Residence for Tuition Purposes
Residence Reclassification Application Due Dates for Academic year 2009-2010 for Undergraduate and Non Degree Students
If you are currently not classified as a resident for tuition purposes and you believe you meet the requirements of NC G.S. 116-143.1 or 116-143.3, please file your application and all supporting documentation by the appropriate dates below. Please allow two to three weeks for processing after all requested supporting documentation has been received.
Fall Semester 2009 - please file your application with all supporting documentation by 5 p.m. Wednesday, August 26, 2009.
Spring Semester 2010 - please file your application with all supporting documentation by 5 p.m. Monday, January 18, 2010.
Summer Session I 2010 - please file your application with all supporting documentation by 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, 2010.
Summer Session II 2010 – please file your application with all supporting documentation by 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, 2010.
Active Military Benefit – please submit the required application and supporting documentation by August 18, 2009 for the 2009 Fall semester and by January 8, 2010 for the 2010 Spring semester. Applications submitted later than the first day of class will not be accepted until the next enrolling term.
NC Public School Teacher Benefit - please submit the required application and supporting documentation by August 18, 2009 for the 2009 Fall semester and by January 8, 2010 for the 2010 Spring semester. Applications submitted later than the first day of class will not be accepted until the next enrolling term.
UNC System Employee Dependent/Spouse Benefit - please submit the required application and supporting documentation (a letter from your HR certifying official) full-time, permanent employment within the UNC system by August 18, 2009 for the 2009 Fall semester and by January 8, 2010 for the 2010 Spring semester. Employment must be in effect on the first day of class for this benefit to be granted.
Residency applications for an expired term are not accepted.
This notice supersedes any different information about filing periods in University publications and websites and on the residency form itself. If you have questions about the residency application process, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office.
General Information on North Carolina Residence for Tuition Purposes at NC State University
Note: Decisions on residence for tuition purposes are based on NC G.S. 116-143.1 and 116-143.3 and on A Manual to Assist the Public Higher Education Institutions of North Carolina in the Matter of Student Residence Classification for Tuition Purposes (Manual) which was prepared by the General Administration of the University of North Carolina system. Copies of the relevant statutes and the Manual are available for inspection in the Undergraduate Admissions Office.
The Criteria for Qualifying
There are four ways a student may receive the in-state tuition rate.
- A review of the "Residence-and-Tuition Status Application" has determined that the student is a resident for tuition purposes. (See below.)
- Active duty military personnel (and their military dependents) whose permanent duty station and location is in North Carolina are eligible to receive the benefit of in-state tuition even if they are not residents of North Carolina. If this applies to you, please skip to the online information sheet titled "General Information on North Carolina Residence for Tuition Purposes at NC State University for Military Personnel and their Dependents".
- Employed as a North Carolina Public School Teacher.
- Employed as a UNC system full-time faculty or staff.
Residency Requirements
1. Under North Carolina law, to qualify for in-state tuition for a given term you must prove:
- That you established your domicile in North Carolina twelve months before the beginning of that term (first day of classes), and
- that you have maintained that domicile for at least twelve continuous months.
2. Proof: To prove that you established a bona fide domicile in North Carolina, you must prove:
- that you were physically present in the state,
- with intent to make North Carolina a permanent home indefinitely, and
- that you were not in North Carolina solely to attend college.
Residency classifiers weigh all the evidence furnished in an application for residence status. The preponderance (or greater weight) of the evidence must support the establishment of North Carolina domicile twelve months before the beginning of the academic term (first day of classes) for which classification is requested. If the evidence shows a cluster of significant events occurring at about the same time (within the same week, for example), the classifier will start counting from that point to determine if the twelve-month requirement has been met. If instead the evidence has gradually accumulated over time, the classifier must decide at what point a preponderance of the evidence shows intent to establish North Carolina domicile, and that is the date on which the clock will begin. If this date is after the first day of classes for the term specified on the application, the classifier will be unable to render an in-state decision for the term in question.
