Residency FAQs

The laws and regulations regarding residency for tuition and fee purposes are established by the Kansas Legislature and the Kansas Board of Regents. State universities are required to follow these rules and may not establish their own. The Legislature’s and the Board’s rules are unique to residency for tuition and fee purposes at the state universities, and residency for other purposes, such as for community college tuition, may differ.

Residency Regulations - Kansas Administrative Regulations (K.A.R.) from the Kansas Board of Regents website.

Residency Statutes - Links below are for the residency-related Kansas Statutes Annotated (K.S.A.) from the Kansas State Legislature website:

Initial residency classification is determined from information you provide when you apply for admission. If you are living or attending school outside Kansas, if you recently moved to Kansas, or if you graduate from high school outside the state of Kansas, you may be classified as a nonresident for tuition purposes. After you are admitted, you will receive notification if you have been classified as a nonresident. It is your responsibility to provide any additional information that may be required to make an accurate residency determination.

New Undergraduate Applicants/Readmits: contact the Office of Recruitment and Admissions at k-state@k-state.edu

New Graduate Applicants/Readmits: contact the Graduate School at grad@k-state.edu

Resident tuition classification is determined by criteria in Kansas statutes and regulations of the Kansas Board of Regents.

Before submitting a residency application, review the Guidelines for Resident Classification, which outlines the rules and regulations to the different residency classifications. Depending on the residency classification that is applicable, additional forms may be required to submit in addition to the residency application. Once you have reviewed the guidelines, you may print the Application for Resident Tuition and return it to the appropriate office. The responsibility of enrolling under the proper residence classification for fee purposes is placed on the student. If there is any question concerning resident classification, it is the responsibility of the student when registering and paying fees to raise the question with the Office of the Registrar.

YES.

K-State does not recommend waiting to pay your bill or signing up for the Tuition Installment Payment Plan (TIPP). Do not assume that your reclassification or appeal will automatically be approved, instead make arrangements based on your out-of-state tuition and fee rates so you do not incur late fees. These fees are not waived regardless of when your reclassification or appeal is denied or reviewed/considered after due dates for the term.

This is not sufficient to establish in-state tuition classification. Other agencies may consider you to be a resident for a specific purpose (taxes, voting, etc), in accordance with the statutes governing that purpose; however, for tuition payment purposes you must satisfy the appropriate Board of Regents articles. Obtaining licenses and voting are evidence that you have done some things toward eventually obtaining residence, but they will not, in and of themselves, grant you resident fee status. Conversely, having these things in another state may result in denial of in-state status.

The 5-year grace provision of the residency laws allows a bona fide Kansas resident to return to live in Kansas within five years of leaving and retain their resident status for tuition purposes. There is a form {Five Year Grace Verification} for the student to complete to verify their prior Kansas resident status.

Only if parents are deceased, divorced, or legally separated is the appointment of a guardian or a grant of custody recognized for residency tuition classification. Court appointment or grant of custody is required. In most cases, guardianships terminate at age 18. Guardianships established for the sole or main purpose of qualifying the ward for resident fees will not be honored.

If your father is a bona fide Kansas resident, you are eligible to be classified as a resident for tuition purposes at K-State. You and your father must complete the Dependent of Divorced/Separated Parents form and provide documentation of his Kansas resident status (usually the most recent Kansas tax return filed).

If your out-of-state parents have provided any financial support during the previous 365 days, and this has helped you stay in school, you are considered out-of-state because you have been dependent upon them to remain in school. If, during the previous twelve months, you have received money from other out-of-state sources (trust funds, bank loans, non-resident scholarships, etc.) in all likelihood you will be considered out-of-state. You must be able to prove that you have supported yourself for at least twelve months, paying your own tuition, fees and expenses if enrolled in school during this period. If you go home for the summer, work there, or live at home, you will be considered out-of-state. Some non-earned financial aid is acceptable if it does not tie you to any other state.

The residency regulations do not address children of alumni and their residency status. If you are Texas residents, you will be classified as a nonresident for tuition purposes. K-State has the Heritage Scholarship for children and grandchildren of K-State graduates who are not Kansas residents. View all of our scholarship information.

No. By statute, residence is based upon where one physically resides and criteria associated with that residence. No provision is made for where one is employed or owns property.

If your move to Kansas is the result of a job recruitment (or transfer), and you will have been living in Kansas less than one year when you will start school at K-State, the out-of-state tuition costs will be waived for the year that is required to establish residency in Kansas for tuition purposes. The Recruited-Transfer Employee Waiver form is required by the student along with verification from the Employee (parent) as well as verification from the Employer. Once you have lived in Kansas for one year, you will be asked to complete the Application for Resident Tuition to verify that all ties with Kansas have been established. Your status will then be changed to resident for tuition purposes.

Usually, no. Students who are here on a temporary visa must leave the country once the purpose for the visa has been met. This includes all student, training, work, and practical experience visas. The evidence of a temporary visa shows the student does not have permission to reside in the state of Kansas indefinitely, therefore the person cannot demonstrate they have intent to make Kansas their permanent residence. Please see K.A.R. 88-3-2.

Some undocumented/DACA students may receive in-state tuition in accordance with KAR 76-731a. if they:

1. have attended an accredited Kansas high school for three or more years and
2. have either graduated from an accredited Kansas high school or have earned a GED issued in Kansas and
   • a.) in the case of a person without lawful immigration status; have signed and filed an affidavit with the institution stating that the person or the person’s parents have filed an application to legalize such person’s immigration status, or will file such an application as soon as such person is eligible to do so or
   • b.) in the case of a person with a legal, non-permanent immigration status, have filed with the post-secondary educational institution an affidavit stating that such person has filed an application to begin the process for U.S. citizenship or will file such application as soon as such person is eligible to do so.

Ineligible student:

1. has a valid student visa; or
2. at the time of enrollment, is eligible to enroll in a public post-secondary educational institution located in another state upon payment of fees and tuition required of residents of such state.

Students who believe they are eligible should fill out the Undocumented/DACA or Nonimmigrant Status {HB2145} Affidavit within 30 days of the first day of classes for the semester they are applying.

Application for Resident Tuition

Forms for currently enrolled students can be returned to:

Office of the Registrar
118 Anderson Hall
919 Mid Campus Drive North
Manhattan, KS 66506
E-mail: registrar@ksu.edu

Forms designated for new Undergraduate student applicants/readmits can be returned to:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
119 Anderson Hall
919 Mid Campus Drive North
Manhattan, KS 66506
E-mail: k-state@k-state.edu

Forms designated for new Graduate student applicants/readmits can be returned to:

Graduate School
119 Eisenhower Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
E-mail: grad@k-state.edu

Students who are denied the classification of Kansas resident for tutition purposes have the right to appeal. The appeal must be based upon new information that was not made available during the request for initial classification or a petition for reclassification. Students must submit the Appeal to K-State Out-of-State Fee Appeals Committee form along with any additional supporting documenation within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of the initial classification or reclassification decision.

The University Out-of-State Fee Appeals Committee is designated to review residency decisions - not the initial classification or reclassification process nor associated deadlines. These areas of the Residency classification or reclassification proces may not be appealed. All appeals will be reviewed by the University Out-of-State Fee Appeals Board, students will be notified of the committee decision in writing and ALL Committee decisions are considered final.