In the past, if students wanted to get in-state tuition at a public university outside of their home state, all they had to do was live in the state for a year and then claim residency.

Most states have made it harder for out-of-state students to claim residency just to get a discount on their education.

States now make a distinction between being a resident for taxation purposes and for tuition purposes. Many states allow the public university system to set the rules governing who can pay in-state tuition.

In general, most states require that a student meet the following criteria to claim residency for in-state tuition:

• Duration: Most states require that a student live in the state for at least 12 months before claiming residency.
• Intention: Most states require that the student show the intention of remaining in the state after graduating from college.
• Independence: Most states require that the student be financially independent from out-of-state parents before claiming residency.

Exceptions to residency requirements may include:

• Student is from a military family.
• Student's family recently moved.
• Student lives near the state border.

Reciprocity agreement

You may be able to get in-state tuition without being a resident. Some state university systems have agreements with neighboring state systems to grant in-state tuition.

A reciprocity agreement can save you money. If you want to attend a school in a neighboring state, contact the office of admissions at the college to see if there are any discounts, including reciprocal in-state tuition rates.