile in the state must be taken. The employment upon which the relocation was based must be held at the time the waiver is awarded. Additionally, non-citizen independent students must provide clear evidence that they, or their spouse, are taking legally permissible steps to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the United States.

Waiver eligibility for the above qualifying students may continue provided full-time, self-sustaining employment in Georgia and the employment-authorized status are maintained. Furthermore, there must be continued evidence of Georgia domicile and efforts to pursue an adjustment to United States lawful permanent resident status.

As of the first day of classes for the term, a nonresident student can be considered for this waiver under the following conditions:

Student under 24

If the parent, or U.S. court-appointed legal guardian has maintained domicile in Georgia for at least 12 consecutive months and the student can provide clear and legal evidence showing the relationship to the parent or U.S. court-appointed legal guardian has existed for at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the first day of classes for the term. Under Georgia code legal guardianship must be established prior to the student's 18th birthday (BR Minutes, October 2008). Non-Resident Students Waiver (PDF, 62K)

Student 24 or Older

If the student can provide clear and legal evidence showing relations to the spouse and the spouse has maintained domicile in Georgia for at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the first day of classes for the term. This waiver can remain in effect as long as the student remains continuously enrolled. Non-Resident Students Waiver (PDF, 62KB)

If the parent, spouse, or U.S. court-appointed legal guardian of a continuously enrolled nonresident student establishes domicile in another state after having maintained domicile in the State of Georgia for the required period, the nonresident student may continue to receive this waiver as long as the student remains continuously enrolled in a public postsecondary educational institution in the state, regardless of the domicile of the parent, spouse or U.S. court-appointed legal guardian.

Students enrolled in a University System of Georgia institution based on a referral by the Vocational Rehabilitation Program of the Georgia Department of Labor (Submit copy of referral).