Lawful Presence

In accordance with Board of Regents policy, all applicants who are accepted for admission or readmission to the College of Coastal Georgia are required to provide validation of lawful presence in the United States before being considered for in-state tuition or other state benefits. Any applicant whose status cannot be verified is not eligible for in-state tuition regardless of how long he or she has lived in Georgia.

There are a number of ways for a student’s lawful presence in the United States to be verified.

U.S. Citizens

If your document expires before the start date of the semester you wish to enroll, you will be required to submit an updated document prior to registering for classes. If updated documents are not received, your tuition rate will default to the out-of-state rate.

  1. Students who file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and are eligible for federal aid may have their lawful presence verified as part of this process. If you do not submit a FAFSA, or the FAFSA process does not confirm your citizenship status, you will need to provide us with other citizenship documentation.
  2. Or, submission of one of the following documents:
    • Current driver’s license/ID with the real ID symbol issued by the State of Georgia or any of the USG approved states. Provisional licenses are accepted. Limited-term licenses and paper copies are not accepted. You must submit clear copies of the front and back.
    • Current U.S. passport book. You must submit copies of the data and signature pages.
    • Current U.S. passport card. You must submit clear copies of the front and back.
    • Current, valid Permanent Resident Card (USCIS form I-151 or 551). You must submit copies of the front and back of your Permanent Resident Card.
    • Certificate of Citizenship (USCIS form N-560 or N-561.
    • Department of State Certificate of Birth Abroad or Certification of Report of Birth Abroad.
    • Current Military ID (for service members only, not dependents).
    • *Note: Military ID cannot be copied and must be shown in person.
    • Certified U.S. Birth Certificate showing that you were born in the U.S. or a U.S. territory. A clear and complete copy of an original and certified U.S. birth certificate bearing an official seal may be accepted by mail or electronically for the purpose of verifying U.S. lawful presence. The copy must very clearly show the raised or written seal to be acceptable. Copies that are not clear or do not show the seal cannot be accepted. You can visit VitalChek for instructions for ordering a certified U.S. birth certificate.
    • Certification of Naturalization (USCIS form N-550 or N-570).
    • Current Georgia Voter ID card. You must submit copies of the front and back.
Non U.S. Citizens

U.S. Permanent Resident

  • Send a copy of the front and back of your current, valid Permanent Resident Card (USCIS form I-151 or I-551).

F-1 International Student

  • We will verify your lawful presence through SEVIS. As this is already part of the immigration process, there are no additional steps required for you to satisfy lawful presence.

Non-resident Alien

  • Students on some sort of visa will need to submit immigration documents verifying their lawful status to the Office of Admissions. Such documents may include an I-94 card, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) approval notice or recipient notice, or other documentation confirming the student is in lawful visa status.

DACA/Undocumented

  • Students in DACA or undocumented status do not qualify for in-state tuition. Note: Admission to Coastal Georgia is not contingent upon proof of lawful presence.

Name Verification

Students at the College of Coastal Georgia must verify their legal name in our system prior to enrollment. This requirement helps reduce the risk of impersonation and ensures the accuracy of student records. While students may still designate a preferred name, their legal name must match the name listed on their government-issued documentation.

Documentation for name verification should be submitted to the Office of Admissions. Here is a list of acceptable documents for students to verify their legal name.

Acceptable Documents
  • FAFSA (Note: We will run a process to verify that the name, date of birth, and social security number submitted on your FAFSA matches the name we have on file for you).
  • Driver’s License with Real ID
  • State Issued I.D.
  • Government Issued Passport
  • Birth Certificate
  • Military I.D. (must be present in person)
  • Lawful Permanent Resident Card
  • Certificate of Naturalization
  • Employment Authorization Card
  • Visa, I-94, I-797 receipt notice, I-20, DS2019, or other immigration document
  • Other Forms Issued by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

If your name has changed, please submit one of the documents above, plus one of the following:

  • Court Order for Legal Name Change
  • Marriage certificate
  • Divorce decree

We recognize that many students use names different from their legal name for personal, cultural, or other meaningful reasons. To better support our community, we have introduced the option for students to add a Preferred First Name in select College applications used for academic and administrative purposes. You can learn more about this option here.

Please submit documents for lawful presence and/or name verification to the Office of Admissions through the applicant portal, by email, or via US Postal Service.

Office of Admissions
One College Drive
Brunswick, GA 31520
admissions@ccga.edu

Note: If you have been classified as an out-of-state student for tuition purposes, verification of lawful presence and name verification in the United States may not change your status as an out-of-state student. Additional information may be needed.