Residency for Tuition Purposes: Residency Glossary
Frequently Used Terms, Phrases and Vocabulary Glossary for Residency for Tuition Purposes
Find useful resources and definitions of common terms related to Utah residency requirements, the process and forms for in-state tuition rates.
A nonresident partial tuition reduction program, awarded initially only to a nonresident undergraduate student who has not previously been enrolled in a college or university in Utah and who has enrolled full time for ten or more credit hours, whose legal domicile is within approximately 100 highway miles of the USHE institution at which the recipient wishes to enroll, or within such distance or such designated eligible communities or regions as the Board may establish for each institution;
Students from certain high schools located near the border of Utah (Lyman, Evanston and Mountain View, Wyoming and West Wendover, Nevada) may qualify. Time spent on a border waiver will count toward the requirements to qualify for residency reclassification.
see R513–5 Waiver of Nonresident Tuition 5.4 “Border Waiver”
Also known as the DMV, this is the government operated facility, operated by the Utah State Tax Commission, where you can obtain vehicle registration. Register your vehicle in Utah at the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles here.
This is separate in Utah from the Driver License Division, operated by the Utah Department of Public Safety, see below.
Determined by the student’s:
- Bodily presence
- Fixed permanent home and principal establishment to which if absent, the student intends to return
- And concurrent intent to voluntarily reside permanently in that location, not for a special or temporary purpose
The Utah System of Higher Education Board Policies R512-5.2.3.1.8 defines these as such:
“Indicia of Utah domicile, including the student’s Utah voter registration, Utah vehicle registration, Utah driver’s license or identification card, Utah state income tax return, rental contract or mortgage documents, bank records, and utility bills.”
For the Undergraduate One Year Rule:
- The University of Utah, under our Institutional Policy, defines the domiciliary ties as:
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- Utah driver’s license
- Utah voter registration
- Utah vehicle registration
For military or veteran exceptions:
- The University of Utah, under our Institutional Policy, defines the domiciliary ties as:
- These domiciliary ties may include any one of the following:
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- Utah voter registration card
- Utah driver’s license or identification card
- Utah vehicle registration
- Evidence of employment in Utah
- Rental agreement showing the requesting student’s name and Utah address
- Utility bills showing the requesting student’s name and Utah address
Please visit our Utah Domiciliary Tie page to learn more.
Also known as the DLD, this is the government operated facility, operated by the Utah Department of Public Safety, where you can obtain a Utah state driver’s license or a Utah identification card. Learn more at Utah’s Driver License Division here.
This is separate in Utah from the Division of Motor Vehicles, operated by the Utah State Tax Commission, see above.
In some cases, our office needs to verify that a student is not dependent on an out of state parent or guardian. This is proven by the parents’ or guardians’ federal tax returns filing from the most recently completed tax year showing that the student was not claimed as a dependent, or the student’s federal tax returns filing from the most recently completed tax year showing that no one could or did claim them as a dependent.
Federal foreign service means a member of the:
- Armed forces (as defined in section 101 of title 10, United States Code) who is on active duty for a period of more than 30 days (as defined in section 101 of title 10, United States Code); or
- Foreign Service (as defined in section 103 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3903)) who is on active duty for a period of more than 30 days.
Applicable to these positions:
- Chiefs of mission
- Ambassadors at large
- Members of the Senior Foreign Service
- Foreign Service officers
- Foreign Service personnel
- Foreign national employees, foreign nationals appointed under section 22 USC 3943: Appointments by the Secretary
- Consular agents
A tuition waiver of the non-resident portion of tuition charges granted to foreign nationals that do not qualify for residency reclassification but are a foreign national legally admitted to the U.S., attended a Utah high school for three years or more, and graduated from a Utah high school.
A tuition waiver of the non-resident portion of tuition charges granted to students of undocumented parents or U.S. citizens that do not qualify for residency reclassification but attended a Utah high school for three years or more, graduated from a Utah high school, and did not start college before Fall 2002.
A dependent child or a spouse.
Classification based on the residency information of an admissions application. The classification can be changed through an addendum or reclassification application.
Tuition paid by students that have been classified as a resident.
To physically reside in a location. This period of a residence cannot be interrupted by a temporary absence from the state.
