The Institutional Waiver is based upon regulations passed by the Board of Regents of The University System of Georgia. The Waiver permits institutions to waive the out-of-state tuition for a limited number of International and/or Special Circumstance Students. The Institutional Waiver Committee will review requests for tuition waivers for students. Click here to download the application.

Qualifications

1. International Students
The Committee will give preference to international students who have F1 visa status and are seeking their first baccalaureate degree. Graduate students, additional degree, post-baccalaureate, and non-F1 visa students will be considered only on a space available basis. Selection will be based on academic performance and financial need. Applicants must have completed at least one semester at ASU before being considered for a Waiver.

2. Athletes
Athletes must be approved by the Department of Athletics before receiving a Waiver. (The Department of Athletics must approve international students who participate in Intercollegiate Athletics.)

3. Special Circumstances
Students with Special Circumstances must be recommended by at least two ASU faculty members. One recommendation must be either from The Dean of Students or the Director of Admissions.

Criteria for Maintaining the Waiver

The following criteria must be met each semester in order to continue with the tuition waiver program.

  1. 1.Students must carry and earn a full academic load each semester of attendance (12 semester hours for undergraduate students and nine semester hours for graduate students). The Committee reserves the right to grant exceptions.
  2. Students must maintain an Institutional Grade Point Average of 2.0 or higher.
  3. Students must be in compliance with the ASU Student Code of Conduct.
  4. Students must complete one service project per year to maintain the waiver. (See criteria below.)

Students may attempt a maximum of 136 undergraduate semester hours or 56 graduate semester hours in this program, beyond which the out-of-state tuition will not be waived. (The grades of W, F, WF, V, U, I, IP and NR are considered attempts. Repeating a class is also considered an attempt.) Students are automatically removed from the Waiver upon graduation or completion of their program of study. Students may receive the waiver for a maximum of four (4) years from their first year of enrollment at ASU.


Students receiving the Institution Waiver must notify the Coordinator of Special Student Programs, in the Dean of Students Office, in writing if they are not enrolled in school for any given semester. Failure to inform the Coordinator will result in an automatic loss of the waiver.

Eligibility Reviews
The Committee will review eligibility of all students who receive the waiver at the end of each semester. Students who fail to meet all of the guidelines will receive an initial warning. Students will be dropped after the second semester of noncompliance and will be required to pay out-of-state tuition. A letter will be sent to the student informing him/her of the committee’s decision.

Appeals
Students can make an appeal to the Institutional Waiver Committee regarding any decision made by the Committee. Students may appeal any decision in writing made by the Institutional Waiver Committee. Appeals must contain substantial supporting documentation. Appeals pertaining to decisions made by the Institutional Waiver Committee can be sent to the Dean of Students. Appeals of the Dean of Students decision can be forwarded to the President of the University. The President will notify the students of his decision. The decision of the President is final.

Service Learning Project
Each student who receives the Institutional Waiver must complete one Service Learning project per year in order to remain on the waiver. If the student fails to complete the Service Learning requirement and show proof in writing to the Coordinator of Special Student Programs, he/she will be required to pay out-of-state tuition for his/her next semester of attendance at Augusta State University. (Forms for the Service Learning Project are available through the Dean of Students Office.) The primary goal of the Service Learning Project is to increase the cultural awareness of both the campus and local community.

Examples of Service Learning Projects include but are not limited to the following:

  1. Speaking to a class about the student’s home country.
  2. Completing a bulletin board,
  3. Contributing to a University sponsored event that focuses on the student’s home country,
  4. Contributing short articles to any of our school’s or local publications on the student’s home country.

All recommendations for tuition waivers will be in accordance with the Guidelines of the Board of Regents of The University System of Georgia.

Note: Aliens shall be classified as nonresident students; provided, however, that an alien who is living in this country under an immigration document permitting indefinite or permanence residence shall have the same privilege of qualifying for in-state tuition as a citizen of the United States.