Admissions

Residency for Tuition Purposes

We are no longer accepting residency applications for Spring 2013.

The residency application for Fall 2013 opens May 1st. If you wish to have your residency approved before the tuition deadline of August 14th, please submit your application online and copies of all supporting documentation to our office by August 1st as it can take several weeks to process. The last day we will accept any applications or documentation for Fall 2013 is September 16th.

Other requirements may apply. For further residency information, please contact the USU Admissions Office at 435.797.1079 or visit us in person at the Taggart Student Center, Room 102.

THE LAW: ESTABLISHING UTAH DOMICILE AND MAINTINING CONTINUOUS UTAH RESIDENCY FOR ONE YEAR (12 CALENDAR MONTHS) AND DECLARING FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE.

Requirements

  • You must be a Citizen or Permanent Resident of the United States to apply for residency and be admitted to Utah State University.
  • You must obtain a Utah Driver's License, Voter Registration, and Vehicle Registration. These three items must be obtained at least 3 months before you apply for residency. For example, if you are applying for residency for the fall semester, you would need these items by May 1st. For spring semester, you must obtain these items by October 1st. If you are using a vehicle in Utah, even if it is in your parent's name, it needs to be registered in Utah.
  • You must live in Utah for 12 continuous months. You cannot be absent from the state for more than a total of 30 days during this time frame (this includes Christmas Break, Spring Break, and summer). You must provide two different types of evidence as verification, which are:*
    • Verification of Housing in Utah: This must cover the full 12-month period. This can include rental agreements, letters from your landlord, or your mortgage statement.
    • Verification of Physical Presence in Utah: This must also cover the full 12-month period, and is verification of what you were doing in Utah. This can be your unofficial transcripts if you were a student, paystubs if you were working, letters from coaches or volunteer organizations, or bank statements showing transactions in Utah. If you are unable to provide any of these types of verifications, please contact our office regarding other options. You must be able to provide proof of your physical presence for the full 12-month period.
    *A typical example would be a student who attended school fall and spring semesters but did not attend school in the summer and instead got a job. You would need to provide the rental contracts for the full 12 months to verify housing, unofficial transcripts to prove what activity you were involved in for fall and spring semesters, and paystubs for each month of the summer to verify you were physically present in Utah.
  • You must be declared financially independent. This means you cannot be claimed as a dependent by anyone outside the state of Utah on your most recent tax return. For example, if you are applying for residency for the Fall 2011 semester, you must not be claimed as a dependent by anyone outside of Utah on taxes filed by April 2011 for the 2010 tax year. You will need to submit a copy of your 1040 Form as proof of this (the first 2 pages of your federal tax return).

More Information for Missionaries and Military Personnel.

Missionaries:

Serving Outside of Utah: Utah Residency for Tuition Purposes must be approved prior to leaving Utah for a mission. Students must live in Utah for 12 continuous months and have their residency application approved prior to leaving Utah. They cannot split the 12 months before and after their mission. If they leave the state before they have completed the 12 consecutive months and been granted residency for tuition purposes, they will have to start the 12 months over when they return.

Time spent in Utah at the Provo Utah Missionary Training Center can be used towards the 12 months required for residency, but students must send verification of this time spent in Utah. Please note that students cannot be absent from the state of Utah for more than a total of 30 days during the 12 months required to gain residency for tuition purposes. Time spent outside of Utah before reporting to the Provo Mission Training Center is counted against the 30 day limit.

Serving in Utah: Students serving missions in Utah can use this time toward gaining residency for tuition purposes. They must obtain their Utah driver's license and register to vote in Utah before they are released from their mission and they must return to Utah within 30 days of their release date. The student will also need to provide verification that they served the last 12 months in Utah – not any of the surrounding states.

Military:

If military training will take a student out of Utah for more than the 30 day limit, please contact our office before you make a decision about leaving.

There are provisions in the law that enable a person to be granted Utah residency for tuition purposes as an exception to the requirements listed above. Exceptions related to military personnel are listed below, but please contact the Admissions Office for more information regarding requirements and restrictions for each exception.

  • Military personnel and their dependents who were Utah residents prior to active-duty deployment
  • Veterans of the Armed Forces who establish domicile in Utah within one year of release of active duty
  • Active-duty military personnel and their dependents with current duty station in Utah (no residency application required)
  • Members of the Utah National Guard (no residency application required)

How To Apply

  • Fill out the Online Residency Application through your USU Access (Banner) account (www.usu.edu/myusu) under "Student" then "Student Records".
  • Send in required documentation to the Admissions Office, TSC Room 102, 0160 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84322-0160, or fax it to 435.797.3708. Please include your A# on all documentation.
  • Check your residency status online frequently to see if we require any further documentation.
  • Once your residency is approved, please contact the Financial Aid Office at 435.797.0173 to let them know of your change of resident status if you are receiving federal aid as an out-of-state student.

Exceptions

There are provisions in the law that enable a person to be granted Utah residency for tuition purposes as an exception to the requirements listed above. Exceptions are listed below, but please contact the Admissions Office for more information regarding requirements and restrictions for each exception.

  • Persons who marry a Utah resident
  • Dependent children and spouses of those who reside in Utah with full-time employment
  • Dependent persons who have a parent who has lived in Utah for at least the most recent 12 continuous months
  • Persons recruited or transferred to Utah for full-time employment
  • Recipient of State Social Services Benefit
  • Military personnel and their dependents who were Utah residents prior to active-duty deployment
  • Veterans of the Armed Forces who establish domicile in Utah within one year of release of active duty
  • Active-duty military personnel and their dependents w/current duty station in Utah (no residency application required)
  • Native Americans registered on tribal rolls of Tribes whose lands border Utah (no residency application required)
  • Members of the Utah National Guard (no residency application required)

*Note: WUE and Nonresident Alumni Legacy recipients are not eligible to apply for residency for tuition purposes using the time spent receiving the waivers. For more detailed information regarding residency requirements, please refer to the Utah System of Higher Education's website or feel free to contact the Admissions Office at 435. 797.1079.

Please send photocopies of supporting documentation to the Admissions Office at the address below.

Admissions
Taggart Student Center 102
0160 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-0160

Fax: 435.797.3708
Phone: 435.797.1079
Email: residency@usu.edu

Residency Verification

If you need verification of your residency status sent to another school, please fill out the Request for Residency Verification Form and submit it to our office. Requests are usually processed within 3-5 business days.