Exceptions to the 12 Months of Living in AZ Policy
Note for Fall 2023: All residency classification forms and supporting documentation must be submitted on or before August 28th, 2023. Forms submitted after this deadline will not be considered for the Fall 2023 term. Students who would like a decision by the first day of classes for the fall term must submit all forms and supporting documentation on or before August 1, 2023.
There are certain exceptions to the general rule. A student may also be eligible for resident status if they can establish that on or before the last day of regular registration, they meet one of the following criteria:
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 rule, 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.
The student is domiciled in Arizona and has not met the one-year durational requirement, but one or both of the student's parents are domiciled in Arizona and are entitled to claim them as a dependent child for state and federal tax purposes (whether or not the parent actually claimed the student as a dependent child).
The student is domicile in Arizona and has not met the one-year durational requirement, but the student’s spouse has established domicile in this state for at least one year, has demonstrated financial independence, and is entitled to claim the student as an exemption for federal and state tax purposes.
The student is an enrolled member of one of the 22-federally-recognized Arizona tribes and can verify tribal affiliation by submitting a copy of their Certificate of Indian Blood or Tribal Identification Card. Documents must be uploaded to the website within one week of the first day of classes for the fall and spring semesters.
The student is a member of the US Armed Forces (including Reserves and the National Guard) stationed in Arizona pursuant to military orders, OR is a member's spouse or dependent child at the time of admission. 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 student domiciled in Arizona immediately prior to becoming a member of the US Armed Forces will not lose resident status due to their absence from Arizona while a member of the US Armed Forces, provided that they have demonstrated continued intent to maintain Arizona domicile.
The student is a member of the US Armed Forces stationed outside of Arizona pursuant to military order OR is the spouse or dependent child of the US Armed Forces member. The military member’s home of record on their Leave and Earnings Statements (LES) indicates Arizona for at least twelve months prior to the last date of registration.
Students claiming in-state status under this section will need to submit a Domicile Affidavit form and two Leave and Earnings Statements (LES) for the military member. Both LES documents should indicate Arizona as the military member's home of record and one statement should be recently obtained and the other statement should be from 12 months prior.
A student who is an Honorably Discharged Veteran, needs to submit an Honorably Discharged Veteran Residency Classification Exception form, a copy of their DD-214 Member 4 or Service 2 showing Honorable Discharge, and a copy of a document that illustrates their intent to be a resident of Arizona. This last item may be fulfilled by one of the following:
- Arizona driver's license
- Arizona vehicle registration
- Arizona voter registration
- Employment history in Arizona
- Transfer of major banking services in Arizona
- Change of permanent address on all pertinent records
- Other materials of whatever kind or source relevant to domicile or residency status
A student who is using Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill® Active-Duty (MGIB-AD), Chapter 33 Post-9/11 GI Bill®, or the Marine Gunnery Sargent John David Fry Scholarship, AND qualifies as a “covered individual” under Section 702 of The Veterans Access, Choice, & Accountability Act of 2014, must submit the Residency Classification Exception for “Covered Individuals” form:
- For the term noted on this form, the student will use Chapter 30 MGIB, Chapter 33 Post-9/11 GI-Bill®, or the Marine Gunnery Sargent John David Fry Scholarship, AND
- The student lives in Arizona
The student may qualify for residency if they have participated in an AmeriCorps program or the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program for at least one year in the state of Arizona.
The student 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.
The student is domiciled in Arizona, has not met the one-year durational requirement, is an employee (or spouse of an employee) transferred to Arizona by their employer for employment purposes, and is NOT self-employed or employed in a family-owned business not previously operating in Arizona.
The student 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 within that school district. The student is eligible for in-state classification 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 student's family.
Commonly Used Residency Forms
Listed below are commonly used forms for residency classification purposes. Before submitting your form, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE SUBMITTING THE CORRECT FORM BY READING THE ENTIRE DESCRIPTION below each link. If you have any questions, call the Residency Classification Office at 520-621-3636.
To view and print the .pdf (portable document format) file, you must have Adobe Acrobat® Reader™ software installed on your computer.
Complete tthe Domicile Affidavit form if you are either:
a new student applying for admission to the university for the FIRST TIME
OR
a student returning after an absence of one or more regular semesters
Used by CONTINUING STUDENTS (must have been enrolled in previous semester to petition) to apply for resident status. Please see the Petition to Change Residency Classification form for the deadline for each semester.
Application for an Arizona High School Graduate
Submit the Arizona High School Graduate form if you meet the criteria below:
- You are a non-resident undergraduate student who has graduated from an Arizona high school or has earned a GED in the state of Arizona. This is not a form to change your residency classification to a resident for tuition purposes; this is an application for a special tuition rate of 150% of undergraduate tuition.
- You are a qualifying non-citizen Arizona high school graduate and attended an Arizona public or private high school, or homeschool for a minimum of two years; and graduated from an Arizona public or private high school, or homeschool equivalent, or obtained an Arizona high school equivalency diploma, e.g., a general equivalency diploma (GED).
Residency Review Form
Students who believe they were incorrectly classified as a non-resident by a Residency Classification Officer may request a review by the Residency Review Committee. Students may only submit the review form for the same semester they were classified as a non-resident and must submit the form prior to the deadline indicated on the form. Forms submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed.