Residency

In Washington, the state uses residency requirements for tuition at public colleges and state financial aid programs. There are several ways to meet residency requirements. Students’ residency options depend on their citizenship or immigration status. To be considered for resident tuition and state aid, students must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or non-citizens with a qualifying immigration status.

Students must meet residency requirements to qualify for resident (in-state) tuition and fees at public colleges. Resident tuition is typically less expensive than out-of-state rates. A student’s residency is determined at admission by each school. Students who are admitted as nonresidents, but think they meet student residency requirements, can apply for resident tuition via the residency reclassification process. 

Each public college has a residency officer. The residency officer uses state laws, rules, and guidelines to decide if students are residents or nonresidents for tuition and fee purposes. Residency officers are usually located in the registrar's or admissions office. The financial aid office at public colleges uses the residency officer’s determination to award state financial aid.

At EvCC, the Chief Residency Officer and residency coordinator can be found within Enrollment Services.

Email: Residency@everettcc.edu

Tuition at Everett Community College is calculated based on your residency status. Residency policies are set by the Washington legislature and applied uniformly throughout Washington’s colleges and universities. For more details regarding residency classification, please visit Washington Student Achievement Council  to review residency policy.

Students are asked a series of residency questions at the point of admission to the college. Students are notified at the time of admission if they are coded as non-resident for tuition purposes.

Some programs do not permit residency questions to be administered at the point of admission. Students admitted to programs such as Running Start, College in the High School, English Language Acquisition, and Corporate and Continuing Education classes will be marked as undetermined. Residency Questions can be administered at later times if required.

Students are communicated via email at the point of admission. Students enrolled as a non-resident will also receive a quarterly email to the email on file. Students will receive this quarterly email every quarter they are registered as non-resident

Tip: Please make sure your email is correct! Students can update their contact information via ctcLink's Student Homepage.
Tip: It is recommended to make sure your email is set up to allow @everettcc.edu emails and avoid communication to be sent to your spam/junk folders.

If you are registered for classes, you can also see your status via the Financial Account Tile  in your ctcLink Student Homepage. If you are not currently registered or feel that you have been coded incorrectly, please email residency@everettcc.edu. Our residency coordinator will be able to assist you.

You can also compare your tuition balance with our Tuition Rates.

Washington State legislation sets the laws that determine residency under the following statutes, rules and regulations:
State Statute – RCW 28B.15.011 - RCW 28B.15.015 
State Rules and Regulations – WAC 250-18-010   – WAC 250-18-06  

The Washington Student Achievement (WSAC), in collaboration with our State Attorney General’s office, helps interpret the laws for college and university residency officers to uphold. 

An individual must meet both factors:
1. The student must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident ("green card") or qualify for another non-citizen discount status (see Non-U.S. Citizen Student section on this page). The student must have lived in Washington for 12 months with eligible status.

2a. Financially Independent students must demonstrate residence in Washington and an intent to remain in Washington indefinitely to establish domicile in Washington state. After meeting the requirements to establish domicile, a person must continue to be domiciled in Washington state for at least 12 months preceding the first day of classes. Please refer to our the qualifications to for being considered as financially independent. 

or

2b. Financially Dependent students or students under the age of 25 must demonstrate their parent or legal guardian's residence in Washington and an intent to remain in Washington indefinitely to establish domicile in Washington state. After meeting the requirements to establish domicile, parents or legal guardians must continue to be domiciled in Washington state for at least 12 months preceding the first day of classes. Students under the age of 25 are automatically presumed to be financially dependent. Please refer to the verification of Financial Independence if you are under 25 and can be considered to be Financially independent.

Domicile is a legal term used to describe a person’s true, fixed, and permanent home. A person can only have one legal domicile in the U.S. at a time. To establish a domicile in Washington, a person must prove physical presence in the state plus intent to permanently remain in the state. There are different ways to show proof of Washington domicile. Typical forms of proof include, but are not limited to:

• Washington driver’s license
• Washington vehicle registration
• Washington voter registration
• Lease, rental agreement, or mortgage in Washington
• W2 or pay stubs for Washington employer

Some residency options require people to have a domicile in Washington for one year. The one-year waiting period starts when a person completes the last action to establish a domicile.

