Arizona Board of Regents
Summary for Classification of Students for Tuition Purposes

II. Requirements for Resident Status:

1. The general rule is that in order to obtain resident status for tuition purposes, a student must establish his or her domicile in Arizona at least one year immediately prior to the last day of regular registration for the semester in which the student proposes to attend the university. Arizona domicile occurs when a financially independent person is physically present in Arizona with the intention of making Arizona his or her permanent home.
2. Financial independence, for purposes of residency classification, means a student's ability to meet his or her expenses from self-generated funds under his or her control. A student will generally be considered financially independent if he or she:
   1. Is a veteran of the U.S. Armed forces, or
   2. Was not claimed as an income tax deduction by his or her parents or any other individual for the two years immediately preceding the request for residency classification, and has demonstrated objective evidence of self-support for the two tax years immediately preceding the request for residency classification.
3. An adult student (age 18 or older) or legally emancipated minor must couple his or her physical presence within Arizona for one year with two years financial independence and objective evidence that such presence is consistent with his or her intent in making Arizona his or her permanent home. If these steps are delayed, the duration period will be extended until all requirements have been demonstrated for one full year, with financial independence for two years.
4. The domicile of an unemancipated minor is that of his or her parents (father, mother, or legal guardian where there is no surviving parent, or the whereabouts of the parents are unknown). In addition, an unemancipated person who is enrolled at the University and who remains in Arizona after his or her parents establish a domicile elsewhere does not lose resident status while in continuous attendance toward the degree for which currently enrolled.

5. There are certain exceptions to the general rule. A student may also be eligible for resident status if he or she can establish that, on or before the last day of regular registration, he or she meets one of the following criteria:

   1. Dependent : The student is domiciled in Arizona and has not met the one-year durational requirement, but the student’s parent(s) are domiciled in this state and are entitled to claim him or her as a dependent for state and federal tax purposes.
   2. Spouse of an AZ Resident: The person’s spouse has established domicile in this state for at least one year and has demonstrated intent and financial independence as is entitled to claim the student as an exemption for state and federal tax purposes, but maintained a domicile in this state. If the person is a non-US citizen, the person must be in an eligible visa status pursuant to federal law to classify as an in-state student for tuition purposes. Contact the Residency Classification Officer for further assistance.
   3. Transferred Employee: The student is domiciled in Arizona but has not met the one-year durational requirement, and is an employee or spouse of an employee transferred to Arizona by his or her employer for employment purposes.
   4. Teachers on Contract: The person is an employee of a school district in this state and is under contract to teach on a full-time basis, or is employed as a full-time non-certified classroom aide, at a school with that school district. The person is eligible for classification as an in-state student only for courses necessary to complete the requirements for certification by the State Board of Education to teach in a school district in this state. This does not include other members of the family.
   5. Military: The student is not domiciled in Arizona, but is a member of the U. S. Armed Forces stationed in Arizona pursuant to military orders, including Arizona National Guard and Reserve Component service members, or is a member’s spouse or dependent child as defined in A.R.S. 43-1001. A student does not lose resident status while in continuous attendance toward the degree for which currently enrolled if military service is discontinued. In addition, a person domiciled in Arizona immediately prior to becoming a member of the U. S. Armed Forces will not lose resident status because of his or her absence from Arizona while a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, provided that he or she has demonstrated continued intent to maintain Arizona domicile, by such actions as described in Section III, Paragraph D.
   6. Military Outside AZ: The person is a member of the Armed Forces of the United States stationed outside of this state pursuant to military order or is the spouse or dependent child as defined in AR.R.S 43-1001, and the person claimed Arizona as the person’s legal residence for at least twelve consecutive months prior to the last date of registration. The person claiming in-state status under this section shall be required to provide a copy of the Military Form DD-2058 which verifies their state of legal residence; and the person demonstrated objective evidence of intent to be a resident of Arizona by at least one of the items set forth in Section 4-205(A)(3); and provide evidence of having filed an Arizona Resident Income Tax Return with the Arizona Department of Revenue for the prior tax year on all income from all sources.
   7. Military Honorably Discharged: A person is an honorably discharged member of the Armed Forces of the United States or is the spouse or dependent child as defined in A.R.S. 43-1001 and meets all of the following; the person claimed Arizona as the person ‘s legal residence for at least twelve consecutive months prior to discharge as evidenced by a DD-2058; and the person demonstrated objective evidence of intent to be a resident of Arizona by at least one of the items set forth in Section4-205(A)(3) ; and filed an Arizona Resident Income Tax Return with the Arizona Department of Revenue for the prior tax year on all income from all sources.
   8. Native American: The student is not domiciled in Arizona but is a member of a Native American Tribe whose reservation land lies partially in Arizona and another state and is a resident of such a reservation.
   9. The person is domiciled within 75 miles of the Arizona border in San Bernardino, Imperial or Riverside Counties in California, enrolling for no more than six (6) credit hours offered by Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University of University of Arizona in Mohave, La Paz or Yuma Counties, Arizona.
   10. The person is a doctoral graduate student who is a candidate for degree, having completed all requirements for the degree except dissertation and who qualified as a resident student immediately prior to being eligible to begin dissertation.
6. An alien may qualify as a resident (a) by meeting the general one year durational requirement, (b) by meeting one of the exceptions to the general rules, or (c) by having been granted refugee status and meeting all other requirements for domicile in this state; provided that in establishing domicile, the alien must not hold a visa that prohibits establishing domicile in this state. In accordance with federal law, no undocumented alien may receive in-state residency status for tuition purposes notwithstanding any language suggesting the contrary in either State Statute or Regental Policy.