Once you have received your acceptance letter, secure your spot with us and unleash your potential by accepting our offer of admission. We request that you inform us of your decision to accept or decline our offer as soon as possible. To do so, return to the status page of your online application and submit the Reply to Offer of Admission Form. After we receive your decision to accept our offer, you will be emailed instructions on how to set up your essential Georgia State University graduate student accounts.

All admitted graduate students must submit one official transcript for each college or university (postsecondary institution) attended, including:

• community colleges
• schools where transfer credit was earned

An official transcript should be issued to Georgia State University directly from your institution regardless of where the final degree was conferred, length of time attended, and whether or not grades are listed.

How to Send Official Transcripts to Georgia State University - Graduate Programs:

1. Online Ordering (Transcript Ordering Site):
   • Visit the transcript ordering site for your institution.
   • Follow the instructions to request your official transcripts (if applicable, please include degree conferral information).
   • Provide the order site institution name: Georgia State University - Graduate Programs.
2. Email:
   • Request that your institution e-mail your official transcripts to [email protected].
   • Make sure to include all relevant information.
3. Postal Mail (U.S. Postal Service):
   • Request that your institution mail your official transcript(s) to:
     Graduate Admissions
     The Graduate School
     Georgia State University P.O. Box 4018
     Atlanta, GA 30302
4. Delivery Services (FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.):
   • Request that your institution mail your official transcript(s) to:
     Graduate Admissions
     The Graduate School
     Georgia State University 55 Park Place NE, Suite 308
     Atlanta, GA 30303

• Your name and the institution’s name.
• One or more of the following features: registrar’s seal, registrar’s signature or watermark of the institution.
• Degree awarded and degree conferral date, if applicable.
• The diploma or degree certificate page if the degree is listed separately.
• The entire transcript (with no omitted pages) *If available, include one copy of the grading scale and/or definitions page typically listed on the back of domestic transcripts.
• A notarized translation of a non-English transcript and the original transcript.

Please note, if admitted, uploading copies of your transcript(s) to your application are not considered official. Your institution must issue transcripts directly to Georgia State University.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia requires all students applying to Georgia State University to provide verification of their lawful presence in the United States in order to be classified as in-state for tuition purposes.

This requirement is detailed in the following Board of Regents policies:

• Policy 4.1.6 Admission of Persons Not Lawfully Present in the United States
• Policy 4.3.4 Verification of Lawful Presence

Students may be verified through one of the following options below:

1. Verification through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

If you are either a U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident or eligible non-citizen (does not apply to international students on a visa) that has completed and submitted a FAFSA, the U.S. Department of Education will verify your lawful presence. If you are not able to be confirmed as lawfully present the Office of Financial Aid will follow up with you for additional documentation.

2. Submission of one of the following documents:

• Current Georgia Driver’s License issued by the State of Georgia after January 1, 2008*
• Current Georgia ID Card issued by the State of Georgia after January 1, 2008*
• Current driver’s license or state-issued ID card issued by any of the USG-approved states (see chart below). Licenses/ID cards must be valid and meet USG requirements.*
• Current U.S. Passport *
• An original or certified Birth Certificate issued by a state, county, municipal authority, or territory of the United States bearing an official seal* (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.)
• Permanent Resident Card * (front and back)
• U.S. Certificate of Naturalization *
• U.S. Certificate of Citizenship *
• U.S. Certificate of Birth Abroad*
• Military ID (only for a current military member of Active Duty, Guard, or Reserve; must be verified in person)
• Unexpired Georgia Voter ID Card * (The card must include the REAL ID symbol. Voter ID cards from other states cannot be accepted. An example of a Georgia Voter ID Card can be found at https://dds.georgia.gov/voter)

*Copies of these documents are acceptable.

Submit documents directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions in person or through the status page of your online application. Please allow 3 business days for the registration hold to be removed.

3. Verification through SEVIS (Student and Exchange Information System)
If you have or are applying for an F, or J visa we will verify your lawful presence through SEVIS. As this is already part of the immigration process there are no additional steps required to have your Citizenship Verification Hold removed. Simply comply with the requirements outlined by our Office of International Student and Scholar Services as you prepare to arrive at Georgia State University.

