Northern Arizona University

The rules and regulations for establishing residency for tuition purposes are defined by the Arizona Board of Regents, which is authorized by the Arizona Legislature and the state statutes (section A.R.S. 15-1801 through 1807) to provide classification for a tuition differential between resident and non-resident students.

An individual must establish residency in Arizona before he or she is entitled to pay resident tuition rates. The requirements to establish residency for tuition purposes are independent from those of other types of residency, such a voting or holding public office. A resident for tuition purposes is someone who meets the requirements set forth in the Arizona Board of Regents Policy for Determining Tuition Status and summarized here.

Why are non-resident students at Arizona's educational institutions charged higher tuition than resident students? Arizona institutions of higher education are funded by the State of Arizona. Since non-resident students (and their families) generally have not contributed to the source of this public funding of public education in Arizona, they are required to pay fees which more closely represent the actual cost of their education.

How does a person establish Arizona residency? To become a resident of Arizona for tuition purposes, three basic requirements must be met:

A. Twelve Months Continuous Physical Presence. An adult person (18 years or older) must physically reside in the state for the twelve consecutive months immediately preceding the term for which resident classification is requested.

B. Intent to Establish a Domicile. Objective evidence of intent to be a resident of Arizona is demonstrated by the absence of ties to the former state of residence for twelve consecutive months. The following actions are used to determine intent and must be accomplished at the beginning of, and maintained throughout, the domicile year. If implementation of these actions is delayed, the commencement of the one-year period will be delayed.

• Arizona driver's license.
• Arizona motor vehicle registration
• Employment history in Arizona
• Filing of state and federal tax returns as an Arizona resident
• Arizona voter's registration
• Transfer of major banking services to Arizona
• Change of permanent address on all pertinent records
• All other materials of whatever kind or source which may have a bearing on determining domicile or residency status

C. Financial Independence. For purposes of residency determination, financial independence means a student's ability means a student's ability to meet his or her own expenses from self-generated funds under his or her control. A student will generally be considered financially independent if he or she is:

• A veteran of the U.S. military, or
• Not claimed as an income-tax deduction by his or her parents or any other individual for two tax years, and has demonstrated objective evidence of self-support for two years immediately preceding the term for which resident classification is requested.

A student must couple is or her physical presence within Arizona with financial independence and objective evidence of intent to make Arizona his or her permanent residence.

Note: Any act considered inconsistent with becoming an Arizona resident (such as voting, securing or maintaining a driver's license or automobile registration in another state) will result in a non-resident tuition.