State Residency Requirements

Part 1. Definition of Domicile

A person's true, fixed and permanent living place. Domicile is the place to which a person intends to return after temporary absences. A person may have only one domicile at a time.

Part 2. Determination of In-State Tuition

Subpart A. Statute

Students shall be eligible to pay in-state tuition if they meet the criteria of Minnesota State Statute 135A.031, subd. 2.

Subpart B. Demonstrating Domicile

Students may establish eligibility for instate tuition by demonstrating domicile in Minnesota before the beginning of any semester or quarter. Students have the burden of proving domicile for purposes of instate tuition.

• Students who seek to qualify for in-state tuition must first meet the following threshold requirements:
  a. Students must have resided in Minnesota for at least one calendar year immediately prior to applying for in-state tuition.
  b. Residence in Minnesota must not be merely for the purpose of attending a college or university.
• Each of the following additional facts and circumstances will be considered when responding to a petition for in-state tuition. No one of these factors is either necessary or sufficient to support a claim for in-state tuition.
  a. Continuous presence in Minnesota during a period when not enrolled as a student.
  b. Sources for financial support are generated within Minnesota.
  c. Domicile in Minnesota of family, guardian, or other relatives or persons legally responsible for student.
  d. Ownership of a home in Minnesota.
  e. Permanent residence in Minnesota.
• The following circumstances, standing alone, shall not constitute sufficient evidence of domicile to affect eligibility for in-state tuition under these regulations, but may be considered as part of the demonstration of the facts and circumstances listed above.
  a. Voting or registration for voting.
  b. The lease of living quarters.
  c. A statement of intention to acquire a domicile in Minnesota.
  d. Domicile of student's spouse in Minnesota.
  e. Automobile registration.
  f. Other public records, e.g., birth and marriage records.

Subpart C. Exceptions

Individuals in the following categories shall qualify for in-state tuition rates;

1. Nonimmigrant Japanese students who have completed a program of study of at least one academic year at Akita campus and have been recommended by the provost for transfer to a Minnesota state college or university and who retain their legal visa status.
2. Students who are recognized as refugees or asylees by the Office of Refugee Resettlement of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.
3. International students who have had at least one semester of full time enrollment at Inver Hills Community College. Student must maintain their status per immigration regulations and must be in good financial and academic standing at Inver Hills Community College. International students will lose their resident-rate tuition if they fail to meet any of these guidelines anytime after the first semester.
4. U.S. military personnel serving on active duty assignment in Minnesota, and their spouses and dependent children.
5. Students classified as Temporary Protected Status. Countries (or parts thereof) which are currently designated under the TPS program are listed online at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website (http://uscis.gov/graphics/services/tps_inter.htm).
6. Other exceptions listed on the Resident Classification Request form found online at http://www.inverhills.edu (click on "Forms").
7. The Director of Enrollment Services/Registrar will determine residency based on the residency policy in effect at the time the student applies to the college. Contact the Director of Enrollment Services/Registrar for a complete listing of exceptions which may qualify a student for the resident tuition rate. Students who have been classified as non-residents may petition eligibility for the resident tuition rate by demonstrating domicile in Minnesota before the beginning of any semester. It is the student's responsibility to prove domicile for the purpose of receiving the resident tuition rate.
   
   Students who are interested in petitioning for the resident tuition rate must complete the Resident Classification Request form and provide all necessary documentation. The Resident Classification Request form can be obtained online or from the Office of Enrollment Services. The Director of Enrollment Services/Registrar will make a determination on the petitioner's request within 14 days of receiving the form and supporting documentation.

Reciprocity for Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota

Reciprocal tuition agreements exist between Minnesota/Wisconsin, Minnesota/North Dakota, Minnesota/South Dakota, and Minnesota/Manitoba. Residents of these states must apply for reciprocal tuition by submitting an application to their respective coordinating councils for higher education. This takes approximately six weeks to process. For more information and reciprocity forms, see www.mheso.state.mn.us.

Nonresident students from Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, or Nebraska will receive a discount from out-of-state tuition rates if they qualify for the Midwest Student Exchange Program. For more information and reciprocity forms, see www.mheso.state.mn.us.

Approved by Management Team March, 2006
Effective May 1, 2006