Washington residency law defines financial independence and dependence differently than the federal government does for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

Financially Independent

Financially Independent students are not financially dependent upon someone else or claimed on their parent’s/legal guardian’s latest tax returns. If you are determined to be a financially independent student, the residency will be based upon your domicile information and supporting documentation. If you are applying as financially independent, you need to meet all the following qualifications, and you may be asked to provide support documentation:

• You were not and will not be claimed on your parents'/legal guardians’ tax returns for the previous or current calendar year. A calendar year is defined as January 1 through December 31.
• You did not and will not receive significant financial assistance either directly or indirectly from your parents, relatives, legal guardians, or others (excluding your spouse) for the current and previous calendar year. For EvCC, you will need to document that you have not received financial assistance in excess of 49% of your living expenses. Financial assistance includes, but is not limited to, personal loans, parent PLUS loans, and gifts. Financial assistance does not include financial aid grants, scholarships, and loans authorized by the financial aid office in your name.
• That you are independently covering your living expenses with your own financial resources. For EvCC, you will need to document that you are covering at least 51% of your living expenses based on EvCC Costs.
• Students who are enrolled for 7 credits or more each term during the period they are in which they are establishing bona fide legal domicile are presumed by law to be in Washington State for purposes of education. Students cannot get resident tuition unless they can demonstrate conclusively they moved to Washington for purposes other than education. One strong method of overcoming this presumption is through significant employment of 30 hours per week at a non-student position. Other methods can be a combination of significant employment and other ties such as community involvement (i.e. volunteering, etc.), participation in state/local organizations, family, etc. The burden of proof lies on the student to demonstrate they have overcome this presumption.

Please note: Married students, regardless of age, are considered to be financially independent.

Financially Dependent students 

Financially Dependent students are financially dependent upon someone else, and/or claimed on their parents’/legal guardians’ latest tax returns. If you are determined to be a financially dependent student, the residency will be based on your parent’s/legal guardian’s domicile information and supporting documentation. Students under 25 years of age are presumed to be financially dependent. To overcome the presumption, students must verify Financial Independence. Please email residency@everettcc.edu for more information. 

Please note: Married students, regardless of age, are considered to be financially independent.

Verification of Financial Independence for students under 25

If you are under 25 and would like to proceed to update your residency as a Financially Independent Student, you will be asked to verify financial independence with support documentation in addition to the required documentation. The residency office may ask for:

• 12 months of bank statements
• Pay stubs
• Tax return
• W2’s

Please email residency@everetetcc.edu for more information.

Nonresident Status

Once residency has been determined at the point of admission, support documentation will be needed to change the account. 
 
Please note that residency does not automatically update after living in Washington for 12 months as there are other factors that apply. Per RCW 28B.15.012, it is up to the student to provide the institution proof that residency has been established.

Undetermined Resident Status

If you are coded as undetermined, please email residency@everettcc.edu and we can send you the residency questions needed to determine your residency and if needed, support documentation.

There are a variety of reasons why a student is coded as undetermined. The most common is when a student is admitted into a program where the residency questions were not asked. This includes programs such as Running Start, College in the High School, Transitional Studies, English Language Acquisition, or Corporate and Continuing Education.

Worksheets and documentation for reclassification must be submitted to the Enrollment Services office before the 30th calendar day of the intended quarter. Please allow at least two weeks for processing.  Please visit our Important Dates and Deadlines for more information.

If you are waiting for an adjustment to residency, please pay the resident tuition amount with Cashiers or set up the payment plan (non-refundable 10.00 fee) to avoid getting dropped for non-payment. 

It is the student’s responsibility to request a change in residency status once all requirements have been met. Failure to turn in applications and support documents by the deadline may result in residency reclassification for the next quarter. We cannot process any residency adjustments for previous quarters.
Students can apply for residency reclassification as once the intended quarters registration period is open.

Option 1: Residency Affidavit

This option is open to all Washingtonians, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. It is the only option available to undocumented people who have never had DACA or to people who are pending asylum without an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Students who qualify:

To be eligible for the affidavit:

• Earn a high school diploma, GED, or diploma equivalent before your first term at the college determining residency, and
• Maintain a primary residence in Washington for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before your first term at the college determining residency. The Washington residence must be for purposes other than college. If you take any courses at another Washington college during the prior 12 months, you cannot have taken more than six credits in any given term. If you exceed that limit you must prove that you have a Washington residence for non-college reasons.
• Affirm that they are a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or that they will file an application to become a permanent resident of the United States as soon as they are eligible to apply.

If you meet all the above requirements, please download and fill out the Residency Affidavit  to request a change in residency status. You can send the completed document to residency@everettcc.edu. 

