Residency FAQs

For Winter, Spring, and Summer quarters, the UW Tacoma Registrar's Office will accept residency questionnaires and documentation no earlier than 30 calendar days before the start of the quarter. For Autumn quarter, the office will accept residency questionnaires and documentation no earlier than 60 calendar days before the start of the quarter.

The deadline for the initial application to be received in the UW Tacoma Registrar's Office is the 30th day after the quarter begins. If you miss this deadline, you will need to apply for the next quarter you will be registered.

If your request to change residency classification is not approved by the time tuition is due, you are responsible for paying non-resident tuition and fees. Note that failure to pay the tuition by the due date will result in late payment fees. If residency is granted, the university will reimburse the tuition differential. To inquire about the reimbursement process, please contact Student Fiscal Services directly at sfshelp@uw.edu or 206-543-4694.

If required documentation is missing, or if additional documentation is required due to unclear or ambiguous information, it will further delay our ability to make a residency determination. Therefore, you should be prepared to pay the non-resident tuition rate by the tuition deadline for your quarter of application.

In order to be considered a resident for tuition purposes, you (or your parent/legal guardian, if you are financially dependent) must have established domicile in Washington for at least one year prior to the first day of the quarter in which you are requesting residency. Establishing domicile includes affirmatively creating legal ties and relationships in the state of Washington — for example, driver’s license (or state ID), vehicle registration, voter registration, bank account, and lease or home purchase agreement.

• If I do not own or use a vehicle, do I need a vehicle registration? If you do not own or use a vehicle in Washington, you are not required to provide this documentation.
• If I never registered to vote in my former state, do I need to register in Washington? You do not need to register to vote if you never registered in any other state.
• I registered to vote but never received my voter registration card. What do I provide? You can visit https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/myvote/ and print the web registration.

Financially independent students who are attending a Washington State institution of higher education for 7 or more credits per quarter are presumed to be in the state for educational purposes, and cannot use that time toward the establishment of residency unless they can conclusively overcome that presumption.

It is possible to overcome this presumption through documentation of significant employment (at least 30 hours/week) at a non-student position during the time of enrollment. It may also be possible to do so through documenting a combination of non-student employment, business or professional licenses in the state, community involvement (i.e., volunteering, etc.), participation in state/local organizations, family ties in the state, etc. However this is difficult to do.  If you are a financially independent student, we recommend that you either:

• Not attend school while taking the steps to establish your residency; or
• Attend school part-time (6 credits or fewer per quarter) while taking the steps to establish your residency.

Living in UW affiliated housing will not affect your residency, as long as your place of residence is in Washington.

Having a lease/home agreement or property in the state of Washington does not automatically classify you as a resident for tuition purposes. You are still responsible for proving you have established all other residency requirements.

No, lease/home agreements or utility bills alone do not prove physical presence. One can have property and make monthly payments, or pay utility bills for a property, but not be physically present in Washington. Please see the UW Tacoma Residency Questionnaire documentation checklist for some examples of documentation that demonstrates physical presence in the state.

The role of our office is to determine whether a student has met the state requirements to be classified as a resident for tuition purposes. We can provide clarifying information about those requirements, answer general questions regarding the Residence Questionnaire itself, and provide suggestions about how a particular circumstance may affect your ability to meet the requirements for residency. However, you and your family (if applicable) are expected to read and independently follow the state regulations for residency as linked to on our webpage.

Because residency is complex and depends upon the ability of a student to document their situation, we will not make a residency determination without reviewing a fully-completed residency questionnaire and documentation. We can provide suggestions about how a particular circumstance may affect your ability to meet the requirements for residency, but these should not be taken as a guarantee for or against being classified as a resident.

We do not review residency applications or documentation with students before submission. If there are general questions regarding the Residence Questionnaire, we can help clarify.

Some programs or departments at the UW may participate directly in reciprocity agreements, as allowed by law. These programs do not typically qualify a student as a resident for tuition purposes, but rather function as tuition waivers of a portion of nonresident tuition. We list some of these on our Reciprocity Exchange Program page, but recommend you contact your department for questions about any these and any other reciprocity agreements. The University of Washington Residence Classification Office does not participate in the administration of or determination of eligibility for any reciprocity agreements.

• Dependent students are financially dependent upon someone else, and/or claimed on their parents’/legal guardians’ latest tax returns. If you are determined to be a financially dependent student, residency will be determined based on your parent’s/legal guardian’s domicile information and supporting documentation, not yours. Note: a married student applying for residency should apply as a financially independent student.
• Independent students are not financially dependent upon someone else, or claimed on their parent’s/legal guardians’ latest tax returns. If you are determined to be a financially independent student, residency will be based upon your domicile information and supporting documentation. If you are applying as financially independent, you must also document your financial independence, including:
  • That you were not and will not be claimed on your parents’/legal guardians’ tax returns for the previous or current calendar year. Calendar year is defined as January 1 through December 31.
  • That you did not and will not receive significant financial assistance either directly or indirectly from your parents, relatives, legal guardians, or others (excluding your spouse) for the current and previous calendar year. For the UW, you will need to document that you have not received financial assistance in excess of 49% of your living expenses. Financial assistance includes, but is not limited to, personal loans, parent PLUS loans, and gifts. Financial assistance does not include financial aid grants, scholarships, and loans authorized by the financial aid office in your name.
  • That you are independently covering your living expenses with your own financial resources. For the UW, you will need to document that you are covering at least 51% of your living expenses.

For residency determination purposes, the UW defines “living expenses” as tuition and mandatory fees (if applicable) and housing costs.

• In terms of tuition and fees, the actual full-time tuition and fees relevant to a student’s program will be used. The resident tuition rate is used when reviewing the quarter for which you have applied for residency and forward, but if you were enrolled during the previous or current calendar year, your non-resident tuition rate will be used for the relevant period.
• For housing expenses, the UW Tacoma Registar's Office will use the Room/Board amount listed in the published cost of attendance, unless you provide documentation of your housing expenses for the current and previous calendar year. Acceptable documentation includes all applicable leases or housing agreements, or documentation of rent payments, for the period under review.

Trust funds such as college funds (GET, 529 plan, etc.) can count toward financial independence if the fund accounts were established before you enter high school, if you have independent access to the funds, and if the funds are disbursed either directly to the institution or to you. You will need to provide documentation indicating date of establishment and transaction activities showing funds used toward paying for your tuition and living expenses.

Once residency is approved, the change in status from non-resident to resident is immediately updated on your record. It is suggested that you contact the Financial Aid Office in Tacoma for questions regarding the implications of the changed status, any financial aid adjustments, eligibility, and/or awarding, at uwtfa@uw.edu or 253-692-4788.

Yes. Spouse/dependent(s) of H, E, and L visa holders are eligible to apply for residency as long as they are able to prove that they fulfilled the residency requirements. See Qualifying Visas for more details according to the dependent’s situation.

You might be able to be classified as a resident through the Washington Higher Education Residency Affidavit (also known as the HB 1079 Affidavit). To qualify, you must have obtained a high school diploma or its equivalent from a Washington school, lived in Washington for at least 3 calendar years (36 consecutive months) prior to obtaining the diploma or equivalent, and continuously lived in Washington after receiving the diploma or its equivalent until admitted into an institution of higher education. See Affidavit of Residency for more details.

DACA is a qualifying classification status for residency. See Residency Requirements and Eligible Non-Citizens for complete details.

• How can I prove my DACA status? You will need to provide the I-797 notice from USCIS verifying the approval of DACA status (I-821D). An Employment Authorization Card (EAC) or I-797 notice of approval for the EAC (I-765) will not suffice. See example of the I-797 notice of approval of DACA (I-821D).

Students are able to maintain their resident status as long as they prove that the absence was due to educational purposes. This means proving that they:

1. Were continuously enrolled at the college/university for the duration they were absent from Washington; and
2. Paid non-resident tuition at the out-of-state college/university (if it was not a private school/university; and
3. Did not surrender any of their Washington legal ties by establishing legal ties in another state. See Residency Requirements for the list of some legal ties.

The Office of the Registrar is aware of the Department of Licensing (DOL) closures and delays. We recommend making an appointment with the DOL to change your license/identification/vehicle registration as soon as possible. Keep a record of making the appointment. Submit that documentation and a statement of explanation with your application.

Please note that the closure of the Department of Licensing in March 2020 does not excuse a delay in obtaining these legal ties for students who arrived in the state more than 30 days prior to the closure.

Visit the Department of Elections website to explore alternate methods of registering to vote and corresponding deadlines.

Please note that, because voting is a right reserved for residents of a location, voting in another state will contradict Washington state residency.

