Border State Out-of-State Tuition Waivers Frequently Asked Questions
With a recent decision by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, Columbus State University is now able to offer in-state tuition to all residents of Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee who come to Columbus State University as an undergraduate student. The Application For Out of State Tuition Waiver Border State / County Residents is available online. Below are some questions and answers about this new benefit to border residents.
Undergraduate students who have established and maintained domicile in the Border State for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the start of the term.
Students who have established and maintained domicile in Chambers County, Lee County, or Russell County, Alabama for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the start of the term.
Yes, students that currently receive Border County Waivers are still eligible to keep those waivers.
Eligible students should complete the Border State/Border County Waiver form located online.
Yes, current undergraduate students may be eligible for the Border State Residents waiver, effective fall term 2022. (Please note: This waiver only available for Alabama State/County students prior to fall 2022).
Unfortunately, graduate students from other Alabama counties do not qualify for the waiver.
A dependent student must provide clear and convincing evidence that their parent(s) or U.S. court-appointed legal guardian has established and maintained domicile in Alabama for at least the 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the first day of classes for the term the waiver is requested. In addition, the dependent student must either have graduated from a high school in Alabama or be claimed as a dependent by their Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina or Tennessee state domiciled parent or U.S. court- appointed legal guardian on their federal or state income tax return filed for the most recent tax year.
An independent student must provide clear and convincing evidence that he or she has established and maintained domicile in Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee for at least the 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the first day of classes for the term the waiver is requested.
No, once a student has been determined to be eligible for the Border State/Border County Residents Waiver, they are not required to reapply for the waiver provided continuous enrollment is maintained.
Students that reside in the counties of Chamber, Lee, and Russell are the only students that could qualify for the waiver. All other students must be undergraduate, degree-seeking students.
Yes, reentry/returning/readmit students are eligible to be considered for the Border State Residents Waiver.
No, the Border State Residents Waiver may only be granted by those institutions approved by the Chancellor to award the waiver.
Yes, per Board of Regents policy, no student may be classified as in-state or be granted an out-of-state tuition waiver until their lawful presence in the United States has been verified using one of the approved methods found on our Lawful Presence page.
Revised September 7, 2022