Option 2 Residency Reclassification Worksheet and Documentation

Documentation required for Financially Independent Residency Reclassification with qualifying immigration status

If you would like to see if you are eligible to update your residency status, here are the steps you will need to complete:
1. WA State Independent Residency for Tuition Worksheet (Submit Online  / Printable Version )
2. Residency Questionnaire (Option 1 with access to a printer: Printable Version  Option 2 Downalod and fill out: Fillable Adobe PDF )

Please submit all documentation. If you are unable to provide support documentation, please include a personal state explaining why. For example: I am unable to submit a Washington Vehicle Registration as I do not own a vehicle.

Documentation required for Financially Dependent (or students under 25 years of age) Residency Reclassification with qualifying immigration status

Students that are under 25 and are no Financially Independent will need to submit parent or legal gaurdian support documentation. To qualify, one or both of the student’s parents or legal court-appointed guardians must have maintained a bona fide domicile in the state of Washington 12 months prior to the start of the quarter.

If you would like to see if you are eligible to update your residency status as a financially dependent student, here are the steps you will need to complete:
1. WA State Dependent Residency for Tuition Worksheet (Submit Online  / Printable Version ) 
2. Please complete and attach the Residency Questionnaire (Option 1 with access to a printer: Printable Version  Option 2 Downalod and fill out: Fillable Adobe PDF ). Please note that the student will fill out the first page and the parent/legal gaurdian will fill out the back.

Please submit all documentation. If you are unable to provide support documentation, please include a personal state explaining why. For example: I am unable to submit a Washington Vehicle Registration as I do not own a vehicle.

Not all immigration status are eligible to establish domicile due to different immigration laws. Immigration documentation will be requested as part of the reclassification process. 

Students with the following status are eligible for domicile and can possibly qualify for resident tuition if the have lived in Washington for 12 months: A-1, A-2, A-3, DV-1, DV-2, DV-3, DV-6, DV-7, DV-8, E-1, E-2, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, G-5, H-1B, H4, I, K-1, K-2, K-3, K-4, N-8, N-9, NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, NATO-6, NATO-7, O-1, O-2, O-3, Q-1, Q-2, Q-3, R-1, R-2, S, U-1, U-2, U-3, U-4, U-5, V-1, V-2, or V-3 visa status

The following visas are not eligible for domicile or resident tuition: B-1, B-2, C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, D-1, D-2, F-1, F-2, F-3, H-2A, H-2B, H-3, J-1, J-2, M-1, M-2, M-3, P-1, P-2, P-3, P-4, TD, TN, WB, or WT visa status.

New Residency Affidavit requirements – July 25, 2021

Beginning Summer 2021, students qualify for residency if they meet all the following conditions:

• Received a high school diploma (or equivalent).
• Maintained a primary residence in Washington for at least one year (12 months) immediately prior to starting their first admitted quarter at Everett Community College.
• Affirm that they are a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or that they will file an application to become a permanent resident of the United States as soon as they are eligible to apply.

If you meet all the above requirements, you can use the updated Residency Affidavit  to request a change in residency status. Note that if you applied or will apply for state financial aid using the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WAFSA), then you do not need to submit this affidavit form separately. The affidavit is part of the WAFSA. Washington Residents that attended an Out-of-State school within the last 12 months

Students who are Washington residents and have been absent due to attending an out-of-state college/university will need to complete the Residence Questionnaire process.

Documentation to provide along with the Residence Questionnaire ((Option 1 with access to a printer: Printable Version  Option 2: Download to Complete ):
Proof that the student has maintained all Washington legal ties and did not take steps to establish domicile in another state. See Residency Requirements for details.
Verification that student resided in Washington for a minimum of one year (12 months) prior to leaving the state for educational purposes.
Documentation from the out-of-state college/university verifying student’s continuous enrollment as a non-resident, paying non-resident tuition. If the student attended a private college/university, only verification of continuous enrollment is required.

A student who is financially dependent upon the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) or others should refer to the reclassification documentation for Financially Dependent Students.

Active Duty Military Members, Spouses and Dependents

To be eligible to pay resident tuition via a waiver under this provision, active-duty military members must be currently stationed in Washington. To apply for in-state tuition waiver and fees as an active duty military member or as a member’s spouse/dependent, students must email a copy of their military id and orders to residency@everettcc.edu. 

Please note that this does not establish in-state tuition for residency purposes. If you are interested in becoming a resident, please email residency@everettcc.edu.

