Residency for Tuition Purposes: Graduate Policies
Spring 2024 applications are open from September 15, 2023 to January 5, 2024
Read on to learn about the University of Utah residency policies, exceptions, requirements and deadlines.
Residency Reclassification Application Deadline by Semester
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Summer Semester
Domiciliary Tie Establishment Deadline by Semester
Spring Semester
Summer Semester
Fall Semester
The Graduate Policy
The Graduate Policy applies to most graduate students who have started their graduate programs and are looking to reclassify their residency status at the University of Utah, except for medical, law and dental students (see below and the Institutional Policy for specific policies for these schools.)
The Graduate Policy supersedes all other policies except for:
- Military exceptions
- American Indian exceptions
- House Bills 118 and 144.
Students must meet ALL of the following requirements and submit an application and all necessary documentation by the specified deadlines.
**PLEASE NOTE: All policies are subject to change without notice.
- Students must hold
- U.S. citizenship
- Granted permanent residency
- Granted asylum or refugee status
- Special Immigrant Visa
- Humanitarian Parole
- Temporary Protected Status
- Or good faith evidence of a submitted application for refugee status, humanitarian parole, temporary protected status, or asylum under United States immigration law
- Status cannot be expired, or removed.
- “Good Faith Evidence” requires verified documentation
- Students with granted permanent residency, granted asylum or granted refugee status must submit valid and unexpired documentation.
- Students on other types of visas not listed above are ineligible for residency reclassification but may qualify for a tuition waiver if they have 3 years and completed graduation in a Utah high school.
- Students must complete at least 40 graduate credit hours prior to the requested term of reclassification.
- All hours must be graduate credit hours, and must be completed at the University of Utah.
- Withdrawn, failed or dropped courses will not count towards the 40 credit requirement.
- Students must relinquish domiciliary ties (driver’s license, voter registration, and vehicle registration) held in any other state and establish them in Utah by the Utah tie deadline.
- Students must submit a valid Utah driver’s license.
- Students must submit proof of active Utah voter registration via their voter registration card or a certified letter from the County Clerk’s office. Students with granted permanent resident status are exempt from this requirement and can submit a secondary Utah tie.
- If the student has a vehicle registered in their name, it must be registered in Utah and the student must submit valid and unexpired vehicle registration.
- Students must submit verification of financial independence showing that they are not claimed as a dependent on the federal tax return of any person who is not a resident of Utah.
- Students who are under the age of 24 and not married must submit the first two pages of their federal tax return for the most recent tax year verifying that they were not claimed as a tax dependent by out of state parents or guardians.
- Students who did not file their own federal taxes must submit a copy of their out of state parents’ or guardians’ federal tax return(s) for the most recent tax year verifying that they did not claim the student as a dependent.
- Students must submit proof of their physical presence in the state of Utah for at least the 12 continuous months immediately prior to the first day of class for the academic term they wish to be considered a resident student, with fewer than 29 days total unproven/out-of-state.
- Accepted methods of proof include the following:
- In-person enrollment at the University of Utah or another Utah institution through transcripts
- Employment with a Utah employer through dated pay stubs for each date range the student wishes to prove, or through a signed and dated employer letter on letterhead specifying the dates of employment
- Bank or credit card statements in the student’s name only showing a purchase made in person, in the state of Utah, every six days or fewer for the date range the student wishes to prove
- Physical Presence Check-Ins at the Residency office once every six days or fewer for the date range the student wishes to prove, during Office of Admissions business hours only
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- For this method, the student must be admitted and eligible to enroll
- The student requesting resident status must bring two forms of photo ID
- The first form of ID must be a UCard with the requesting student’s name, photo and UNID
- The second form of ID can be one of the following provided that it has the requesting student’s name and photo:
- Valid and unexpired driver’s license
- Valid and unexpired state ID
- Valid and unexpired permanent resident card
- Valid and unexpired passport
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- Gym records in the student’s name and with the name and contact information for the gym, showing visits to a Utah gym in person every six days or fewer for the date range the student wishes to prove
- University-sponsored programs that are organized or sanctioned by the U supporting documentation and institutional verification through a signed and dated letter on letterhead from the organizing department
- In some cases, a signed and dated letter on letterhead from a religious, volunteer, or educational leader or a coach, doctor or therapist specifying the dates of presence in Utah may be used (subject to review)
- The following CANNOT be used to demonstrate proof of physical presence (this list is not exhaustive):
- Utah utility bills
- Utah leases or rental agreements
- W-2s
- Presence of Utah property
- Personal statements
- Letters from friends/parents/landlords
- Records from apps such as DoorDash, UberEats, Uber, Lyft, Venmo, Door Dash, GrubHub, etc
- Photographs or images of people/locations
- Social media posts such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc.
- Cell/Mobile phone records
- Any form of proof of physical presence in Utah submitted is subject to review; acceptance is not guaranteed.
- Students are expected to report any days they leave the state of Utah.
- Any days that a student cannot prove their presence in Utah by one of the accepted methods will count against the 29 day total.
- Accepted methods of proof include the following:
Late Submissions
An application is considered late if it is submitted after the deadline.
The hard late deadline for application submission is the Friday prior to the start of the requested term of reclassification (for example, the hard late deadline for Fall 2023 residency reclassification applications is Friday 08/18/2023.)
Late applications must be submitted with a late petition explaining why you did not submit by the deadline, and there is no guarantee of application acceptance nor a decision by the tuition deadline for the requested term of reclassification.
Required documentation (proof of physical presence, submission of Utah ties, etc.) will be accepted through the Friday of the first week of classes of the requested term of reclassification at the latest (for example, the hard documentation submission deadline for Fall 2023 residency reclassification is Friday 08/25/2023).
Documentation should be submitted as soon as possible prior to this deadline.
Students submitting documentation must have a residency reclassification application on file that was submitted by the hard application deadline.
No documentation will be accepted after the first week of classes of the requested term of reclassification.
Non-Resident Tuition Waiver Specifications
Please note that per the Board of Regents and University of Utah Institutional Policy, no time spent on the following programs can be used towards residency reclassification requirements:
- Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Western Regional Graduate Program
- Professional Student Exchange Program
- Dixie State University Good Neighbor Program
- International Student Exchange
- Alumni Legacy Scholarships
- Other programs as specified by the state or institution
More information can be found in the mandatory reading of the University of Utah Institutional Policy and the Board of Regents Policies, R512.
Residency for Tuition Purposes
Residency status for tuition purposes will be determined at time of acceptance to the SFESOM. All residency information will be verified upon admittance to the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine by the Office of Graduate Admissions. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the School of Medicine Residency Policy. Guidelines are subject to change without notice.
Additional information regarding residency and institutional policy can be found here.
Applicants who meet the requirements for House Bill 144 or House Bill 118 non-resident tuition waivers or who qualify for military or American Indian exceptions may be eligible to receive in-state tuition.
If an accepted student believes they may meet the requirements for one of the tuition waivers or exceptions above, it is their responsibility to complete the appropriate certification form by the deadlines provided by the Office of Graduate Admissions. Information regarding residency exceptions and institutional policy can be found here.
Accepted students wishing to appeal their first-year residency status must request a status change with the Residency office. All reclassification requests and documentation must be submitted by the domiciliary tie establishment deadlines set by the Office of Graduate Admissions on this website. Change of status is not guaranteed, even with approval from the School of Medicine.
For more information about residency for tuition purposes by legal state of residence on the AMCAS application, click here.
Residency Reclassification
The School of Medicine residency reclassification policy applies to students in the MD and MD-PhD programs who enrolled on or after June 1, 2020.
The School of Medicine policy supersedes all other policies except for military exceptions, American Indian exceptions, and House Bills 118 and 144.
Residency status may be changed or updated based on information conveyed from the School of Medicine, regardless of any reclassification requested by the student.
Students who indicated residency in Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming are not eligible for residency reclassification.
Students must meet ALL of the following requirements and submit an application and all necessary documentation by the specified deadlines.
- Students must hold U.S. citizenship, granted permanent residency, or granted asylum or refugee status.
- Students must hold granted status and cannot have expired, removed or in-process status.
- Students with granted permanent residency or granted asylum or refugee status must submit valid and unexpired documentation.
- Students on visas are not eligible for residency reclassification but may qualify for a tuition waiver.
- Students must complete at least two full time consecutive terms of enrollment at the School of Medicine.
- All hours must be completed at the University of Utah.
- Withdrawn, failed or dropped courses will not count towards residency requirements.
