Presidential Waiver Policy

Policy Statement

This policy will be enacted in order to ensure accurate awarding of the Presidential Waiver Awards in accordance with University System of Georgia Board of Regents policy.

Reason for Policy

To ensure that distribution of the waivers are awarded in accordance with USGBOR regulation and that waivers are used to promote and increase academic excellence of student population, diversity of student population and that recipients are actively engaged in service to the college and community.

Entities Affected by This Policy

Entities affected by this policy are all persons at the College who are responsible for the creation of applications, initial review and awarding of all Presidential Waivers.

Who Should Read This Policy

All College of Coastal Georgia faculty and staff responsible for the application, review, distribution and maintenance of the waivers.  Applicants and recipients of waivers should review the policy as well.

Contacts

Website Address for This Policy

https://portside.ccga.edu/StudentPolicies

Related Documents/Resources

• University System of Georgia Tuition Classification Policy (Sections 7.3.4 and 4.3.2.1 of The Board of Regents Policy Manual)
• University System of Georgia Policy of Verification of Lawful Presence (4.3.4 of the Board of Regents Policy Manual)
• CCGA Academic Scholarship award procedure guide
• CCGA Athletic Scholarship award procedure guide
• Current College of Coastal Georgia Catalog
• Current College of Coastal Georgia Student Handbook

Definitions

• Non-Resident – A person who has not had an established domicile in the State of Georgia for a period of at least 12 months prior to the first day of classes for the term for which the person is intending to enroll at the College.
• Out-of-State – Tuition classification granted to a student, in accordance with the policies of the Board of Regents, when the student has been determined to be ineligible to pay tuition at the in-state rate.
• Out-of-State-Waiver – A waiver of the difference in tuition paid by students classified as out-of-state and those classified as in-state for tuition purposes.
• Academic Year – For the purpose of Presidential Waivers, the academic year is defined as contiguous Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. Mid-Academic year would be the spring semester.
• Lawful Presence – All waiver recipients must present evidence they are lawfully present in the United States as defined by Section 4.3.4 of the Board of Regents Policy Manual
• International Student – For the purpose of Presidential Waivers, an International student holds a valid F-1 or J-1 visa.

Overview

I. Allocation of Awards

In agreement with USG Policy, the College of Coastal Georgia shall award Presidential Waivers to qualified students, provided that the number of waivers in effect does not exceed 2% of the equivalent full-time students enrolled at the institution in the fall term of the previous academic year of the term for which the out-of-state tuition is to be waived.  Presidential Waivers, if available, may be awarded during spring semester.

The Presidential Waivers will be awarded in three categories:

• Academic Presidential Waivers will be allotted a minimum of 50% of the total available Presidential Waivers.  To qualify for these awards, entering freshmen must demonstrate the potential to excel within their program of study by having a Freshman Index in the top 50% of the previous year’s Freshman indices ; similarly, transfer students must demonstrate this potential by having a transfer GPA in the top 50% of the previous year’s GPA of the students matriculating within the particular program of study.  Out-of-State students currently enrolled in the College may be eligible to receive the waiver if there are remaining waivers available after awarding to new students and their institutional grade point average is in the top 25% of the current study body.
• International Presidential Waivers will be allotted a minimum of 10% of the available Presidential Waivers.  Recipients will be chosen based on academic ability and will be required to assist the College in cultural awareness and diversity efforts.
• Athletic Achievement Presidential Waivers will be allotted up to 33% of the total available Presidential Waivers.  Recipients will be chosen by criteria established by the Athletic Department as approved by the institution.

Given that students often meet criteria in multiple categories of the Presidential Waiver, the College will designate the Academic Excellence award first, the International Waivers second, and finally the Athletic waivers. However, should athletics have vacant waivers but there is a need for additional academic waivers, adjustments will be made. In order to qualify, information submitted as part of the admissions application will be utilized in order to award Academic Excellence and International Student waivers.

II. Award Amount

Waivers may be awarded for either the full amount of the out-of-state tuition differential or half of the differential.  Half-Waivers may be considered for use to align percentage caps between categories.

III. Review

All waiver recipients are subject to review and must meet the following criteria for continuation of the waiver:

• Students receiving an Academic, Athletic, or International Presidential Waiver must maintain a 2.5 overall cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of each academic year.
• Students receiving an Athletic Achievement Presidential Waiver must maintain good academic standing as defined by the College of Coastal Georgia Catalog.
• Waiver recipients failing to meet the grade point average requirement at the conclusion of any given academic year will be notified in writing their waiver is in jeopardy, and academic improvement must be made. Waiver recipients that fail to achieve the required grade point average after two consecutive semesters will become ineligible to receive a waiver their next semester of enrollment. The student is eligible to re-gain the waiver at the institution’s discretion as long as the waiver is available and it is consistent with this policy.
• Waiver recipients are expected to make reasonable progress towards degree. The College retains the right to deny a renewal request from a student who has exceeded 10 full-time semesters (or the part-time equivalent) for a bachelor degree or 6 full-time semesters (or part-time equivalent) for an associate program even if the student meets all other eligibility requirements.  The student has the right to petition the College for additional semesters of eligibility if the student experienced special circumstances during their enrollment.
• Waiver recipients must adhere to the Student Code of Conduct as defined the CCGA Student Handbook.

Responsibilities

The Responsibilities each party has in connection with this policy are: