• See the Institutional Policy for specific policies for these schools.

This 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.  The Graduate Policy supersedes all other policies except for military exceptions, American Indian exceptions, and 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.

• 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  • Withdrawn, failed or dropped courses will not count towards the 40 credit requirement.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 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, at least once every 7 days or fewer for the date range the student wishes to prove
    • Physical Presence Check-Ins at the Residency office once at least once every 7 days or fewer for the date range the student wishes to prove, during Office of Admissions business hours only

• • • • • 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
    • 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 at least once every 7 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.

Contact the Residency Office

(801) 581-8761, Option 5

residency@utah.edu

Return to Residency for Tuition Purposes home page