Office of the Registrar
Residency General Information
Please help us process residency applications in a timely manner by reviewing the residency information and requirements.
Have questions? Please email the Residency Coordinator.
- To be considered a resident for tuition purposes, a student must be a U.S Citizen, U.S Permanent Resident card holder (for at least one year), approved for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) immigration status, have a qualifying visa, or qualify via RCW 28B.15.012(e).
- To be classified/reclassified as residents, for tuition purposes, students must establish bona fide domicile in the state of Washington for purposes other than education for the period of one year immediately prior to classification as residents.
- Non-resident students who are enrolled for more than 6 credits per quarter, shortly after arriving in Washington State, are presumed to be in Washington for primarily educational purposes.
These students are not eligible for the in-state tuition rate until proven that they have established bona fide domicile and can provide all supporting domicile documentation, demonstrating establishment of at least one year prior to the quarter of the residence questionnaire application.
For specific information on bona fide domicile, please reference the Residency FAQs.
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Qualifying Visas
Students with A, E, G, H, I, K, or L Visas
Students who hold a qualifying visa (A, E, G, H, I, K, or L), and have applied for the visa for at least 12 months prior to the quarter of application, may be eligible for residency for tuition purposes. Please reference Residency Requirements for details on establishing bona fide domicile.
Students must complete the residence questionnaire application and provide the following documentation along with the form:
- Proof of establishing bona fide domicile.
- A copy of the qualifying visa.
H, E, or L Visas for students applying for residency based upon their spouse working in Washington
Students must complete the residence questionnaire application (students complete both pages 1 and 2 with their information, not the spouse’s information) and provide the following documentation along with the form:
- Proof of establishing domicile in Washington for 12 months. This documentation will be of the student, not the working spouse. Reference Residency Requirements for details.
- A copy of the student’s visa.
- A copy of working spouse’s visa.
- Proof of spouse’s employment in Washington for 12 months.
Note: Married students are considered to be financially independent, not financially dependent.
H, E, or L Visas for students applying for residency based upon their parent working in Washington
Students must complete the residence questionnaire application (students complete page 1, parents complete page 2) and provide the following documentation along with the form:
- Proof of parent establishing domicile in Washington for 12 months. Reference Residency Requirements for details.
- A copy of the student’s visa.
- A copy of working parent’s visa.
- Proof of parent’s employment in Washington for 12 months.
- A copy of the parents’ most recent tax return showing student is claimed as a dependent.
- Top 5 Residency Questions
- Residency Forms
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Residency Guideline Sources
Residency policies are set by the Washington State Legislature. For more Residency classification and details, please reference the following links to read the relevant Revised Code of Washington and Washington Administrative Code:
- State Statute – RCW 28B.15.011-RCW 28B.15.015
- State Rules and Regulations – WAC 250-18-010 – WAC 250-18-06
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