Understand your residency status
What does “residency status” mean?
IU uses the information you provided on your admissions application to determine if you will pay in-state (resident) tuition or out-of-state (nonresident) tuition. This is called your "residency status" or residency classification.
Even if you’re considered a legal resident of the state of Indiana (e.g., hold an Indiana driver’s license, are registered to vote, and can be called to serve on a jury), you might not be eligible to pay in-state tuition if you do not meet certain criteria. Paying income or property taxes in Indiana also doesn’t automatically make you eligible to pay in-state tuition rates.
Can I change my residency status?
You might qualify for a residency status reclassification due to a change in circumstances at any point during your education. Before you submit an application, you should read IU’s rules on how your in-state (resident) or out-of-state (nonresident) tuition status is determined.
You can also schedule a virtual appointment for a consultation. These appointments are intended to answer policy and procedural questions, not to formally evaluate or change a student’s status.
Ways your residency status could change
Your residency status might change:
- If you’ve been physically present in Indiana for a primary reason other than to get an education for 12 consecutive months prior to your first day of classes. (Referred to as the 12-month residency requirement)
- If you’re an emancipated student under 21 years of age and your parents live out of state and you can provide ALL of the following:
- A notarized statement from your parents showing the level of financial support they provide and the date they last claimed you as a dependent on their federal tax returns.
- A financial statement showing all sources and amounts of income to prove you are supporting yourself.
- Meet the 12-month residency requirement.
- If you’re a dependent spouse and you’ve met the 12-month residency requirement.
- If your employer transfers you to Indiana and you’ve met the 12-month residency requirement.
- If you marry an Indiana resident and can provide convincing evidence that education is no longer your main purpose for being in Indiana, (12 months after the date of your marriage).
- Even if you take classes before you’ve met the 12-month residency requirement, you may still be eligible for in-state residency status if you can provide convincing evidence that you didn’t move to Indiana specifically for higher education.
Other things to keep in mind about residency
- Your circumstances on the first day of classes of each semester determine your residency status—and eligibility to pay in-state tuition for that term.
- Your residency status (in-state vs. out-of-state tuition) remains the same as long as you register each fall and spring semester until you earn your degree—even if your parents move out of state.
- If you want your residency status changed, you must submit a residency reclassification application.
- We cannot retroactively adjust your residency status after the end of the semester so be sure to apply as soon as you believe you meet the eligibility criteria. If you missed the deadline for a semester, you won’t be able to get a refund for any tuition you’ve paid.
- If you were an Indiana resident who recently moved away, you’ll still be considered for in-state (resident) tuition if you move back within a year after leaving.
- If you grew up in Indiana or graduated from an Indiana high school but left to attend an out-of-state school, we’ll still consider you eligible for in-state tuition if you return to Indiana within one year of your last enrollment or graduation.
Special rules for military families
IU Indianapolis recognizes the unique circumstances that often surround our military families. Your enlistment status could qualify you for a residency exception. We encourage you to reach out to the Office for Veterans and Military Personnel on campus to learn more.
Request a residency status reclassification
You can apply for your residency status to be changed from out-of-state (nonresident) to in-state (resident) tuition.
If you feel you meet the eligibility criteria, fill out the residency reclassification application form. Please contact the Office of the Registrar with questions or to request this form in an accessible format.
We’ll send you a confirmation e-mail once we’ve received your completed application and supporting documentation. You’ll be notified again within 20 business days with a final determination of your reclassification request.
Incomplete applications will not be reviewed until there is sufficient supporting documentation included to determine your eligibility for reclassification. Be sure to watch your e-mail for additional requests for information.
Students can submit additional residency documents safely via the secure Registrar Documents portal. Do not send sensitive materials via e-mail.
You must submit your application no later than the last day of the current semester.
Residency FAQs
Residency appeals and reclassification
Yes. Decisions from the campus Office of the Registrar can be appealed to the University Standing Committee on Residence. A written request for an appeal should be sent to the Office of the Registrar indicating whether a personal appearance with the committee is desired.
Students who want to appeal their nonresident status should contact the Office of the Registrar and should request and complete an "Application for Classification as a Resident Student at Indiana University for Fee-Paying Purposes." After the completed application is evaluated, the student is notified in writing of the decision rendered.
Students can access the residency reclassification application.
A completed residency application can also be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by mail, in-person, or online via the secure Registrar Documents Portal.
When students are admitted to the university, the Office of Admissions (for undergraduates) or the University Graduate School (for graduates) renders the initial residence classification determination. Decisions made in these offices are based on the information provided by students during the admission application process.
