Application (RCP)
How to Request Residency Certification for the Regional Contract Program (RCP)
ONLY for students pursuing a Doctor of Optometry degree at the Southern College of Optometry (Memphis, Tennessee) or the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry (Birmingham, Alabama).
STEP ONE: Obtain Admission to….
….either the Doctor of Optometry program at the Southern College of Optometry (Memphis, Tennessee) or the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry (Birmingham, Alabama)
STEP TWO: Gather Documents for Proof of Georgia Residency
To qualify for the RCP tuition waiver, you’ll need to provide documentation demonstrating that you, or the person/s who claim you as a dependent for tax purposes, have lived continuously in the state of Georgia during the 12 months immediately preceding the first day of classes in the semester for which you have been accepted.
Documentation Needed:
Choose Two from the List Below
Choose two items from the numbered list below.
No other documentation will be accepted as proof of residency, including birth certificates, social security cards, passports, W-2 forms, bills mailed to your home, etc.
Acceptable documentation includes:
1) A Federal 1040 Tax form. A photocopy of the first page of the Federal 1040 Tax form for the most recent tax year.
Please cover up social security numbers and income information.
a) If you filed a tax return, use that.
b) If you did not file your own tax return, submit the return for whoever claimed you as a dependent (parent/s, guardian, spouse).
Visible on the submitted form must be
* Parent/guardian/spouse’s name(s),
* Their Georgia address,and
* Your name, listed as their Dependent.
2) Georgia Driver’s License or Georgia State ID issued at least 12 months prior to the first day of classes in the semester for which you have been accepted into an ACM-eligible program.
a) If you’ve had a Georgia Driver’s License or State ID for the required time, use that.
b) If you do not or have not had a Georgia Driver’s License or State ID for the required amount of time and if you submitted a tax form on which you were claimed as a dependent, (choice 1b above), submit the Georgia Driver’s License or State ID of the person whose tax form you submitted.
The name and address given on the tax form must match those on the Driver’s License/State ID.
3) Georgia Motor Vehicle Registration
a) If you have a vehicle registered in your own name in Georgia, submit that registration.
b) If you do not have a vehicle registered in your own name in Georgia, and if you submitted a tax form on which you were claimed as a dependent, (choice 1b above), submit the Georgia Motor Vehicle Registration of the person whose tax form you submitted.
The name and address given on the tax form must match those on the registration.
4) Voter Registration Card
a) If you have a Georgia Voter Registration card in your own name, use that.
b) If you do not have a Georgia Voter Registration card, and if you submitted a tax form on which you were claimed as a dependent, (choice 1b above), submit the Georgia Voter Registration card of the person whose tax form you submitted.
The name and address given on the tax form must match those on the Voter Registration card.
5) Proof of military residency
Orders showing that the student or the family of which the student is a part have been assigned to the state of Georgia.
STEP THREE: APPLY
Click here to access the Georgia RCP Application Portal!
At the portal log-in page, click on “Not a member?” and set-up a username and password for your account.
Make sure you choose RCP as your application type.
The portal will then walk you through the steps you need to take in order to submit your application.
If you do not have all of the needed documentation, you can save your entries and return later to upload additional files and submit.
