Neighbor Waiver Eliminates Out-of-State Tuition for AL, FL, NC, SC and TN Students: Documentation Needed
There are four parts to the Neighbor Waiver process.
1) The student must maintain an overall GPA of 2.0 or greater to receive the Neighbor Waiver.
2) The student must prove lawful presence. To prove this the student would complete a FAFSA at fafsa.ed.gov. If you do not plan on completing a FAFSA, then you may submit one of the following documents to satisfy lawful presence:
- A U.S. birth certificate showing that you were born in the U.S. or a U.S. territory.
- A U.S. Certificate of Naturalization (USCIS from N-550 or N-570)
- A U.S. Certificate of Citizenship (USCIS form N-570 or N-561)
- A U.S. Certificate of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State (DS-1350) of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240)
- A current U.S. Passport.
- A current military ID (service member only, not dependent)
- A current, valid Permanent Resident Card (USCIS form I-151 or I-551)
3) The student must prove state residency.
To prove state residency for Florida or Tennessee, the student would provide a copy of their vehicle registration (see example below). The Expires field on the registration would still need to be in date and the Plate Issued date would need to be at least 12 months prior to the day submitted (for Tennessee residents, they will need to submit two vehicle registrations since the plate issue date is reset each year).
If the registration is not in your name, we can still accept it. If it is in your parent’s name, you would also need to submit a copy of your birth certificate to prove the relationship.
To prove state residency for Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee, the student would provide a copy of their state taxes for the last two years. This could be the student’s individual state taxes or their parents’ state taxes showing the student claimed as a dependent. (Tennessee residents that did not file a state tax return can turn in vehicle registrations. See above.)
4) Complete the ABAC Neighbor Waiver Petition Form to submit your documents.
Once all these categories have been satisfied, we can review your account for eligibility for the ABAC Neighbor Waiver. To receive a Neighbor Waiver, students must maintain an overall 2.0 GPA and are consistently enrolled for Fall and Spring semesters until they graduate.