YES! Schedule a virtual appointment today!
Students have until the last day of the effective term to deliver their completed residency reclassification application to the Office of the Registrar using our secure Registrar Documents Portal.
Note that only completed applications will be reviewed. Incomplete applications that do not provide sufficient supporting documentation will not be evaluated for potential eligibility for reclassification.
Yes. The nonresident portion of the fees already paid will be refunded if the student applies for resident student status before the deadline and if a resident decision is rendered. Note that the "effective date" for determining the student's eligibility is the first day of classes of the effective term.
Eligibility
US citizens or permanent residents who are 21 years of age or emancipated are eligible for resident student status after they have been physically present in Indiana for 12 consecutive months (prior to the first day of classes) and for a reason other than the purpose of education.
- Students under 21 years of age and unemancipated are eligible for resident student status if their parents or legal guardians reside in Indiana.
- Unemancipated students under 21 years of age whose parents or legal guardians move to Indiana can be classified as resident students without first living in the state for 12 months.
- In cases of legal guardianship agreements, you must show that the guardianship agreement was sought for reasons other than to enable the student to become eligible for resident student status or to attend an Indiana high school. An official copy of the court documents outlining the guardianship agreement must be provided to the university.
Students with immigration statuses that permit the establishment of a domicile in the United States may be eligible to pay resident fees provided the individuals have otherwise satisfied the conditions for resident student status. Current eligible classifications are: A-1, A-2, A-3, E-1, E-2, E-3, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, H-1B, H-4, I, L-1, L-2, O-1, O-3, V-1, V-2, and V-3.
Continuing eligibility to remain classified as a resident student for fee-paying purpose depends upon the continued maintenance of eligible immigration status. Students with eligible classifications who feel they may be eligible for a change in status should contact the Office of the Registrar for more information.
Yes. Circumstances that exist on the first day of classes of each individual semester/session determine a person's eligibility for resident student status for that term.
Yes. The state of Indiana determines for specific purposes (driver's licenses, voter registration, etc.) the requirements for becoming a legal resident of the state. However, the state legislature has delegated to Indiana's institutions of higher education the responsibility of determining when a person becomes eligible for resident student status.
Many nonresident students are considered legal residents of the state. These individuals are eligible to carry an Indiana driver's license, to register to vote, and to be called to serve as members of juries. However, persons who reside in Indiana for the predominant purpose of education are considered nonresidents for fee-paying purposes at the university.
No. If a person can provide convincing evidence that the move to Indiana was without the predominant purpose of attending an institution of higher education, future resident student classification should not be affected by university enrollment during the 12-month residence period even if such enrollment is on a full-time basis.
No. Persons who are in Indiana for the predominant purpose of education do not become eligible for resident student status on the basis of paying taxes to the state.
Parents, spouses, and relatives
No. Although marriage to a resident of Indiana is one of the factors considered in the determination of predominant purpose, the existence of this factor does not require a finding of resident status.
However, after providing convincing evidence that the marriage has changed a student's predominant purpose for being in Indiana, a nonresident student may be eligible for reclassification to resident student status 12 months after the date of marriage.
No. The exception (noted in the previous FAQ) to the 12-month physical presence requirement applies only to unemancipated persons under 21 years of age whose parents or legal guardians move to or reside in Indiana. All other persons must meet the 12-month physical presence requirement.
No. Once a person has been properly classified as a resident student, that person shall remain a resident student so long as they remain continuously enrolled (fall and spring terms) in the university until earning the degree in progress.
This student would need to provide a notarized statement from the parents indicating the level of financial support provided to the student and the date when the parents last claimed the student as a dependent on their federal income tax returns.
In addition, this student would need to provide a financial statement indicating all sources and amounts of income sufficient for self-support.
This student would then have to be physically present in Indiana for 12 consecutive months without the predominant purpose of education in order to become eligible for resident student status.
Military families from Indiana maintain their Indiana resident status as long as they continue to file their personal income tax returns in Indiana. Members of these families must provide copies of their Indiana income tax returns or military documents that indicate the personal income tax withholding state of the military member.
University Standing Committee on Residence
The Standing Committee on Residence meets virtually via Zoom, generally meeting on the first Thursday of each month.
Yes. Students may invite family members, friends, or other people to the committee meeting.
The student is notified in writing of the decision of the committee members.
IU Indianapolis
Office of the Registrar
420 University Blvd
Indianapolis, IN 46202
USA