Residency


Resident tuition classification is determined by criteria found in Kansas statutes and regulations of the Kansas Board of Regents and is evaluated on four basic categories. Students are responsible for providing information sufficient to support their applications for resident classification. Students have until the 30th calendar day after the first day of classes in the term they are applying for residency to submit a residency application or waiver.

A general overview of the procedures and criteria used for evaluation is below. All four categories must be demonstrated to support the claim of resident for fee purposes. Students retaining ties to other states will impede their ability to prove Kansas Residency for tuition classification purposes.

  1. Continuous physical residency in Kansas for at least 365 days prior to the first day of classes for which a student is applying for residency.

  2. Sources of financial support to meet living expenses of the student must come from Kansas sources. Sources of income that are from full-time, non-student, jobs are more beneficial. Living expenses include, but are not limited to:

    • Tuition, fees and books
    • Housing and associated costs
    • Food
    • Insurance
    • Transportation
    • Phone
  3. Intent to remain in Kansas indefinitely. Intent is exhibited by actions taken, not by a statement of intent. Factors shall be considered in support of claim if they have existed for a at least one year before enrollment or reenrollment. Factors may include, but are not limited to:

    • Kansas driver's license
    • Kansas voter registration
    • Kansas vehicle registration
    • Kansas home ownership
  4. Student is residing in Kansas for reasons other than educational purposes. If the student enrolls full-time at a Kansas institution of higher education upon moving to Kansas this requirement is the hardest to overcome because the presumption is the student is here for educational purposes.

Information on the University of Kansas website does not replace or supersede the statutes or Kansas Board of Regents’ regulations.


International Students:

International students who are not citizens of the United States must meet the same criteria as a citizen in order to gain resident classification. However, intent to remain indefinitely in the state of Kansas, and the United States, generally cannot be demonstrated unless the student possesses Permanent Resident Alien status and has been in that status for twelve months prior to the first day of classes. Marriage to a U.S. citizen does not change the criteria an individual must meet.


Other Residency Situations and Waivers:

Students who meet certain categories of criteria are eligible for tuition assessments equal to resident rates when authorized by the Kansas legislature and the Kansas Board of Regents. These privileges do not change a non-resident classification. Students have until the 30th calendar day after the first day of classes in the term they are applying for residency to submit a residency application or waiver.

 

Any employee of an institution governed by the state board of regents, classified and unclassified, on a regular payroll appointment for .4 time or more, shall be accorded the resident fee privilege in accordance with KSA 76-730. Application of staff rate waivers for eligible full-time staff, GTA, GRA, and GA students is an automated process and does not submission of a form.

The Office of the University Registrar and Human Resources Management (HRM) collaborate throughout the semester to apply waivers systematically. Please monitor your account and if you do not see the waiver applied, please contact your department first to verify your employment paperwork has been processed by HRM.

Any employee of an institution governed by the state board of regents, classified and unclassified, on a regular payroll appointment for .4 time or more, shall be accorded the resident fee privilege in accordance with KSA 76-730.

The employee will apply using the Staff Rates form (.pdf) each semester enrolled by the 30th calendar day of the semester for which they are applying

Dependent spouse and children are eligible for resident fee privileges provided they meet the requirements in KSA 76-730, generally outlined below. The dependent spouse and child will apply using the Staff Dependent Rates form (.pdf) each semester enrolled.

The dependent spouse and children of any employee of an institution governed by the state board of regents, whether the employee’s position is classified or unclassified, shall be accorded the resident fee privilege, provided that the employee holds a regular payroll for 1.0 time.

The dependent spouse and children of any employee of an institution governed by the state board of regents, whether the employee’s position is classified or unclassified, shall be accorded the resident fee privilege, provided that the employee holds a regular payroll appointment for at least .4 time but less than 1.0 time and is enrolled in a graduate program on the effective date of this regulation, until one of the following criteria is met:

  1. the expiration of the time allowed in the relevant university catalog for the employee to complete the aforesaid graduate program;
  2. a break in enrollment by the employee;
  3. the employee’s being awarded the graduate degree from the aforesaid graduate program; or
  4. the end of the employee’s employment.
  5. The provisions of this regulation shall not apply to seasonal, temporary or hourly employees.

The dependent spouse and children of any employee of an affiliated corporation are not eligible for the staff rates waiver.

