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Georgia Residency Requirements

CPTC is responsible for the verification of the lawful presence of every successfully admitted student as required by state and federal immigration laws. Legal residence in the state of Georgia requires the establishment of a domicile in the State of Georgia with the intent to remain indefinitely. Coastal Pines Technical College has the responsibility of evaluating each application, while the student has the responsibility of conveying current and accurate residency information. This information is used in determining the appropriate tuition rate to be paid by each student. In accordance with the policy of the Technical College System of Georgia, CPTC recognizes three student residency categories: Georgia Resident, Out-of-State Student, and Non-Citizen Student. The rate of tuition charged is based on a student’s status on the first day of the term.

Students applying for in state tuition must submit at least one secure and verifiable document defined in Georgia Code Section 50-36-1.  The Georgia Code Sections can be found at www.georgia.gov.

Georgia Student

To be classified as a Georgia Resident for tuition purposes, an independent student must show that he/she has established and maintained a domicile in Georgia for a period of at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the first day of classes for the term. ‘Independent student’ means an individual who is not claimed as a dependent on the federal or state income tax returns of a parent or United States court-appointed legal guardian and whose parent or guardian has ceased to provide support and right to that individual’s care, custody, and earnings.

If an independent student classified as a Georgia Resident for tuition purposes relocates out of state temporarily but returns to Georgia within 12 months of the relocation, such student shall be entitled to retain his or her Georgia Resident tuition classification.

A dependent student shall be classified as a Georgia Resident for tuition purposes if the dependent student’s parent or United States court-appointed legal guardian has established and maintained domicile in Georgia for at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the first day of classes for the term and:

  • The student has graduated from a Georgia high school; or
  • The parent claimed the student as a dependent on the parent’s most recent federal or state income tax return.

'Dependent student’ means an individual under the age of 24 who receives financial support from a parent or United States court-appointed legal guardian whose federal or state tax return lists the individual as a 'dependent'.

If the parent or United States court-appointed guardian of a dependent student currently classified as a Georgia Resident for tuition purposes establishes domicile outside of Georgia after having established and maintained domicile in Georgia, such student may retain his or her Georgia Resident tuition classification so long as such student remains continuously enrolled in a public postsecondary educational institution in Georgia, regardless of the domicile of such student’s parent or United States court-appointed legal guardian.

In the absence of documentation that the individual has established legal residence in Georgia, no person shall gain Georgia Resident status while attending any educational institution in this state.

Non-Resident

A student who is a lawful resident of the United States but who has not established a physical domicile in the State of Georgia for a period of at least 12 months prior to the first day of the term for which they seek enrollment. Students classified as Out-of-State Students will be assessed tuition at the rate twice that of a Georgia Student.

Exceptions

Students in the following classifications are eligible for Out of State Tuition Exemption. These exemptions do not affect the student’s eligibility for the HOPE Scholarship or Grant, except for exemptions for military personnel and their dependents and Move on When Ready students as provided for in the GSFC regulations.

  • Employees and their children who move to Georgia for employment with a new or expanding industry as defined in Georgia Code 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 that are Domiciled in Georgia, but are stationed outside the State;
  • Students who are Domiciled in out-of-state counties bordering on Georgia counties and who are enrolled in a Technical College with a local reciprocity agreement;
  • Career consular officers and their dependents that are citizens of the foreign nations which their consular office represents, and who are living in Georgia under orders of their respective governments. This waiver shall apply only to those consular officers whose nations operate on the principle of educational reciprocity with the United States.
  • Members of a uniformed military service of the United States who, within thirty-six (36) months of separation from such service, enroll in an academic program and demonstrate an intent to become domiciled in Georgia. This -exemption may also be granted to their spouses and dependent children. This exemption also applies to individuals eligible for transferred GI Bill benefits who within thirty-six (36) months of the transferor’s separation from the uniformed military service of the United States enroll in an academic program and demonstrate an intent to become domiciled in Georgia. An individual or former service member so described retains the exemption if enrolled at the expiration of the thirty-six month window and remains continuously enrolled (other than during regularly scheduled breaks) and uses educational benefits, even if the student enrolls in multiple programs.
  • Students using transferred GI Bill while the transferor is on active duty who demonstrate an intent to become domiciled in Georgia and students using the Marine Gunnery John David Fry Scholarship who demonstrate an intent to become domiciled in Georgia
  • Students who are described as covered individuals in 38 U.S.C 3679(c)
  • Students who are dually enrolled and participating in Move on When Ready.

    Notwithstanding any exception outlined above, no person who is unlawfully present in the United States shall be eligible for any exemption of the tuition differential.

    Non-Citizen

    Any student not a legal citizen of the United States shall be classified as a Non-Citizen Student. A Non-Citizen Student lawfully present may be classified as a Georgia Student if there is evidence to warrant such classification. In the absence of such classification, a Non-Citizen Student is to be charged a rate of tuition four times the rate of a Georgia Student.

    Coastal Pines Technical College is not authorized by the Office of Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) to issue I-20’s or student visas. It is the student’s responsibility to comply with all appropriate INS regulations. Non-Citizen Students must complete the following requirements in addition to the admissions procedures for new students:

    • Provide an official English translation and evaluation of all secondary and postsecondary records performed by an independent credential evaluation agency at the student's expense.
    • Score at the provisional level or higher on the COMPASS/ACCUPLACER

    Students with diplomas from secondary schools located outside the United States must have their transcripts evaluated for equivalency by an approved evaluation organization or attain a GED®.

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