Question: I left Washington to be with my family in March when the University moved to remote instruction. Will this impact my residency application?
Question: I traveled outside of Washington and was subject to a quarantine, which impacted or delayed my ability to return. What should I do?
Question: I have been outside of Washington caring for a sick family member. What should I do?

For all of these circumstances, you should list your absence, location, dates, and purpose on your Residence Questionnaire. If there are special circumstances involved with your absence, we encourage you to provide a written statement of explanation along with any relevant documentation.

Question: With remote classes, do I have to go/return to Washington? How will this impact my residency application?
Question: With remote classes, do I need to keep my apartment in Washington if I am remote learning from somewhere else? How will this impact my residency application?

If you have not yet lived in Washington, you will not be able to begin your residency period until you arrive in the state and obtain your legal ties. If you are already in the process of establishing residency for tuition purposes and you do not return to Washington because classes are remote, there may be a concern that you were only in the state for an educational purpose. We will review each case based upon individual circumstances, but we encourage you to provide documentation showing the purpose and duration of your absence.

Be creative. We can accept any reliable, verifiable documentation of your physical presence. You may submit multiple types of documents to cover this time period. Check your bank/credit card statements for indicators of your physical presence. (Some food delivery charges could place you in the state, for instance.) If you have seen a doctor, verification of those appointments could place you in the state. What you can provide will depend on your individual circumstances.

Yes. These payments come to you as an independent individual.

We recommend applying for unemployment benefits if you qualify to do so. These payments will be classified as independent income.

If you are receiving unemployment or other benefits from a state other than Washington, please contact the Office of the Registrar to determine whether this will impact your eligibility for residency for tuition purposes.

Yes. These payments come to you as an independent individual.

We recommend applying for unemployment benefits if you qualify to do so. These payments will be classified as independent income.

If you are receiving unemployment or other benefits from a state other than Washington, please contact the Office of the Registrar to determine whether this will impact your eligibility for residency for tuition purposes.

At the current time, the residency guidelines have not changed, so students should be careful not to accept significant financial support in an amount that would cause them to be considered financially dependent. Washington state law defines gift money, cash earnings, and personal loans as dependent funds.

The University of Washington has resources available for students experiencing financial emergencies. Please review the following for more information:

• Emergency Aid (apply online)
• Emergency Food Assistance (apply online)
• Any Hungry Husky (order online)
• Other assistance resources

Provide documentation of your previous work history as well as your reduction in hours. Your employer may be able to provide a verification letter regarding your employment reduction. You may provide additional community ties to show your non-educational purpose.

Provide documentation of your volunteering record and scheduled/canceled times.

You will need to build a case supporting your non-educational purpose using other activities or community ties.

The short answer is Yes. The long answer depends on your current classification and residence history.

When your immigration status changes to an F1 visa, your student status automatically changes to International Student in your student record. This has an immediate impact on your tuition rate, as it sets your tuition rate to non-resident with international student charges.

If you can continue to qualify for residency because you meet the terms of the H.B. 1079 Affidavit of Residence, you must contact our office for advice, as you may need to fill out and file an additional affidavit. In this scenario, you would continue to qualify for resident tuition, although your student profile will still reflect International Student status.

If you do not qualify for residency under the Affidavit of Residence and must qualify using the Residence Questionnaire, it is likely that you would lose your residency for tuition purposes because the F1 visa requires that a student maintain their domicile in their home country. If you later apply to return to an eligible status, you would have to re-establish your residency, which will take a minimum of twelve months.

This is optional for the duration of the public health emergency. If you have access to notary services, it is preferable to have statements from third parties be notarized. Digital/remote notary services may be available. We are not requiring anyone to go to a notary’s office at this time. If you choose not to have statements notarized, we do request that they be submitted with a photocopy of the signer’s state-issued identification card.

Provide a statement of explanation. If essential documents are currently unavailable, our ability to review your application may be delayed. Try to find alternate sources.

Due to limited access to campus buildings, we are experiencing significant delays in receiving postal mail. We highly recommend uploading a copy of your application and all supporting documents that you have available to our portal as soon as possible to secure your place in line for review. We may be able to return your mailed documents to you at a future date.

Most likely not. Due to limited access to campus buildings, we may not have easy or quick access to your earlier paper file. Files from Winter 2020 and earlier are now more than six months old and out of date, so a new application must be submitted. Incomplete applications that were submitted online for Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 should be re-uploaded to the current quarter for consideration, as technological limitations prevent us from moving files between quarters in our online system.