The resident fee privilege shall be granted to any person who meets the requirements outlined by KSA 76-730. Basic requirements include that upon enrollment the student has been a domiciliary resident of the state of Kansas for fewer than 12 months and whose current domiciliary residence was established to accept or retain full-time employment in the state of Kansas. The resident fee privilege shall also be granted to the spouse and dependent children of that person. The resident fee privilege extended by this regulation shall continue for a maximum of 12 months at which time the student can apply for Residency.

Students who believe they are eligible should fill out the Transferred or Recruited Waiver Application (.pdf).

Certain military-affiliated students may be eligible for in-state tuition rates through Armed Forces Residency Benefits.

This is in compliance with State of Kansas law and the federal Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (.pdf).

The resident fee privilege shall be granted to any person beginning classes within six months of high school graduation from a Kansas high school accredited by the state board of education who meets the requirements outline by KSA 76-729. Basic eligibility requires that the student was a Kansas resident for fee purposes at the time of graduation from high school or within 12 months prior to graduation from high school. Students meeting this requirement are often eligible for direct residency through the 60-month rule and should contact the Office of the University Registrar by emailing rtfregistrar@ku.edu prior to filling out the Kansas High School Graduates Application (.pdf).

The KU Edwards Campus MetroKC Rate offers tuition equivalent to in-state rates for Missouri residents who meet the qualifications below. No credit hour limit applies. To receive this special rate, please fill out the MetroKC application. To receive the KC Metro tuition rate, apply within the first 30 days of the semester.

Students that have previously attended or are currently attending Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) qualify for resident status at the University of Kansas in compliance with Kansas State Law (K.S.A. 76-731)

The initial residency classification is determined at the point of application for new incoming students to KU. Please be sure to list your attendance at Haskell on your application for admission. Much of the process for determining eligibility for this statute is done through reviewing information provided on your admission application and with your admission file.  

If you are admitted to KU and your residency status is listed as out of state please review the scenarios below to determine what you need to provide to KU to qualify for this status. 

If it is your first term enrolling at Haskell you need to obtain an enrollment verification from the HINU Office of the Registrar. An admission letter does not meet the eligibility requirements. Once the verification is supplied it can be emailed to registrar@ku.edu dropped off or mailed to the Office of the University Registrar, 1502 Iowa St., Lawrence, KS 66045. Enrollment verifications from Haskell must be submitted to KU no later than 30 calendar days into the semester for which the change is being requested. 

If you previously attended Haskell, submit an official transcript or an enrollment verification form from Haskell to the Office of the University Registrar at KU. Then email registrar@ku.edu and request a review of your residency status due to your enrollment at Haskell . Please state when the official transcript or enrollment verification was submitted to KU and the office at KU to which it was submitted. 

Official transcript or enrollment verifications must be submitted from Haskell to KU no later than 30 calendar days into the semester for which the change is being requested. 

The Kansas Legislature enacted a provision to allow certain students enrolling at a public institution of higher education in Kansas to have residency status for the purpose of tuition & fees. This current provision is in place from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. 

Students who are enrolled as a member of the following Nations are eligible for residency status at Kansas public institutions of higher education, regardless of the location of their residence:

  • The Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas
  • The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
  • The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska
  • The Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska
  • The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

As well as the following Indigenous Nations with historical connections to Kansas territories:

  • The Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
  • The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma
  • The Cherokee Nation
  • The Chippewa
  • The Citizen Potawatomi Nations
  • Comanche Nation of Oklahoma
  • The Delaware Tribe of Indians
  • The Kaw Nation of Oklahoma
  • The Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma
  • The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
  • The Oneida Nation
  • The Osage Nation
  • The Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
  • The Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma
  • The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians
  • The Grand Traverse Bay Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
  • The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
  • The Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians
  • The Bay Mills Indian Community
  • Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
  • The Michigan Bands of Ottawa/Odawa
  • The Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma
  • The Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
  • The Quapaw Tribe of Indians
  • The Shawnee Tribe
  • United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians
  • The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco, and Tawakonie) of Oklahoma
  • The Wyandotte Nation

Students who believe they are eligible should submit the Indigenous Peoples Residency form.

Some students that are considered undocumented/DACA or have a legal, non-permanent immigration status 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 Application for Resident Fee Privilege for Certain Undocumented Immigrants and Others Form (.pdf) within 30 days of the first day of classes for the semester they are applying and each applicable semester thereafter.