New & Prospective Students - Financial Matters

Financial Aid
Some of the financial aid information you receive from UGA may be applicable only to American citizens. For instance, students who are citizens of other countries are not going to be eligible to receive U.S. federal financial aid or the HOPE scholarship (a Georgia-based scholarship). The following information relates to financial issues that you should know about as an international student:

• The cost of tuition for student who is from Georgia is cheaper than that for a student from another country. A person in Georgia will pay in-state tuition, while a person from anywhere other than the state of Georgia will pay out-of-state tuition costs. Most international students will pay out-of-state tuition costs.

• Financial aid for international students is not easy to find. It is also not a fast process.  To assist you, we have provided links to several resources for financial aid options (including scholarship information) for international students below in the Financial Aid Resources for International Students section.
  • Be sure to start early!  Some applications require many supporting documents that will take a long time to acquire.

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Financial Aid Resources for International Students
Be sure that non-residents are eligible to apply for any of these programs / scholarships before submitting your applications!

1. Information from Intercultural Affairs at UGA.

2. Information from the University System of Georgia.

3. International Student Life has a list of scholarships specifically for international students in our office.  Application deadlines vary and each scholarship / award program has its own set of criteria.  Interested students may contact ISL for more information about this list.

4. The Office of International Education (OIE) has a special Out-of-State-Tuition Waiver Program which allows international students to pay only in-state tuition.
1. This is not a scholarship and there are specific criteria that a student must meet in order to obtain that waiver.
2. Typically, students will not receive the waiver until after they have studied at UGA for two years.  
3. Additionally, there may be limitations regarding how many times a student has access to this waiver. 
4. Contact OIE for more information. 

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International Student Health Insurance & Medical Costs
Medical costs are very expensive in the USA.  The concept of the U.S. system of health care and health insurance can be very complicated to understand. Having good health insurance helps provide international students with relief from incurring unexpected, high medical costs in the U.S.  The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS) regulations require you to have health insurance. 

UGA has a specific insurance plan that is required for international students.  To learn more about the current UGA health insurance plan (including benefits and cost information), visit the University Health Center’s Web site.

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Tuition and Fees at UGA
There is no 'single cost' that can be quoted to tell you how much your education at UGA will total. Your immigration documents quote one price, but even this price may not be the exact the amount you will pay.  In the USA, students pay for the classes they take (tuition) as well as additional fees (called Student Fees) that the University charges for certain services provided to all students.  For example, there is a fee for the UGA student health center, fees for the physical recreation center, technology fees to help provide student computers and access to technology across campus, funding for the buses that transport students around campus, as well as student activity fees which help pay for funding for numerous student groups as well as extracurricular activities and events.   

Each student has their own UGA Student Account that will give you specific information about the fees and tuition you must pay each semester.  You can check your student account after you have successfully registered for classes to see how much you owe the University.  To pay for your tuition and fees, you may use certain credit cards or pay with cash or a check.  Check with the University’s Bursar’s office for specific information concerning payments.

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