Eligible Non-Citizens

You may be eligible for residency for tuition paying purposes if you have a current permanent resident card that was issued at least one year prior to the quarter you wish to attend. You must also meet all other requirements to establish Washington as your domicile state with the exception of registering to vote.

I am a permanent resident, but my permanent resident card was issued less than one year ago. Am I eligible for resident tuition?

You may be if your application for permanent resident status was filed more than one year ago. In addition, you will need to demonstrate you have established Washington as your domicile and that you have continuously lived in Washington for at least twelve (12) months.

What documents do I need to submit for reclassification as a permanent resident?

Please submit your completed Residence Questionnaire, either as a financially dependent or financially independent student, and the following documents to your campus Residency Classification Officer:

• Front and back copies of your permanent resident card if your card was issued at least one year prior to the quarter you wish to attend or apply for a residency reclassification.
• Documents demonstrating you have established Washington as your domicile and that you have lived in Washington for at least 12 months prior to the quarter you wish to attend.
• If your permanent resident card was issued less than one year ago, please provide copies of the card front and back as well as documents from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that demonstrate your application for permanent resident status was received at least one year prior the quarter you wish to attend or apply for a residency reclassification.  

I have a permanent resident card but haven’t lived in Washington for one full year. What is my residency classification for tuition paying purposes?

If you have a current permanent resident card but do not yet meet the other residency requirements for tuition paying purposes, you may be eligible for the non-resident, waiver eligible tuition rate. Contact your campus Residency Classification Officer for more information.

You are eligible to pay reduced tuition if you are classified as a refugee or asylee by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Your spouse and dependent children may also be eligible for this reduction under their own refugee or asylee status. 

After you have established Washington State as your domicile and have been present in the state for twelve (12) consecutive months, you may want to apply for a residency reclassification to resident for tuition paying purposes. Although a reclassification will not reduce your tuition charge any further, it may increase the opportunity to be considered eligible to apply for additional funding sources.

What kind of documentation do I need to provide if I have been awarded refugee or asylee status?

Students, spouses and/or dependent children must present an I-94 form, Departure Record, or other supporting documentation that verifies your arrival in Washington. If you are requesting this tuition reduction for your spouse and/or children, you must also provide additional documentation in support of their relationship to the student, such as marriage or birth certificates or first page of a current federal tax return listing dependents.

If you have not yet received asylee status, you may be eligible for resident tuition if you have a current Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with an approved residency immigration status category. You may not hold a visa status that prevents you from establishing a domicile, e.g. B visa.

In addition, you must demonstrate you have lived in Washington for twelve (12) months prior to the quarter you wish to attend and have established your domicile in the state.

Contact your campus Residency Classification Officer for more information.

You may be eligible for resident tuition by the time you begin college if you have

• Earned a high school diploma, GED, or diploma equivalent before your first term at the college determining residency, and
• Maintained a primary residence in Washington for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before your first term at the college determining residency

The Washington residence must be for purposes other than college. If you take any courses at another Washington college during the prior 12 months, you cannot have taken more than six credits in any given term. If you exceed that limit, you must prove that you have a Washington residence for non-college reasons.

You must also complete and submit a  Washington Higher Education Residency Affidavit. If you have completed and submitted an electronic  WAFSA application for the year you plan to attend, you have already submitted the Washington Higher Education Residency Affidavit and do not need to submit a paper form.

You are eligible for resident tuition if you hold current or expired DACA status and meet one of the following qualifications below. We will ask you to provide a copy of your United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) I-797 Notice of Action form approving your DACA status or a current employment authorization document (EAD). 

If you are a financially independent student, you will need to demonstrate you have established Washington as your domicile state and that you have resided continuously in the state since that time. For helpful details, review our information on financially independent students. 

If you are under the age of twenty-five (25), you are considered financially dependent and we look to your parent’s information to establish residency. You may be eligible for resident tuition if your parent(s) have established Washington as their domicile state and have continuously resided in Washington since that time. For helpful details, review our information on financially dependent students.

Submit your DACA documents, along with your Residence Questionnaire and supporting documentation, to your campus Residency Classification Officer.

You may be eligible for residency for tuition paying purposes if you hold an A, E, G, H, I, K or L, T and U visa, have established a domicile in Washington and have lived in the state for at least twelve (12) months prior to the quarter you wish to attend. Submit your Residence Questionnaire and supporting documentation to your campus Residency Classification Officer.

You are not able to establish a domicile in Washington State if you hold a B, C, D, F, J or M visa and are therefore not eligible for residency for tuition paying purposes. These visas require you to maintain a domicile in your home country, which means you are unable to establish a domicile in Washington.

International students arrive in the U.S. with an F1 visa. This visa requires students maintain a domicile in their home country which prevents them from establishing a domicile in Washington State. For more information regarding residency reclassification, contact your campus Residency Classification Officer.