Residency

Students who wish to apply for reclassification or challenge their current classification can apply for reclassification using the Washington Residency Questionnaire [UPDATE LINK]. Students will need to provide the following information and applicable documentation to provide proof of residency.

Step One: Determining Financial Independence/dependence

• A student is financially independent if they cover the majority of their expenses and is not claimed by their parents for tax purposes, regardless of their age (WAC 250-18-035). Students who fall under this category will need to provide proof of residency as listed below and may need to provide their parent’s tax return showing they were not claimed in the previous tax year.

• A student is financially dependent if someone other than themselves covers the majority of their expenses. If the student is financially dependent, a parent/legal guardian must provide proof of residency and meet the requirements as listed below. Both the student and the parent/legal guardian will need to fill out the Residence Questionnaire.

Step Two: Establishing WA Residency

The student or parent/legal guardian must provide evidence for the following:

• Live in the state for at least 12 consecutive months as legal residents.
  • Example documentation: mortgage or lease agreement verifying the date the student moved and established a physical residence in WA.
• Establish legal ties:
  • Employment (if applicable) – W2 shows a WA state address.
  • Driver’s license / state ID within 30 days of arrival if they possess a driver’s license/state ID from another state.
  • Vehicle registration within 30 days of arrival if they own a vehicle.
  • Voter registration within 30 days of arrival, if applicable.
• The student must prove that they have not come to Washington primarily for educational purposes.   Students who enroll in more than 6 credits per term immediately after moving to Washington must show additional documentation showing they have not moved here for educational purposes.

Examples of other factors that may help students establish proof of domicile include:  disposition of property in the former state of residence, relocation of household members, participation in local community organizations, and generally becoming involved in activities that will help prove their intent to make Washington their official place of residence.

Once all the above are met, fill out the Residency Questionnaire

Students may be eligible to pay resident tuition rates if they meet all of the following 2 criteria:

• Earn a high school diploma, GED, or diploma equivalent from the US before their first term at WWCC, and
• Maintain a primary residence in Washington for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before enrolling at WWCC.

Students who meet all of the above criteria are required to provide a completed Residency Affidavit to the Office of Admissions & Records verifying that they will file an application to become a U.S. Permanent Resident at the earliest opportunity, if applicable.

American Indian students who meet the following two conditions are eligible to pay resident tuition at college and universities in Washington State:

• For a period of one year immediately prior to enrollment at a state institution of higher education, students must have been domiciled in one or a combination of the following states: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington.
• Students must be a member of one of the federally recognized Indian tribes, as determined Title 25 of the Code of Federal Regulations 25CFR, whose traditional and customary tribal boundaries included portions of the state of Washington, or whose tribe was granted reserved lands within the state of Washington.
• Provide verification of tribe affiliation and documentation of domicile in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington during the year prior to enrollment at the Office of Admissions and Records.

Washington State Tribes

Out of State Tribes

• Coeur d’Alene Tribe
• Grande Ronde Confederated Tribes
• Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
• Nez Perce Tribe
• Umatilla Confederated Tribe
• Warm Spring Confederated Tribes

If you qualify, please contact the Office of Admissions & Records

Certain immigration statuses may allow a student to establish a WA state domicile and therefore qualify for in-state tuition. Students must provide official documentation to show when they were approved for their current status. If their status was approved one year and one day prior to the start of the term, they may fill out the Residency Questionnaire to update their status.

Qualifying statuses:

• Permanent U.S. Residents
• Qualifying Visas: A, DV, E1, E2, G, H1-B, H4, I, K, L1, L2, N, NATO, O, Q, R, S, T, U, or V visa
• Hold refugee, asylum, or pending asylum status (with Employment Authorization Card)

Active Duty Members Stationed in Washington

To apply for residency for tuition as active duty military or as member’s spouse or dependent, students must:

• Show proof of military duty and that they are stationed in Washington State.
• Provide Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders.

Washington National Guard Members

To apply for residency for tuition as Washington National Guard members or as a member’s spouse or dependent, students must:

• Show proof of miliary orders that show the date of you or your sponsor’s assignment to Washington State.
• Show your military ID card.

Discharged Members

To apply as a discharged member, students must:

• Submit their DD-214 showing Washington as their place of entry (home of record) where orders are bound and date separated.
• Character of service must be “Honorable”, box 24.
• Provide verification that they have returned to the state of Washington within 12 months of discharge.

Washington Members Stationed Elsewhere

To apply as members (or dependents) who are from Washington, but stationed in another state or overseas, students must:

• Provide documentation of their (or, the active duty military member’s) home of record (L.E.S. Leave and Earnings Statement)
• Submit documentation that you are maintaining legal ties while being stationed elsewhere.  You need at least three of the following:
  • Driver’s license
  • Voter’s registration
  • Vehicle registration
  • Bank account
  • Property ownership

If you qualify, please visit the Office of Admissions & Records.

Absence due to military/civil service

Washington residents who enter military/civil services while domiciles in Washington, or persons who establish a domicile while stationed here for a period of at least one year, will remain residents while stationed outside of Washington if they return within one year of discharged/end of service with the intent to be domiciled in Washington.  Please view the Military Personnel section for information.

Absence for educational purposes only

Students who are Washington residents and have been out of Washington to attend an out-of-state college or university need to submit a completed Residency Questionnaire to the Office of Admissions & Registration (OAR), along with the following additional documentation:

• Verification that they resided in Washington for a minimum of one year prior to leaving the state to attend school.
• Verification from the out-of-state college or university that they were enrolled as non-resident and paying non-resident tuition.
• Proof that they maintained all ties with Washington (such as driver’s license, vehicle registration, bank accounts, voter’s registration, property, etc.) and did not take steps to establish a domicile in another state.

If you qualify and complete the above, fill out the Residency Questionnaire and submit it with supporting documentation to the OAR.

A student must complete the Washington Residence Questionnaire and supply supporting documentation to prove that the student is a bona fide resident of the state of Washington for resident-tuition rates.  All materials should be submitted to the Office of Admissions & Records.

The cost difference depends on the amount of credits and types of courses the student is enrolled for in any given quarter.  See the Tuition and Fees table for a breakdown by credit of how much tuition will cost.

At this current time, Walla Walla Community College does not offer resident tuition rates for our neighbors living in border counties of Oregon or Idaho.

Military personnel may qualify for tuition waivers pending submission of proper documentation list under Military Personnel in the Ways to Qualify for Washington Residency section above.

As an American Indian, you may qualify for in-state residency for tuition purposes.  Please see the American Indians under the Ways to Qualify for Washington Residency section.