Military discharge papers. This document is used to provide proof of service and the character of discharge. Include these 3 of the following:
- DD Form 214
- DD Form 256 Discharge Certificate, for Guard and Reserve members
- NGB Form 22, proof of service for National Guard members
Someone who is:
- Serving active duty in the United States Armed Forces within the state of Utah;
- A member of a reserve component of the United States Armed Forces assigned in Utah;
- A member of the Utah National Guard;
- Or maintaining domicile in Utah, but is assigned outside of Utah pursuant to federal permanent change of station orders.
Someone who is:
- Has served in the United States Armed Forces for at least 180 days: (1) on active duty; or (2) in a reserve component, to include the National Guard;
- Or has incurred an actual service-related injury or disability while in the United States Armed Forces regardless of whether the individual completed 180 days and was separated or retired under conditions characterized as honorable or general.
Tuition that is paid by students who have been classified as a non-resident
The nickname for the Undergraduate Policy, which is the policy that most students use to reclassify their residency. The One Year Rule is primarily based upon 12 continuous months of physical presence in Utah prior to the term that a student would like to reclassify. It requires documentation of a Utah driver’s license, vehicle registration, and voter registration, along with financial independence on federal taxes filing from most recently completed tax year.
An institution of higher education, public or private, above the high school level.
Form that is used to submit supporting documents after a residency application has already been submitted.
Any accepted documentation that shows the requirement of a presence in Utah. This can include educational enrollment, employment, physical presence check-ins at the Residency office, or bank statements with purchases made in person in Utah at least once every 7 days or fewer. Any proof or physical presence can be used as a Utah tie, but this does not work vice versa. For example, lease agreements and utility bills do not prove physical presence.
Letters received from other Utah colleges/universities verifying the residency status of a student that has now transferred to the U.
Form that is used for clarification of a student’s initial residency status. This form gives our office more information to work with when coding a student’s whose status is unclear from the information given on their admission application.
Please visit our Residency Addendum page here to learn more.
Application that is used to apply to the following policies:
- American Indian enrolled on the tribal rolls of a tribe whose reservation or trust lands lie partly or wholly within Utah or whose border is at any point contiguous with the border of Utah
- Member of a federally recognized or known Utah tribe that has graduated from a Utah High school
- Student who has attended another Utah school (in the USHE system) within the past year classified as a Utah resident for tuition purposes
- Utah state social or rehabilitation services agency assistance recipient receiving full tuition and fees allowance
- Participant in Olympic Athlete Training Program in Utah
- Job Corps Student
Application that is used to apply to the following policies:
- U.S. military service member assigned to active duty within Utah (Includes Utah National Guard and Active Reserves)
- Immediate family member of a U.S. military service member currently assigned to active duty within the state of Utah
- U.S. military veteran
- Immediate family member of a U.S. military veteran who has separated within the last five years
- Eligible person entitled to benefits under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 30, Montgomery G.I. Bill – Active-Duty Educational Assistance Program, or Chapter 33, Post 9/11 Educational Assistance Program
- Utah resident away on active military duty taking only online classes at the University of Utah (including cases where the students is a spouse or dependent child)
- An individual who maintains residency in Utah with an intent to return but who is serving on active duty in the US Armed Forces and is assigned outside of Utah (includes cases where the student is a spouse or dependent child)
Designation that makes a student a resident student for tuition purposes at a USHE institution. This is a student who pays in-state, or resident, tuition.
Utah System of Higher Education; this is the system of public colleges located in Utah. Residency status at any of these intuitions can transfer between each other.
Internships, sports or study abroad programs that are organized or sanctioned by the U, and have supporting documentation and institutional verification through a signed and dated letter on letterhead from the organizing department that clearly states it is through the U, as well as the dates of the program.
Any documentation that proves a person has intent to reside in Utah. This can include rental and lease agreements, utility bills, Utah driver’s license, voter registration, or vehicle registration. Please note that ‘Utah Ties’ and ‘(Utah) Domiciliary Ties’ are not the same.
The point in time by which a student must have established their domiciliary ties. This includes their driver’s license, vehicle registration, and voter registration. It is important to note that this deadline is separate from any residency application deadline.
Residency Policies and Exceptions
Have Questions?
Visit us at:
201 S 1460 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Office Hours (All times are Mountain Time Zone):
- Monday – 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
- Tuesday – 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. (Staff Meetings every Tuesday morning 8:00 to 10:00 A.M.)
- Wednesday – 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
- Thursday – 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
- Friday – 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
2024-2025 Holiday Schedule
Call us:
801-581-8761, Option 5 to speak with a Residency staff member