/Institutions/Middle-Georgia-State-University/json/2023-2024/Undergraduate-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/Middle-Georgia-State-University/json/2023-2024/Undergraduate-Catalog.json

Economic Advantage Waiver

1. Students who are certified by the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development as being part of a competitive economic development project.
2. 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 Other Eligible Non-Citizens

     A. 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.

     B. 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.

     C. 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 United States.

     Waiver eligibility for the above qualifying students expires twelve (12) months from the date the waiver is awarded.

   • Non-Citizens

     A. 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.

     B. 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.

3. Students who are employees of Georgia-based corporations or organizations that have contracted with the Board of Regents through USG institutions to provide out-of-state tuition differential waivers.
4. Students enrolled in a USG institution based on a referral by the Vocational Rehabilitation Program of the Georgia Department of Labor (BoR Minutes, October 2008).
5. 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.
6. Border State tuition waiver – for students domiciled in Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee.  Students must meet one of the following requirements to be considered for the waiver:
   
   • Live in a Cochran Campus residence hall.
   • And/or take the majority of their courses on the Cochran campus.

• Employee
  1. Full-time USG employees, their spouses, and their dependent children.
  2. Full-time employees in the public schools of Georgia or the Technical College System of Georgia (BoR Minutes, October 2008), their spouses, and their dependent children.
  3. Teachers employed full-time on military bases in Georgia also shall qualify for this waiver (BoR Minutes, 1988-89, p. 43).

• Military
  1. Active duty military personnel, their spouses, and their dependent children who meet one of the following:
     • The military sponsor is currently stationed in or assigned to Georgia; or,
     • The military sponsor previously stationed in or assigned to Georgia is reassigned outside of Georgia, and the student(s) remain(s) continuously enrolled in a Georgia high school, Technical College System of Georgia institution, and/or a University System of Georgia institution; or,
     • The military sponsor is reassigned outside of Georgia and the spouse and/or dependent children remain in Georgia; or,
     • The military sponsor is stationed in a state contiguous to the Georgia border and reside in Georgia; or,
     • Dependent children of a military sponsor, previously stationed in or assigned to Georgia within the previous five years, and/or the child completed at least one year of high school in Georgia; or,
     • Any student utilizing VA educational benefits transferred from a currently serving military member is also eligible.
  2. Active members of the Georgia National Guard stationed or assigned to Georgia or active members of a unit of the U.S. Military Reserves based in Georgia, and their spouses and their dependent children (BoR Minutes, October 2008).
  3. Separated military members from a uniformed military service of the United States who meet one of the following:
     • Individuals who within thirty-six (36) months of separation from such service, enroll in an academic program and demonstrate intent to become domiciled in Georgia. This waiver may also be granted to their spouses and dependent children. (BoR Minutes, June 2004; October 2008; October 2013).
     • Any separated service member or any student utilizing transferred VA educational benefits, and physically residing in the state, who enrolls within one hundred-twenty (120) months of separation is also eligible.

• Reciprocal
  1. Students selected to participate in programs offered through the Academic Common Market.
  2. Any student who enrolls in a USG institution as a participant in an international or domestic direct exchange program that provides reciprocal benefits to USG students (BoR Minutes, October 2008)
  3. Any student who enrolls in a USG study-abroad program to include programs outside the State of Georgia but within the United States and study abroad programs outside the United States. Tuition and fees charged study abroad students shall be consistent with the procedures established in the USG Business Procedures Manual and as determined by the institution president.