- Students must relinquish domiciliary ties (driver’s license, voter registration, and vehicle registration) held in any other state and established them in Utah by the Utah tie deadline.
- Students must submit a valid Utah driver’s license.
- Students must submit proof of active Utah voter registration via their voter registration card or a certified letter from the County Clerk’s office. Students with granted permanent resident status are exempt from this requirement and can submit a secondary Utah tie.
- If the student has a vehicle registered in their name, it must be registered in Utah and the student must submit valid and unexpired vehicle registration.
- Students must submit verification of financial independence showing that they are not claimed as a dependent on the federal tax return of any person who is not a resident of Utah.
- Students who are under the age of 24 and not married must submit the first two pages of their federal tax return for the most recent tax year verifying that they were not claimed as a tax dependent by out-of-state parents or guardians.
- Students who did not file their own federal taxes must submit a copy of their out of state parents’ or guardians’ federal tax return(s) for the most recent tax year verifying that they did not claim the student as a dependent.
- Students must submit proof of their physical presence in the state of Utah for at least the 12 continuous months immediately prior to the first day of class for the academic term they wish to be considered a resident student, with fewer than 29 days total unproven/out-of-state.
- Accepted methods of proof include the following:
- In-person enrollment at the University of Utah or another Utah institution through transcripts
- Employment with a Utah employer through dated pay stubs for each date range the student wishes to prove, or through a signed and dated employer letter on letterhead specifying the dates of employment
- Bank or credit card statements in the student’s name only showing a purchase made in person, in the state of Utah, every six days or fewer for the date range the student wishes to prove
- Gym records in the student’s name and with the name and contact information for the gym, showing visits to a Utah gym in person every six days or fewer for the date range the student wishes to prove
- In some cases, a signed and dated letter on letterhead from a religious, volunteer, or educational leader or a coach, doctor or therapist specifying the dates of presence in Utah may be used (subject to review)
- The following CANNOT be used to demonstrate proof of physical presence (this list is not exhaustive):
- Utah utility bills
- Utah leases or rental agreements
- W-2s
- Presence of Utah property
- Personal statements
- Letters from friends/parents/landlords
- Records from apps such as DoorDash, UberEats, Uber, Lyft, Venmo, etc
- Photographs or images of people/locations
- Social media posts
- Any form of proof of physical presence in Utah submitted is subject to review; acceptance is not guaranteed.
- Students are expected to report any days they leave the state of Utah.
- Any days that a student cannot prove their presence in Utah by one of the accepted methods will count against the 29 day total.
- Accepted methods of proof include the following:
For dental students, residency status is determined by the state/province of residence as indicated on the AADSAS application.
Dental applicants who indicate Utah as their legal state of residence on AADSAS must qualify for Utah residency through the institutional policy for residency for tuition purposes to be eligible for resident tuition.
Students who indicate any state/province other than Utah as their state of legal residence on AADSAS are not eligible for residency reclassification, except in situations where the student meets the requirement for a military, American Indian, or permitted Utah high school graduate exception.
Students admitted to the College of Law as non-residents are not eligible for residency reclassification once they begin their studies at the College of Law.
The only exceptions to this policy for non-residents is in situations where the applicant meets the requirement for a military, American Indian, or permitted Utah high school graduate exception.
However, if admitted candidates are initially classified as non-residents and will qualify for Utah resident status under any policy prior to the start of their law studies, they may apply for residency reclassification prior to the start of their law studies but may not do so after courses have commenced.
Other Exceptions
Please check the sections below to see if you qualify under any of the following exceptions, then complete the Certification Form for Resident Exceptions for Tuition Purposes.
Please make sure to also check the term deadlines above.
- Copy of your “Certificate of Blood” document
- Qualifying tribes include:
- Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation
- Navajo Nation (Diné)
- Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Nation of Utah (Washakie)
- Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah (Cedar City Band of Paiutes, Kanosh Band of Paiutes, Koosharem Band of Paiutes, IndianPeaks Band of Paiutes, and Shivwits Band of Paiutes)
- Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians
- Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah
- Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute Mountain Reservation
- Hopi
- Zuni
- Shoshone-Bannock Tribe
- Copy of your “Certificate of Blood” document
- Copy of your high school diploma or official transcript verifying graduation from a Utah high school
- Letter from the USOPC verifying your eligibility
*This letter MUST come from USOPC and cannot come from a coach or team.