4. Verification through SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements)
All nonresident alien students on some sort of visa will need to submit immigration documents verifying their lawful status to the Office of International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS). Such documents may include an I-94 card, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) approval notice or receipt notice, or other documentation confirming the student is in lawful visa status.

USG Approved List of Driver’s License and ID Cards:
Temporary/interim driver’s licenses and IDs (paper copy provided until the official DL/ID card is generated) cannot be accepted.

International admitted students:
ISSS can assist with Lawful Presence Verification Holds. Nonresident alien students on a visa will need to submit immigration documents verifying their lawful status to the Office of International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS). Please reach out to ISSS to assist you!

Proof of immunization must be submitted to Georgia State University Health Services prior to registration for classes.

• If you’re missing any of the required immunizations, visit your local health department, private physician or a Georgia State University Health Services clinic. For more information on required immunizations, visit the University Health Services webpage.
• Students enrolled in exclusively online programs are not required to provide proof of immunization.

Emergency contact information is required for all students. You can easily provide this information via your PAWS account. To ensure compliance, a registration hold has been placed on your student record and will be automatically released once you have provided this information.

Instructions To Remove the Hold: 

1. Login in PAWS.
2. Select the Enrollment Tab at the top of the webpage.
3. Click the Change Emergency Contact Information that will be found once you scroll down to Update/Request Student Record.
4. Click the Update Emergency Contacts – Select Contact link. A minimum of two contacts is required for Emergency Contact info:

• Enter your personal contact information (how the University can contact you in case of a campus emergency) with the “Relationship” type of Reach Me in Emergency.
• One other person’s contact information (how the University needs to contact your relative, friend, etc. in case of an emergency involving you) with the appropriate “Relationship” type.

5. Once you have entered both types of contacts and saved them, click Remove Hold, and the hold will be removed.

Note for International Students:  

• If you only have an international phone number, leave area code and phone number blank before submitting changes.
• Once you have submitted this, go to the “Personal Information Menu” in GOSOLAR and add the international phone number for your emergency contact under "Change Address(es) and Phone(s)."

All admitted students must comply with providing the necessary documentation to remove outstanding holds on their account.

1. Grad Admission Transcript Hold - Reason: Transcripts

• If you see the following in PAWS: “Off Deg Conf Tscript (institution abbreviation)" - ex. Off Deg Conf Tscript VIT
  • Your Official Degree Conferred Transcript is needed.
• If you see the following in PAWS: "Off Tscript (institution abbreviation)" - ex. Off Tscript UofA
  • Your Official Transcript (if applicable, with the degree awarded information you provided with your unofficial transcript) is needed.
• If you see the following in PAWS: "Off Deg Cert (institution abbreviation)" - ex. OFF Deg Cert AUoTech
  • Your Official Degree Certificate is needed.

To remove these holds, please have all institutions you’ve attended send official transcripts that include degree conferral information or a degree certificate to GSU by mail or electronically.

Have you uploaded transcripts and are wondering the difference between official and unofficial?

• Anything uploaded by the applicant is considered unofficial.

2. Grad Admissions Trans Hold - Reason: Official IELTS, Official TOEFL Scores

• If you see the following in PAWS: “Official IELTS Scores", “Official TOEFL Scores”, to remove this hold, your official test scores need to be sent directly from IELTS or ETS to GSU.
  • TOEFL (ETS):  Select Institution Code 5251
  • IELTS: Select E-Delivery Account Name Georgia State University Graduate Admissions

3. Grad Admission Trans Hold - Reason: Official GRE Scores, Official GMAT Scores

• If you see the following in PAWS: “Official GRE Scores", “Official GMAT Scores”, to remove this hold, your official test scores need to be sent directly from ETS or GMAT to GSU.
  • GRE (ETS):  Select Institution Code 5251
  • GMAT: Select recipient Georgia State University - J. Mack Robinson College of Business

4. Lawful Presence Hold - Reason: Citizenship Verification

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia requires all students applying to Georgia State University to provide verification of their lawful presence in the United States to be classified as in-state for tuition purposes.