Veterans

Effective July 24, 2015, ESSB 5355 was signed into law, modifying the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2015 (Choice Act). The Choice Act requires states to charge in-state tuition and fees to “covered individuals” in order for the Department of Veterans Affairs to approve programs of education for everyone training under the Post 9/11 GI Bill® and the Montgomery GI Bill®.

Effective July 1, 2017, the definition of a “covered individual” in the Choice Act has been modified to the following:
A veteran who enrolls in the institution of higher education within three (3) years of discharge from a period of active duty service of ninety 90 days or more.
A spouse or child who is entitled to transferred VA educational benefits based on their relationship to an individual who has separated from the uniformed services and enrolls in the institution of higher education within three (3) years of the transferor’s discharge from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.
Effective August 1, 2021, provision 1005 removes the requirement for covered individuals to enroll in a course at a public institution of higher learning within three years of being discharged to receive in-state tuition. VA will also make publicly available on the VA website a database explaining any public institution’s requirements for beneficiaries to be charged in-state tuition.

Who Qualifies

• Students may qualify to pay in-state tuition and fees, regardless of their formal state of residence. To apply for in-state tuition and fees, you must:
• Be separated from the uniformed services with any period of honorable service after at least ninety (90) days of active duty service (or are a spouse or child of an individual who separated from the uniformed services under these terms). Uniformed services include: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps; and
• Enter a Washington higher education institution within three (3) years of discharge from a period of active duty service. This means that the first day of your first quarter must be prior to the end of the third year of discharge; and
• Be eligible for VA educational benefits (for veteran member); or entitled to VA educational benefits (for veteran spouse/child)

Documentation that will be requested:

• DD-214 showing honorable discharge within 3 years of separation
• WA Home of record or mailing address
• If you do not have a WA Home of record or mailing address, please include a copy of your WA ID or WA vehicle registration or proof of living in Washington (lease, mortgage statement or letter from a landlord.)

To apply, please email residency@everettcc.edu.

Please visit Residency Page for Military Personnel and Veterans for more information.

Special Note: U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have not yet gained residency in Washington State may be eligible for a partial tuition reduction.

Washington Residents Absence Due to Military/Civil Service

Washington residents, who enter the military/civil service while domiciled in Washington or established a domicile while stationed in Washington for a period of at least one year, will remain residents while being stationed outside of Washington if they:

• Return within one year (12 months) of discharge/end of service with the intent to be domiciled in Washington.
• Maintain all legal ties in Washington.
• Documentation that will be requested:
• Provide documentation of the active duty military member’s state of legal residence (L.E.S. – Leave and Earnings Statement). The military member will need to provide a copy of their current L.E.S. and L.E.S. from 12 months prior to the quarter of application for residency.
• Provide documentation showing that Washington legal ties have been maintained while being stationed elsewhere. At least three of the following must be provided:
• Driver’s License
• Voter’s Registration
• Vehicle Registration
• Bank Account
• Proof of Living in Washington (Lease agreement, mortgage statement or letter from a landlord)

To apply, please email residency@everettcc.edu.

Please visit Residency for Military Personnel and Veterans for more information.

Tribal members who meet the following two conditions are Washington resident students:

• Membership in one of the federally recognized tribes (list ) whose traditional and customary tribal boundaries included portions of the state of Washington, or whose tribe was granted reserved lands within the state of Washington. 
• For at least one year immediately prior to enrollment, students must have been domiciled in one or a combination of the following states: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington.

These students:

• Pay resident tuition and fees at all public colleges and universities . 
• Meet residency requirements for Passport to Careers, State Work Study, the American Indian Endowed Scholarship, and the National Guard Postsecondary Education Grant. Students must also meet program requirements . Some programs have limited funds and are not awarded to all eligible students.

The following documentation can be sent to residency@everettcc.edu:

• Proof of Tribal Membership
• WA, ID, MT, OR ID issued 12 months prior to the start of the quarter
• Proof of living in WA, ID, MT, OR (lease agreement, letter from a landlord, mortgage statement showing that you have lived there 12 months prior to the start of the quarter

If you would like to appeal or dispute your residency reclassification determination, please submit the following to residency@everettcc.edu:

• Personal Statement explaining why you think you meet in-state residency.
• Supporting documentation that shows WA domicile 12 months prior to the start of the intended quarter
• Please include any supporting documentation if you feel that there was an institutional error.
• Appeals must be received within 30 days of original Residency Reclassification outcome.