The Process of Determining North Carolina Residence for Tuition Purposes
- When applying for admission (as a Non-Degree Studies student or Undergraduate student), indicate if you are a resident and answer the residency questions on the application. If there is any question about your residency or the 12 month requirement based on the information provided, then you will be classified as a non-resident on this initial classification. Undergraduate applicants are informed of residency status on the acceptance letter.
- After this initial
classification, the only way to change your status to resident
for tuition purposes is to complete the four-page "Residence-and-Tuition
Status Application". This form and supplemental forms (for international applicants) are available from Undergraduate Admissions. Note the following
information concerning the review of this form.
- You may attach additional information to the form to make your case. For example, copies of residentiary acts (see #1 above) or a statement explaining your situation are usually attached. Copies will not be returned.
- Incomplete forms are returned for completion.
- Write N/A if a question is not applicable.
- Do not leave any questions blank.
- The form takes at least two to three weeks to process once all information is received.
- The review of this form is based on the paper documentation you provide. There is not an opportunity at this stage to make your case in person. This opportunity is available through the appeal process.
- If you are not approved as a North Carolina resident for tuition purposes based on Undergraduate Admissions' review of your "Resident-and-Tuition Status Application", you may appeal the decision to the NCSU Residency Appeals Committee. You will be given the opportunity for an in-person appeal at this point. The request to appeal the decision is enclosed with the letter relaying the decision.
- If you are not approved based on the review of the NCSU Residency Appeals Committee, you may appeal to the State Residency Appeals Committee.
Special Cases
- If you are determined to be a resident for tuition purposes after you have already paid your out-of-state bill for a semester, then you will be reimbursed for the difference in tuition.
- In the case of a child of divorced parents, one of whom lives in North Carolina, special rules apply. If the child is not yet 18 years of age (still in high school), the child lives in a state other than North Carolina, and the parent that lives in North Carolina claims the child as a dependent for tax purposes, then the child may qualify as a resident for tuition purposes. (See G.S. 116-143.1 Subsection j)
Domicile of Non-U.S. Citizens
This general information is intended only as a guide and is not intended to cover all
immigration issues. Anyone with specific questions about a visa status should consult the
proper authorities.
If you are currently not classified as a resident for tuition purposes and want to apply for the in-state tuition benefit, please file your application and supplemental form for non-U.S. citizens and all supporting documentation by the appropriate dates above.
If you are not a U.S. citizen, you may or may not qualify for resident tuition status on the
same basis as a U.S. citizen. It depends on the type of immigration documents you hold.
If you are in the country on a student visa, you cannot qualify for in-state tuition.
The following visa and other immigration documents allow you to establish a domicile
in the United States and thus in North Carolina, subject to the provisions of
NC G.S. 116-143.1.
A, G, K, N, and TC visas
Permanent resident alien cards (I-151 and I-551)
Conditional resident alien cards
Certain documents given to refugees or asylees
The following visa classifications and their derivatives do not allow you to establish
domicile;
B, C, D, F, J, M, P, Q, R, and TN
The following visas classifications and their derivatives may be considered for residency
for tuition purposes subject to the provisions of NC G.S. 116-143.1.
E, H, L, and O
If you have one of the visas that will not allow you to establish domicile and you later
receive a visa that does allow you or may be considered, the time you spent in North
Carolina under the old visa will not count toward the 12-month requirement. After you
receive the new document, you must establish North Carolina domicile and wait
12 months.
If you have applied for permanent resident alien status (the “green card”) but it has not
been granted, you are considered as still being in the United States under the visa or
document that you had before you applied for the “green card”. Any application for a given
INS status does not change the current legal immigration status of the visa holder. INS
documentation authorizing employment (I-688-A and I-688-B or Employment Authorization
Document – EAD card) does not of itself constitute residency capacity for tuition purposes.
