Fall 2025 Residency for Tuition Purposes

 

Are you a military-affiliated student eligible for VA educational benefits? Or, are you active duty military stationed in the state of Washington or the spouse or dependent of an active duty military member?

 
 

Please check your residency status in myWSU before applying for residency. If you are currently coded as a RESIDENT, you will retain your resident status as long as you are continuously enrolled at WSU. No further action is required; you may exit this application now.


Check your status at: myWSU > Financial Aid tile > Awards > Summary > Residency Status.

 
 

Before you begin

This is a very long form; it must be completed in one sitting. Prepare digital copies of your documents before you start; they will be uploaded as part of this application.


Review the Dependent and Independent Student pages for checklists that list the required documents.


Are you eligible for the Residency Affidavit? The Affidavit is an easier process. You may be eligible if:

  • You will have a high school diploma or equivalency before your first term at WSU, AND
  • You did not attend college in Washington during the last twelve months more than 6 credits/term, AND
  • You have lived in or will have lived in Washington for 12+ months by the start of the term, AND
  • The Residency Affidavit application.


Processing takes several weeks; allow at least three weeks before contacting us regarding the status of your application.

 

Residence Questionnaire

Falsification or intentionally erroneous information is subject to perjury under the laws of the State of Washington, RCW 9A.72.085. All information will be kept confidential in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). Once a domicile is established in Washington, it must be continue for one year before you are eligible for resident tuition. More information about residency at Washington State University

 

Note to Financially Dependent Students

Your Parent, Step-Parent, or Legal Guardian living in Washington must provide documentation of their Washington domicile and digitally sign this application. This application must be completed by the PARENT, not by the student.


If a different parent claims you on income taxes, we can email the other parent to request this information. More information for Dependent students

 
 

Example: WA

 

State financial assistance

This section is for assistance that you have received from any STATE governmental unit or agency. You are not required to list Federal aid here.

 

Has the student received financial assistance from a state governmental unit or agency during the past twelve months?

 

Will the student be receiving state financial assistance during the next twelve months?

 
 

SECTION 2: Dependent or Independent Student

Students apply for resident status either as financially Dependent or Independent.


Financially DEPENDENT: A parent, step-parent, or court-appointed legal guardian has maintained a bona fide domicile in the state of Washington for at least one year. The student is not required to live in Washington. More information. The parent/legal guardian must complete Section 3 and provide supporting documentation. More information about Dependent Students.


Financially INDEPENDENT: The student has not been claimed on federal income taxes as an exemption for the current calendar year and the year immediately prior. The student has provided at least 51% of the WSU Estimated Cost of Attendance for the current and previous years. The student must complete Section 3 and provide supporting documentation. More information about Independent Students.

 
 
 
 

Documentation of Washington Domicile

Do not continue until you have completed Section 2 above. The correct fields are populated based on the answers in Section 2.

 

Living in Washington State

DEPENDENT: This section, and all sections following, refer to the parent domiciled, or previously domiciled, in Washington state. The student's domicile is not considered for residency determinations of financially dependent students.


INDEPENDENT: This section, and all sections following, refer to the student currently domiciled in Washington state.

 

This is the date that you started living in Washington. Example: 8/1/24

 
mm/dd/yyyy
 

This is likely the date that you obtained your Washington documents. Example: 9/1/24

 
mm/dd/yyyy
 

A short answer is adequate.

 
 

Employment History: Last Two Years

List chronologically your employment and physical residence for the last two years giving exact information as request below. If you were not employed, list your physical residence for the last two years. You may upload an additional page, if needed.


You must provide proof of your physical presence in Washington the past 12 months.

 

Current or most recent employment or address

 
 
mm/dd/yyyy
 
 
mm/dd/yyyy
 

Example: Seattle, WA

 

Example: Amazon

 

Example: 20/wk

 

Example: 1234 Cougar Way, Seattle, WA

 
 

Previous employment or address

 

Did you leave Washington?

