Residency Exceptions

There are some exceptions to the 12-month bona fide resident requirement.  You may qualify to pay tuition and fees at the resident rate without being a bona fide Wisconsin resident for the 12 months prior to enrollment if:

1. You graduated from a Wisconsin high school and your parent(s) are bona fide residents of the state of Wisconsin for the 12 months prior to your enrollment
2. You are a tax dependent of one of your parents and one of your parents has been a bona fide Wisconsin resident for the 12 months prior to enrollment
3. You are a minor whose parent has been a bona fide Wisconsin resident for the 12 months prior to enrollment
4. You are a minor who lived in Wisconsin during the 12 months prior to enrollment and substantially during your years of minority
5. You, your spouse, or someone who claims you as a tax dependent, was relocated to Wisconsin for full-time continuous employment by his or her current employer; or moved to Wisconsin for employment purposes and accepted their new, full-time employment before moving to Wisconsin and before applying for admission to a UW System institution. In these cases, the employed person must continue working full-time with the same employer, and the student must demonstrate intent to establish and maintain a permanent home in Wisconsin
6. You are a refugee who came to Wisconsin immediately upon entering the United States and have resided in Wisconsin since then
7. You, your spouse, or your parent is an active duty member of the Armed Forces stationed in Wisconsin, or is living in Wisconsin and stationed at a federal military installation within 90 miles of the Wisconsin state border
8. You, your spouse, or your parent is or was on active duty in the Armed Forces and meets other requirements outlined in the state statute
9. You, or your parent, lived and worked in Wisconsin as a migrant worker for a required period of time during the five years prior to enrollment
10. You are a member of the Wisconsin National Guard or a reserve unit of the U.S. Armed forces for six months immediately prior to enrollment in a semester, and you have resided in Wisconsin for a six-month period immediately prior to enrollment in that semester

There are also provisions in the statute identifying other circumstances that may make you eligible for resident tuition. These additional provisions may allow you to attend at the resident rate while being formally classified as a non-resident. Contact the Office of Admissions at the institution to which you are applying for more information.