Residency

As a state public university, the University of Washington has different tuition rates for state residents and non-residents. State law sets the rules governing who qualifies as a resident for tuition-paying purposes. Students must meet these requirements to be verified as residents for tuition purposes.

A student’s initial residence classification is set during the admissions process based on information provided on the student’s admission application. Students who are classified as a non-resident when they are admitted to the University and believe they qualify as a resident for tuition purposes must file a residency application with the Office of the Registrar to request verification.

What is Washington Residency for Tuition Purposes?

There are three ways a student may qualify to apply for residency for tuition purposes. Select the application type for additional information about requirements and how to apply. Each form has its own requirements. Students should file the application that best fits their circumstances. (Military connected students who do not meet the below should review options for military residency).

For Transfer Students: Your Washington State community and technical colleges (CTCs) and university residency status does not transfer to other CTCs and Washington State universities when you apply for admission and are admitted.

Residence Application Deadlines

Applications must be submitted no later than the 30th day of the quarter in accordance with WAC 250-18-025. If you have not yet resided in the state for 12 months, please do not submit your application for change any earlier that the first posted date for each quarter.

  • Summer 2025: July 22, 2025
  • Autumn 2025: October 23, 2025
  • Winter 2026: February 3, 2026
  • Spring 2025: April 28, 2026

Applying for Residency

Residency Affidavit

Students may qualify for residency, using the affidavit, if ALL the following conditions are met:

  1. Student received a high school diploma (or equivalent).
  2. Student maintained their primary residence in Washington for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before their first term at the college determining residency. The Washington residence must be for purposes other than college.
  3. Students who take any courses at another Washington college during the prior 12 months cannot have taken more than six credits in any given term. Students who exceed that limit must prove that they have a Washington residence for non-college reasons.
  4. Student will affirm they are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or that they will file an application to become a permanent resident of the United States as soon as they are eligible to apply.

Students who meet all of the above criteria should complete and submit the updated Washington Higher Education Residency Affidavit. Please sign the form in ink or provide an Adobe Signature. If you have already completed the WASFA application, you do not need to submit this affidavit.

Students do not need to submit any supporting paperwork with the Residency Affidavit. The determination for the affidavit is based off of information provided on one’s application to the University of Washington. However, we may request additional information if University records contain information that indicates a student might not meet the requirements of the affidavit.

Residence Questionnaire for Financially Dependent Students

Students who are financially dependent upon parents, legal guardians, or others (excepting spouses) must provide documentation to prove their parents/court-appointed legal guardians have established a bona fide domicile in the state of Washington. Documentation of financial dependence is also required. To be considered, students and parents/legal guardians must have a qualifying citizenship/immigration status to apply.

The student and parent(s)/legal guardian(s) will need to complete the Residence Questionnaire. The student’s information will be completed on page one. The parent’s/legal guardian’s information will be completed on page two (Section 3). Both student and parent(s)/legal guardian(s) must sign and date the Statement of Intent (page two). The student should not sign the Student Sworn Statement (page one).

  • In cases of legal guardianship, documentation is required to verify the guardianship is court-appointed.
  • Dependents of parents/legal guardians who are either divorced or legally separated may be classified as residents as long as the dependent student demonstrates financial dependence (claimed as a dependent exemption on income taxes for the most recent tax year or shows actual financial dependence) and at least one parent/legal guardian has established bona fide domicile in Washington State. This process requires documentation of (1) bona fide legal domicile from the Washington resident parent/legal guardian and (2) taxes from the person who claimed the student or documentation of the significant financial support received by the student in the current and/or previous calendar year.
  • The documentation of bona fide legal domicile will be of the parent/legal guardian signing the residency application (not a combination of documents between two parents/legal guardians).

Complete and sign the Financially Dependent Residence Questionnaire.

Residence Questionnaire for Financially Independent Students

Students whose parents or court-appointed legal guardians do not reside in Washington can only obtain residency for tuition purposes by fulfilling the requirements as a financially independent student. Students must complete and sign the Residence Questionnaire form (both pages) and provide all documentation as requested on the Residence Questionnaire and the Financially Independent Student Documentation Checklist.

To be considered as financially independent, students must meet all of the following criteria in addition to meeting all of the other bona fide residency requirements:

  • Parents/legal guardians or others (except spouse) have not claimed and will not claim the student as a dependent on Federal Income Tax returns for the current and previous calendar years;
  • Parents/legal guardians or others (except spouse) have not and will not provide the student with significant financial assistance, directly or indirectly, for the current and previous calendar years;
  • Students have been and will be independently paying at least 51% of their combined total expenses (cost of attendance and room/board) with their own independent income/resources for the current calendar year and previous calendar year.

Complete and sign the Financially Independent Residence Questionnaire.

For More Information and Questions

UW Guide – Understanding Washington State Residency

Send a question to a UW Bothell Residency officer at uwbreg@uw.edu.

How and Where to Submit Residency Documents

Please submit completed documents by combining into one PDF and emailing to the Office of the Registrar uwbreg@uw.edu.

  • Complete and sign your Residency Application.
  • Submit the completed original Residence application along with supporting materials to the Office of the Registrar and email in one single merged PDF to uwbreg@uw.edu.

Parents and Relatives

Staff of the Office of the Registrar will be unable to discuss a student’s residency status or application with a parent or relative due to federal and state privacy laws and office policy. Students should schedule an appointment.

Residency Policies

Residency policies are set by the Washington legislature and applied uniformly throughout Washington’s colleges and universities. For more details regarding residence classification, please review the various pages of our website, and also reference the following links to read the relevant Revised Code of Washington and the Washington Administrative Code.