If you were out of Washington during the last 12 months, give dates, and reasons for your absence. There is no need to report a short vacation, such as Thanksgiving Break, Spring Break, or Winter Break.

 
 
mm/dd/yyyy
 
 
mm/dd/yyyy
 

Example: Boise, ID

 

Example: Internship

 
 

Example: Portland, OR

 

Example: Visit my grandmother

 
 

Documents

You will need to upload copies of documents listed in this section.

 

Voter Registrations

 

If yes, list the date, city, and state of your last two registrations. You can find a link to historical voting information on our Links & Resources page. If yes, upload a copy of your current voter documentation.

 

Vehicles, RVs, boats, or mobile homes

 

If yes, list the type of vehicle, license number, state, and issue date of the registrations. You can find a link to free historical Washington vehicle information on our website on the Links & Resources page. If yes, upload a copy of vehicle registrations. (not the title)

 

Driver's License, Learner Permit, State ID

 

If yes, provide issue date and state. If you do not have copies of this document, you can find a link to DOL for historical data on our website. There is a fee for this service.

 

Bank account

Although this information is listed on the state form, the information provided will not be used in your residency determination, and may be omitted. If you are banking with a Washington bank, you may provide this information to further strengthen your claim for residency. Please black-out identifying numbers on any document submitted.

 

If you opt to answer this question, black out identifying information on your documentation.

 

In-State Tuition

 
 

Washington college/university

 
 

Other licenses

 

List each license on a separate line. Include name & state of issue.

 

List any additional comments here. If additional space is needed, you may upload a document.

 

Upload your required documents here

The documents list below displays the required documents based on your answers above. Check off each item as you upload it. Your request cannot be processed if you do not upload all the required documents.


IMPORTANT: If you are using an Apple mobile device, we cannot open HEIC files, which is the current default format for images. Please convert .heic files to jpg or pdf. HEIC is a proprietary Apple format.

 
 
Drop your files here
 

Our form will allow you to upload 10 documents. If you need a link to upload more documents, please check this box. Watch for an email from Smartsheet.

 

Required Documents List

 

Students who are not 25 years old for the entire last school year are required to upload parent tax documents. This is required for both dependent and independent students. We can email your parent to request this document.


A copy of the previous year federal income tax return showing dependents. Only the dependents and signature pages are required.


  • Preferred - IRS Federal Tax Return Transcript. This document lists dependents and truncates identifying numbers. Income information should be removed. The page with dependents is all that is required.
  • Accepted - The first two pages of a SIGNED Federal 1040, The document must list dependents. Identifying information (social security numbers) and income should be blacked out. Income information is not needed for parents.
  • For SPRING term applications when the past year return is not completed - Submit a Notarized statement that explains intent to claim or not claim the student on those taxes. For instance, Spring 2025 terms require 2024 taxes. If 2024 taxes have not been filed, submit a notarized statement as to the intent for 2024 taxes.
 

If you would like us to email a parent/step-parent/legal guardian to request their tax documentation, enter their email here. This might be used if one parent is domiciled in Washington, but a different parent claims the student for tax purposes.


IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION: The parent will be able to see any uploaded application documents when you select this option.

 

(Required) Proof of your physical presence in Washington during the 12 months prior to the start of this term. For example, Fall 2025 students must provide documentation from August 2024 through August 2025 or later. This may not be required in some situations, such as military assignment elsewhere while maintaining Washington as the domicile. For parents/legal guardians who have moved out of Washington, please provide documentation of your last Washington housing.

 
 

Attestations

These attestations are made by the person who provided documentation. For a financially Dependent student, this is the parent/legal guardian. For a financially Independent student, this is the student.

 

I certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington, RCW 9A.72.085 that the foregoing and all supporting documentation are true and correct.

 

Our online residency form based on the state paper residence questionnaire. If you have comments or suggestions that you wish to share, add them below or email them to us.