Adopted by the President's Cabinet: 12/20/16; Revised 1/10/23
The guidelines of the Veterans Access Choice Accountability Act Section 702 requires VA to disapprove programs under the Post – 9/11 and Montgomery GI Bill® programs at public institutions of higher learning if the schools charge qualifying Veterans, spouses, and dependents tuition and fees in excess of the rate for resident students for terms that begin after July 1, 2015. As such, any schools that do not meet the requirements will be disapproved for Post- 9/11 GI Bill® and Montgomery GI Bill® benefits.
Student Eligibility under Section 702
Eligibility for in-state tuition
You may be eligible for in-state tuition if you meet all of these requirements:
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- You’re receiving benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, the Montgomery GI Bill® Active Duty (MGIB-AD), or Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E), and
- You’re a “covered individual” (the next 2 sections explain what this means for Veterans, spouses, and children) and
- When you start school, you live in the state where the school is located.
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Eligibility requirements for Veterans
As a Veteran, you’re a “covered individual” if you’ve served on active duty for at least 90 days since September 10, 2001.
Note: Section 702 of the Veterans Choice Act covers you only after discharge, not while you’re still on active duty or while you’re a member of the Active Guard Reserve (AGR).
Eligibility requirements for spouses or children
As a spouse or child of a Veteran, you’re a “covered individual” if one of these is true:
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- You’re using education benefits transferred from a Veteran, or
- You’re using benefits under the Fry Scholarship and the Veteran had served a period of active-duty service of at least 90 days before their death.
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Note: Starting August 1, 2022, if you’re using benefits through the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program, you’ll be eligible for in-state tuition rates.
Residency Requirements
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- Veteran, Spouse or Children who lives in the state where the institution is located, or
- Veteran, Spouse or Children who lives in the state where your school is located and show intent to become a resident, or
- Veteran, Spouse or Children who lives in the state where your school is located, show intent to become a resident, and become a legal resident within a certain period of time.
Additional information can be found at: http://www.va.gov/resources/in-state-tuition-rates-under-the-veterans-choice-act/.
Residency Status Notification
The East Georgia State College Office of Admissions will inform Military students of their residency status after the submission of their application and upon acceptance into the institution. Where applicable, the Office of the Registrar will notify all military student via email of the need to complete the military waiver and include a link to the Out of State Tuition Waiver for Military and Military- Connected Student application. Once the waiver is applied, Military students will be able to maintain their status as a covered individual as long as they are continuously enrolled at the institution. Even if they take scheduled breaks between courses, semesters, or terms, but if the student leaves the institution and then enrolls again, the student will not keep the status as a covered individual.
Waiver Requirements and Steps
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- Waivers must be submitted to the Registrar for review to determine eligibility and approval. Military students who meet the requirements will have their out-of-state tuition waived.
- Students must submit their DD-214 to the institution to establish the right to the military waiver, so that time of separation from service can be established.
- All additional required documentation for the waiver review is listed on the application.
- Notification of approval or denial of waiver request will be sent via letter to the student’s school email address.
- Students who have approved waivers will have their student accounts adjusted to reflect In-State tuition rates.
- Military student questions concerning the waiver application should be directed to the Office of the Registrar.
Intent to Become a Georgia Resident
Students that are granted a Military Waiver and are seeking to become a permanent Georgia resident should take steps to establish Georgia as their domicile by updating all of their out of state documents (e.g. Driver’s license, vehicle registration, voter registration, file a tax return with the state of Georgia, etc.) after three (3) attending semesters, student should complete the Petition for in State Classification application located on the Office of the Registrar’s webpage.
Board of Regents’ Out-of-State Tuition Waivers and Waiver of Mandatory Fees Policy
All waivers are subject to Board of Regents’ (BoR) policy and guidelines. The full policy can be found in the BoR policy manual Section 7.3.4.1.