- Copy of the your official military orders placing them in Utah on active duty assignment
- Copy of your current military ID card
- Copy of the official military orders placing the service member in Utah on active duty assignment
- Copy of the military service member’s military ID card or a copy of the requesting student’s military privilege card
*Immediate family member is defined as the current spouse or unmarried dependent child of the U.S. military veteran.
- Copy of your military DD-214 showing both of the following:
- Proof of honorable or general discharge
- At least 180 days of service
- Signed written declaration that you have relinquished residency in any other state and do not maintain any residency ties elsewhere
- This declaration can be signed within the Military Service Exception Form.
- Objective evidence that you have demonstrated an intent to establish residency in Utah, which may include any one of the following:
- Utah voter registration card
- Utah driver’s license or identification card
- Utah vehicle registration
- Evidence of employment in Utah
- Rental agreement showing your name and Utah address
- Utility bills showing your name and Utah address
- Copy of the U.S. military veteran’s military DD-214 showing both of the following:
- Proof of honorable or general discharge
- At least 180 days of service
- Signed written declaration that you have relinquished residency in any other state and do not maintain any residency ties elsewhere
- This declaration can be signed within the Military Service Exception Form.
- Objective evidence that you have demonstrated an intent to establish residency in Utah, which may include any one of the following:
- Utah voter registration card
- Utah driver’s license or identification card
- Utah vehicle registration
- Evidence of employment in Utah
- Rental agreement showing your name and Utah address
- Utility bills showing your name and Utah address
- If you are the dependent child of the U.S. military veteran, a copy of the military service member’s most recent federal tax return verifying they claimed you as a tax dependent
*Immediate family member is defined as the current spouse or unmarried dependent child of the U.S. military veteran.
- Evidence of eligibility under Title 38 U.S.C., Veteran’s Benefits
- You can obtain verification from the VA or online through the eBenefits account.
- The University of Utah Office of the Registrar Veteran Services can assist you with this process.
- Signed written declaration that you will utilize G.I. Bill benefits
- This declaration can be signed within the Military Service Exception Form.
- Objective evidence that you have demonstrated an intent to establish residency in Utah, which may include any one of the following:
- Utah voter registration card
- Utah driver’s license or identification card
- Utah vehicle registration
- Evidence of employment in Utah
- Rental agreement showing your name and Utah address
- Utility bills showing your name and Utah address
- Copy of the active military service member’s military identification card
- If the requesting student is a dependent child or spouse, a copy of the their military privilege card can be submitted instead.
- Copy of the active military service member’s most recent military orders
- Objective evidence that the active military service member has not relinquished residency ties to Utah, which may include any one of the following:
- Utah voter registration card
- Utah driver’s license or identification card
- Utah vehicle registration
- Copy of a Utah income tax return in the active military service member’s name and/or their current spouse’s name, filed as a Utah resident
- Proof that the active military service member and/or their current spouse owns a home in Utah, including a property tax notice for property owned in Utah by the active military service member and/or their current spouse.
- If the requesting student is a dependent child, a copy of the active military service member’s most recent federal tax return verifying they claimed the requesting student as a tax dependent
*Immediate family member is defined as the current spouse or unmarried dependent child of the U.S. military service member.
Already Applied for Residency?
If you have already submitted your residency application form and have additional documents you wish to turn in for evaluation, please attach the documents using the Post Submission form.
Residency for Non-citizens
Non-citizens that have been granted permanent U.S. resident status or have obtained asylum or refugee status under U.S. immigration law are classified for purposes of resident status according to the same criteria as U.S. citizens.
These students must submit verification of status with their residency application.
Residency reclassification will not be granted to non-citizens without proof of permanent resident, asylum, or refugee status in the United States.
Tuition Waivers for Non-residents
Information on special tuition waivers for non-citizens and other non-residents can be found in Board of Regents Policy R513.
- The House Bill 144 Non-Resident Tuition Waiver is explained in R513-13 Exemption for Certain Students with Utah High School Graduation. .
- The House Bill 118 Non-Resident Tuition Waiver is explained in R513-14 Exemption of Nonresident Tuition for Certain Foreign Nationals.
Information on House Bill 144 & House Bill 118 is available here.
Have Questions?
Residency Office Contact Information:
(801) 581-8761, Option 5
residency@utah.edu