Office of Admissions: Residency Information

The state of Washington has very specific criteria for determining whether a student may be considered a resident for tuition-paying purposes. The term "resident" for the purpose of paying in-state tuition is much more specific than some of the other state residency definitions, such as qualifying for a resident hunting or fishing license. It is important to read the College and University Residency Questionnaire (right click and choose "save target as" if you have problems viewing the questionnaire) thoroughly before beginning the process of changing your residency. You should obtain a copy of the questionnaire as soon as you decide to seek a change in residency.

Only students that are admitted to CWU will have their Residency Questionnaires reviewed.

Reviewing Residency questionnaires is a time consuming and cumbersome process, therefore Residency Questionnaires will not be accepted more then one quarter prior to the quarter for which a change in status is being requested (example: seeking a change in residency status for Fall quarter should be turned in Spring quarter). The deadline for submission of the questionnaire and documentation is the 30th calendar day of the quarter.

Please be aware that in order to meet the residency requirement for establishing a domicile (a person's true, fixed and permanent home and place of habitation) in Washington, there is a one-year waiting period, which does not begin until you have changed all supporting, documents to Washington State. These documents include, but are not limited to, vehicle and voter registration, driver's license, bank accounts, lease or home purchase agreements, and income statements. Additionally, students seeking to establish residency as an independent person must demonstrate income of at least half of their cost of attendance and may not be claimed as a dependant by a parent or guardian during the year in which they apply for residency or the year prior to applying for residency.

A student who is an undocumented non-citizen who has resided in the state at least three years immediately prior to receiving a high school diploma, and completed the full senior year at a Washington high school, or has completed the equivalent of a high school diploma, has continuously resided in the State since earning the high school diploma or its equivalent and who signs an affidavit (available here in PDF format, which requires Acrobat Reader 4.0 ®) promising to apply for permanent resident status as soon as legally able to do so.

You may review the residency regulations and print the Residences Questionnaire by visiting the links listed in the left menu area. Please stop by the Office of Admissions on the first floor of Mitchell Hall if you have questions about the residency process and to obtain a copy of the residency questionnaire. You can reach the Office of Admissions toll-free at (866)-CWU-4YOU.

Before the Admissions Office will be able to reach a decision regarding your request for a change in residency classification for tuition-paying purposes, all documents must be submitted in compliance with Washington State Law to determine if domicile has been established, (for a listing of Washington State Higher Education Residency Codes (WAC) please go to http://www.leg.wa.gov/wac click on Title 250). No single factor or combination of factors provides guarantees or assurance that domicile has been achieved. After the residency questionnaire and supporting documentation has been received by the Admissions Office, you will be notified by mail of your residency status. Please see the Frequently Asked Questions brochure and/or the Residency Questionnaire for further information. Time accrued while on a National Student Exchange or Western Undergraduate Exchange Programs WILL NOT contribute toward the length of time required to establish Washington State residency status.

Return Residency Questionnaire and all documentation together to:

If you have questions please call the Office of Admissions at 866-298-4968

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