Residency Status

Step 1) Determining Financial dependency/independency

• 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 2) 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. Examples of acceptable documentation:
  • Rental/lease agreement (first and signature page only), or home purchase agreement
  • Verification of current employment and year-to-date earnings
  • Immigration documents (if you are not a U.S. citizen)
  • Washington State driver’s license or identification card
    • Note: Residents of the state are required to replace their previous state’s driver’s licenses within 30 days of becoming a resident.
  • Washington State vehicle registration(s)
  • Washington voter registration or Certificate of Voter Registration
• Completed Residency Questionnaire

Note: 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. Read more at WAC 250-18-030. 

*RCW 28B.15.013 outlines the standards for determining domicile in Washington State. 

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

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

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

Note: Individuals who applied/will apply for the state financial aid using the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) automatically complete and submit the Residency Affidavit.

Students from many regional tribes are eligible for in-state tuition.

In 1994, the Washington state legislature passed a bill allowing American Indian students who meet the following two conditions to be eligible for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities in the state of Washington.

• For a period of one year immediately prior to enrollment, the 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 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. A full list of federally recognized tribes eligible for resident tuition in Washington State may be viewed on the Washington Student Achievement Council website.

For example, a Spokane tribal member who lives in Oregon, could attend SCC without having to pay out-of-state tuition because they are from a Washington tribe and live in Oregon. Likewise, a Coeur d’Alene tribal member from Idaho would also be eligible for in-state tuition because their tribe’s traditional boundaries included territory in Washington.

To establish residency using the American Indian Residency Bill, students should send proof of their tribal enrollment to the Office of Admissions & Registration in Building 15 or by email at scc.residency@scc.spokane.edu. In addition to email, you may also contact us with your residency questions at 509‑533‑7014.

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 and have established Washington as your permanent domicile/residence.

Qualifying statuses:

• Permanent U.S. Residents
• Current or expired Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status
• Qualifying Visas: A, DV, E, G, H1-B, H4, I, K, L1, L2, N, NATO, O, Q, R, S, T, U, or V visa
• Refugee, asylum, or pending asylum status
• A current Employment Authorization Document (EAD)
• Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
• Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status or Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) status
• Withholding of Removal status or Withholding of Deportation status
• Citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Palau
• Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) status
• Canadians who qualify for permanent residence under the Jay Treaty
• Cuban-Haitian Entrants, Conditional Entrants, and Parolees

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 one of the following:
  • Driver’s license
  • Voter’s registration
  • Vehicle registration
  • Bank account
  • Property ownership

If you qualify, please visit the Office of Admissions & Registration and the Military/Veterans One-Stop.