This includes students who have been previously enrolled at Georgia State but are either returning (re-entry) to a degree program or applying for a new degree program. Transient students must also be verified.

If you see the following in PAWS: “Lawful Presence Requirement”, to remove this hold, please see below:

International admitted students

Lawful Presence Holds for international students can only be resolved by The Office of International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS). Nonresident alien students on a visa will need to submit immigration documents verifying their lawful status to the Office of International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS). Please reach out to ISSS to assist you!

Students may be verified through one of the following options below through ISSS:

• Verification through SEVIS (Student and Exchange Information System) - If you have or are applying for an F or J visa, we will verify your lawful presence through SEVIS. As this is already part of the immigration process, there are no additional steps required to have your Citizenship Verification Hold removed. Simply comply with the requirements outlined by our Office of International Student and Scholar Services as you prepare to arrive at Georgia State University.
• Verification through SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) - All nonresident alien students on some sort of visa will need to submit immigration documents verifying their lawful status to the Office of International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS). Such documents may include an I-94 card, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) approval notice or receipt notice, or other documentation confirming the student is in lawful visa status.

Domestic admitted students

Students may be verified through one of the following options below:

• Verification through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - If you are either a U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, or eligible non-citizen (does not apply to international students on a visa) that has completed and submitted a FAFSA, the U.S. Department of Education will verify your lawful presence. If you are not able to be confirmed as lawfully present the Office of Financial Aid will follow up with you for additional documentation.
• Submission of one of the following documents:
  • Current Georgia Driver’s License issued by the State of Georgia after January 1, 2008*
  • Current Georgia ID Card issued by the State of Georgia after January 1, 2008*
  • Current driver’s license or state-issued ID card issued by any of the USG-approved states (see chart below).
  • Licenses/ID cards must be valid and meet USG requirements. *
  • Current U.S. Passport *
  • An original or certified Birth Certificate issued by a state, county, municipal authority, or territory of the United States bearing an official seal*
    • (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.)
  • Permanent Resident Card * (front and back)
  • U.S. Certificate of Naturalization *
  • U.S. Certificate of Citizenship *
  • U.S. Certificate of Birth Abroad*
  • Military ID (only for a current military member of Active Duty, Guard, or Reserve; must be verified in person)
  • Unexpired Georgia Voter ID Card * (The card must include the REAL ID symbol. Voter ID cards from other states cannot be accepted. An example of a Georgia Voter ID Card can be found at the DDS voter webpage.)

*Copies of these documents are acceptable.

USG Approved List of Driver’s License and ID Cards:
Temporary/interim driver’s licenses, instructional permits and IDs (paper copy provided until the official DL/ID card is generated) cannot be accepted.

Submit documents directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions through the status page of your online application.

Each college offers a limited number of graduate teaching, research and laboratory assistantships. Assistantships provide stipends and tuition waivers for up to 20 hours of service each week. Contact your college or browse Handshake for open positions.

There are many funding opportunities for graduate students across the Georgia State community.

• Automatic program-specific funding: You’ll be automatically considered for a number of fellowships and scholarships within some programs just by applying. Details about these opportunities are listed with the respective programs.
• Opportunity Finder: Discover national and Georgia State community resources to fund your graduate education.
• Scholarship Resource Center: The Scholarship Resource Center offers guidance and support to students seeking financial assistance by providing year-long promotion of scholarship opportunities, including the Georgia State University General Scholarship Application.

The Counseling Center offers events at each GSU campus as well as a wide range of counseling, testing, psychiatric and holistic health services to students as they work to reach their educational goals.

• All enrolled students have access to both Georgia State Counseling Center services and the services offered by the University System of Georgia.

Students in the University System of Georgia have access to affordable, high-quality health coverage through UnitedHealthcare.

• Students receiving a graduate assistantship and international students are required to carry health insurance. Review the University System of Georgia’s mandatory health insurance plan for more details.
• A voluntary plan is also available for students not covered under the mandatory plan.