UA Residency Classification

Each student must be classified as either a resident student or a non-resident student for tuition purposes.  A student who is not classified as a resident student is charged non-resident tuition in addition to other registration fees and charges. It is the responsibility of each student to provide the information necessary to obtain a correct residency classification and raise the issue of a disputed classification in a timely manner.

Proposition 300

Requirements for Resident Status:

The general rule is that in order to obtain resident status for tuition purposes, a student must

1. Demonstrate US citizenship, Permanent Residency or legal immigration status;
2. Establish their legal domicile in Arizona for at least one year immediately proceeding the last day of registration for the semester for which the student proposes to attend the University.

In general Arizona domicile occurs when a financially independent person has been physically present in Arizona for at least a year with the clear and convincing intention of making Arizona their permanent home beyond the circumstance of their being a student.

Please note that the Arizona Board of Regents Policy states:

1. That the domicile of a minor is that of the minor’s parent.
2. That all evidence presented in support of in-state residency be weighted under the presumption that a non-resident student’s presence in Arizona is primarily for the purpose of education and not to establish domicile. Decisions regarding residency are to presume, barring clear evidence to the contrary, that no emancipated person has established a domicile in this state while attending any educational institution in this state as a full-time student.

For more detailed information, please refer to the Arizona Board of Regents' Policy, ABOR Policy Manual, Residency Classification.

Continuing students may submit a Petition to Change Residency for a review of their residency status according to the following schedule: 

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Residency Classification Office is not permitted to accept Petitions to Change Residency after the deadline dates above.

Procedures:

See UA Procedures for Establishing Residency Status.

For further information contact: 

Residency Classification Office
The University of Arizona
1423 E. University Blvd.
Modern Languages, Room 347
PO Box 210067
Tucson, AZ  85721-0067

Phone: (520) 621-3636
E-mail: rco@u.arizona.edu
Office hours:  M-F 8-5

Background:

In Arizona, as in all other states, instruction fees at publicly supported universities are lower for resident students than for non-resident students.  Residency classification standards and procedures at The University of Arizona are based on the Arizona Board of Regents Policy on Tuition Classification.