Lawful Presence and Legal Name Verification

Lawful Presence

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has implemented a policy requiring University System Institutions to verify the lawful presence in the United States of all admitted students entering Clayton State University who are seeking in-state (resident) tuition status.   BOR Policy 4.34 states:  “University System institution shall verify the lawful presence in the United States of every successfully admitted person applying for resident tuition status (in-state tuition). 

Legal Name Verification

Effective July 1, 2025, in accordance with the Legal Name-Preferred Name BOR Policy 12.07 standards for consistent identity management and to reduce the risk of fraud by impersonation, all new and new readmit students at Clayton State University are required to verify their legal name in our system. 

  • As a result of this procedure, we are required to obtain a copy of the student's official government document to verify that the legal name on the student's record matches the legal name on their document before they can enroll. Therefore, a Legal Name Verification (LNV) registration hold will be added to every new and new readmit student’s account who does not satisfy (LNV) requirement. Please submit your documentation as soon as possible to prevent any delays in registration. 
  • The policy still allows the student to have a preferred name listed as well, but their legal name must match what is on their government document. USG policy requires that CSU not recognize requests to use a Preferred First Name that is considered vulgar, offensive, obscene, or otherwise reasonably inappropriate 

How can a Student Satisfy Lawful Presence:

To satisfy Lawful Presence students may submit one of the approved documents to the Office of Admissions using one of the following methods:

  • Upload legible documents through the application portal (preferred method)
  • Submit via the Verification of Lawful Presence Submission Form
  • Mail documents to Office of Admissions

Clayton State University

2000 Clayton State University Blvd.

Suite 218-Clatyon Hall

Morrow GA, 30260

  • Deliver  documents in person to Admissions Office located in Clayton Hall, Suite 218