Undergraduate Residency Determination

Section 54.052 of the Texas Education Code outlines specific guidelines for determining whether a student enrolling at an institution of higher education qualifies for classification as a Texas resident, and Section 54.053 of the Texas Education Code defines the information required to establish Texas resident status for in-state tuition and state financial aid. According to these guidelines, all applicants and enrolled students are assigned a residency classification of either resident, nonresident, or foreign for tuition purposes. Any change to a student's residency status must be reported to the Undergraduate Admissions office, and is only considered changed upon notice. Residency for admission and tuition purposes at a public college or university in Texas is different from residency for voting or tax purposes, and is initially assigned based upon answers provided on the application submitted to Undergraduate Admissions. The Rules and Regulations for Determining Residence Status are found on the College for All Texans website.

A citizen or Permanent Resident of the United States who does not meet the required criteria will be classified as a nonresident. An alien who is not a Permanent Resident of the United States and has not been permitted by U. S. Congress to adopt the United States as their domicile while in this country will be classified as a foreign student.

If a student is classified as a nonresident and wishes to be considered for reclassification as a resident, they must complete the State's Core Residency Questions and submit it to the Undergraduate Admissions office at admissions@ttu.edu. Once received, a staff member will contact the student and request the appropriate required supplemental items and documentation.

Eligibility through High School 

Undergraduate students that meet all of the following criteria qualify for in-state tuition:
• Graduated from a public or accredited private high school in Texas or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in the state, and
• Lived in Texas for the 36 months immediately preceding the date of graduation, and
• Lived in Texas the 12 months preceding the censes date of the academic semester in which the student enrolls at Texas Tech University

If a student meets the above criteria, but is not a United States citizen or Permanent Resident they qualify for in-state tuition under Senate Bill 1528. The Senate Bill 1528 Residency Affidavit must be notarized and returned to the Undergraduate Admissions office.

If a student does not meet the Texas high school requirement, there are additional ways to qualify for Texas residency by meeting one of the following:

Independent Student

1. An individual who provides more than one half of their own financial support, and is not eligible to be claimed as a dependent for income tax purposes, AND
2. Has established and maintained their domicile in Texas for the 12 consecutive months preceding the census date of the academic semester in which they enroll at Texas Tech University.
 

Dependent Student

1. An individual whose parent or court-appointed legal guardian claims the student as a dependent for federal income tax purposes (or provides more than half of the student's financial support for those not subject to US federal income taxes), AND
2. Has established a domicile in Texas not less than 12 months before the census date of the academic semester in which they enroll at Texas Tech University, AND
3. Has maintained a residence continuously in the state for the 12 months immediately preceding the census date of the academic semester in which the person enrolls in the institution.

The following factors occurring throughout at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding your term of enrollment may lend support to your claim of establishing and maintaining a domicile:
1. Sole or joint marital ownership of residential real property in Texas having established and maintained domicile at that residence
2. Ownership and customary management of a business which is regularly operated without the intent of liquidation in the foreseeable future
3. Gainful employment that provides for at least one-half of the individual's expenses or employment of at least twenty hours per week. Employment conditioned upon your status as a student such as work study, receipt of stipends, fellowships, teaching assistantships, etc. do not qualify as gainful employment.
4. Marriage to a person who has established and maintained a domicile by one of the above 3 methods.

Military Student

The following information is provided for members, spouses, or dependents of United States Armed Services service members. These students qualify as Texas residents in one of these two ways:
• The service member's Home of Record with the military is Texas.
• The service member's Home of Record is not Texas, but who provides Texas Tech University Leave and Earning Statements that show the member has claimed Texas as their place of residence for the 12 consecutive months prior to enrollment.

If a student does not qualify under these Residency rules, they may still be eligible for a variety of military-related Exemptions and Waivers through the Student Business Services website. Additionally, please visit our Military and Veterans Programs office website, where more information can be found about the Hazlewood Act, Financial Aid, VA benefits, and a variety of other important resources.

Bordering State/County Waivers

Undergraduate students whose place of residency is Oklahoma or New Mexico, are classified as nonresidents but receive the benefit of paying the near-equivalent to resident tuition via Student Business Services' Bordering County and Bordering State waivers. Eligibility information and application for these waivers are found at Exemptions and Waivers.

Questions

If an undergraduate applicant or student has questions regarding their residency status at Texas Tech University, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions office at 806.742.1480.

Changes to residency status for international students will be processed by the Office of International Affairs. Please contact their office at 806.742.3667.

Deadlines

Students attempting to change their residency status have until the census date of each semester to provide a completed Core Residency Questionnaire and their required documentation. The census date is 12th class day for the Fall or Spring terms and the 4th class day for Summer semesters. Completed and approved residency changes made after the census date will be processed for the next academic semester.

Spring 2020 – January 31, 2020
Summer 1 2020 – June 5, 2020
Summer 2 2020 – July 10, 2020
Fall 2020 – September 9, 2020

 

FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974