Office of the University Registrar

Domicile Services

Students who seek reclassification of their domicile status must submit the appropriate domicile form to the Office of the University Registrar located in Student Union Building I (SUB I) via fax, mail, or in person at room 2101 or the Enrollment Central Desk located on the first floor no later than 5 P. M. on the first day of the semester. Law School students should refer to the Law School's Academic Calendar.

Appeals will be reviewed on the following schedule:

All applications are processed as of the date that they are received with no guarantee that a decision will be made before tuition payments are due. Out-of-state students with pending requests are responsible for payment at the out-of-state rate. Students determined to be in-state can request reimbursement for the difference in tuition rates from the Student Accounts Office. Students who are not granted in-state status will be notified in writing of their right to further appeal.

Questions regarding the domicile process should be addressed to Domicile Administration at (703) 993-2464 or domicile@gmu.edu.

Domicile Appeals Administration

The Certification section of the Registrar’s Office is responsible for making appeal decisions for students previously determined to be out-of-state.  Please be aware that students must file an appeal form for a decision to be issued. Resulting in-state tuition privileges are a significant benefit to the student.

This decision process is based not on academics, but rather on the student’s personal circumstances regarding their presence in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and involves the sharing of information that might seem intrusive but is necessary to make a well informed decision.

There are two essential customers in the domicile appeal process:  students appealing their out-of-state status, and the Commonwealth of Virginia, whose laws form the basis for our decisions.  For this reason, our service to students is limited to assuring that they understand the procedures for appealing, and that they have access to information about the relevant sections of the Code of Virginia.  We provide information about the steps of our process, including deadlines; we also provide access to the applicable sections of the statute and the associated Guidelines.  We provide a highly qualified staff to review the appeals and make decisions based on the information students provide.  What we cannot do is provide advisement to students as to how to present their case for review; we cannot become the student’s advocate since we must make the decision.  In addition, we are subject to state audits. 

Our goal is to qualify every student who meets the state requirements, and no students who do not.  When we are “on the fence” about a student’s circumstances, we decide in favor of the student.  While we understand when students ask for advice within the appeal process, we also ask that you understand that we cannot provide it.  Students who need additional information on our role may contact the University Registrar.