Residency for the Purpose of Determining Tuition
In compliance with state law, the University of North Carolina system requires each student to request a residency classification from the Residency Determination Service (RDS). RDS is the entity responsible for all new classifications of residency in North Carolina.
Attention Newly Admitted Students:
If you received an offer of admission from ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ and your residency status was listed as 'Out-of-state' or included a notation 'In-state pending Residency Determination System validation,' you must complete the residency process and receive a determination of 'in-state' before the residency deadline to avoid paying out-of-state-tuition your first semester.
Residence in North Carolina must be legitimate and be a permanent situation rather than just for the purpose of maintaining a residence prior to enrollment at an institution of higher education. The specific requirements for establishing residency for tuition purposes and for eligibility for state financial aid are prescribed by state law.
A North Carolina resident for tuition purposes (and for state financial aid consideration) is a person or a dependent person (dependent according to IRS tax code - not the FAFSA definition of dependency), whose parent or legal guardian has established and maintained legal residence in North Carolina for at least 12 months.
Under North Carolina law, to qualify for in-state residency, you must show that you:
- have established your legal residence (domicile) in North Carolina, and
- have maintained that domicile for at least twelve (12) consecutive months before the beginning of the term, and
- have a residentiary presence in the state, and
- intend to make North Carolina your permanent home indefinitely (rather than being in North Carolina solely to attend college).
Persons not meeting the 12-month legal residence requirement may be classified as North Carolina residents for tuition purposes only if they fall within one of the limited "exception" categories authorized by the North Carolina Legislature. All others are ineligible for classification as a North Carolina "resident for tuition purposes" and will be charged out-of-state tuition and not be given consideration for state financial aid. To learn more about residency and complete a determination, go to .
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are a newly admitted student, contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 828.227.7317.
If you are a newly admitted graduate student, contact the Graduate School at 828.227.7398.
If you are a continuing student, contact the Office of the Registrar at 828.227.7216.
Fall and Spring semesters: The deadline to submit an application, along with all supporting documentation for an initial residency determination or reclassification, is the end of the sixth week of the term for which the student is seeking a residency determination or reclassification. All conditions necessary for achieving in-state status must be satisfied prior to this deadline. Actions completed after the deadline will not be applicable to the in-progress term.
Summer semesters: The deadline to submit an application, along with all supporting documentation for an initial residency determination or reclassification, for the Summer term is the start date of the course for which the student is seeking a residency determination or reclassification. All conditions necessary for achieving in-state status must be satisfied prior to this deadline. Actions completed after the deadline will not be applicable to the in-progress term.
Responsibility for Supplying Information. It is the student's responsibility to provide the documentation necessary to support their claims for in-state residency for tuition purposes by the deadline.
Preliminary residency application decisions through the North Carolina Residency Determination Service can typically be completed the same day. However, final determinations may take two to three business days to be validated and updated in the student's record. This process may take longer if there are documents not included with the initial residency application.
The minimum required amount of time to maintain a domicile in North Carolina for tuition purposes is 12 consecutive months prior to enrollment.
No. The regulations state that the student’s domicile must be in North Carolina.
Active-duty service members and their dependents who are not residents of North Carolina but who are stationed in North Carolina may qualify to claim the benefit of in-state tuition. Service members who separate from the military can be granted in-state residency if the Home of Record at the time of separation is listed as North Carolina or if the family moves to North Carolina immediately upon separation.
Use this link to document your eligibility and claim the in-state tuition benefit, .
Contact The Office of Military Student Services at 828.227.7397 for assistance.
Students generally will not need to return to RDS for a new determination as long as they remain continuously enrolled in their program. Students who break enrollment or enroll in a new undergraduate or graduate program may lose the benefit of in-state tuition if they or their parents have moved out of state.
Additional details are provided in the Residency Determination Service (RDS) Guidebook, which can be found at the (see Grace Period, page 27).
