Purdue University Residence Classification Guidelines

Purpose of the Residence Classification Guidelines

Purdue University enrolls domestic students from all 50 states and international students from around the world.  The following Residence Classification Guidelines have been developed to ensure that applicants for admission or enrolled students who believe they are Indiana residents understand why their initial residency classification may be non-resident (or international) and that they may be required to complete a Residence Classification Form and provide additional information to document their residency claim.

Why You Must File a Residency Application

As a state land-grant institution, Purdue’s Board of Trustees and the Indiana State Legislature require us to perform all due diligence in determining whether a student may be classified as a resident, non-resident, or international for tuition and fees.  New applicants, re-entering students, and current students who claim Indiana resident status where any of the following circumstances apply may receive an initial classification of non-resident (or international) and must file a Residence Classification Form.  The initial non-resident (or international) status will stand until the student’s application for reclassification has been approved for in-state tuition and fees:

• Your home address is not in Indiana.
• An educational institution you attended or graduated from is not in Indiana.
• You are a dependent student (financially supported by parents or legal guardian and can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s personal income taxes) and your parent/guardian’s permanent home address is not in Indiana.
• You are an Independent student (responsible for your own financial needs, have not been dependent upon parents or legal guardian for financial support for at least 12 months, and cannot be claimed as a dependent on anyone else’s personal income taxes) and you have not lived or worked in Indiana for 12 months or more.
• You are not a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident Alien (if you are a Permanent Resident Alien, you must have a Permanent Resident Alien number and card).
• You, your spouse, partner, or parent is in Indiana for limited or temporary purposes, such as education, internship or medical residency, military assignment or other temporary employment.
• You are a dependent student and a parent lives outside of the state of Indiana.
• You graduated from a high school outside the state of Indiana and have been enrolled in an institution of higher education since moving to Indiana, or have been involved in educational pursuits for the majority of time since high school graduation.

There are other circumstances that may also require you to file a residence classification application. The above examples are not intended to be an exhaustive list.  The University reserves the right to audit prospective or enrolled students at any time regarding eligibility for resident classification and to reclassify students who are classified incorrectly. 

Residence Policy

For an online version of University policy pertaining to "Residence Classification of Students for Tuition Purposes," please refer to the University Regulations and Operating Procedures.

Residence Classification Information for Military Personnel

There are several ways that Purdue provides in-state residence classification for military personnel and their families. Qualified service members (or their dependents) who are admitted to Purdue University and meet the requirements for the applicable categories may be eligible for Resident status for tuition purposes. The criteria for each of these categories, as well as the application, can be found here. Questions regarding eligibility for military personnel should be directed to the Veterans Success Center (VSC). They can be reached by phone at (765) 494-7638 or by email at dogtags@purdue.edu.

Residence Form and Filing Deadlines

A Student’s Residence Classification Form must be submitted in the appropriate manner to the Office of the Registrar any time after the Domicile requirement has been met (including one year of consecutive residence), but no later than 15 business days after the first day of classes of the academic semester or session for which reclassification is sought.

Purdue West Lafayette and Polytechnic Statewide Students: The application portal will open on the first day of classes of each academic semester or session for which residence classification is sought. A link to the Academic Calendar can be found here. 

For current students enrolled in Summer 2023 sessions and wishing to request a change in residence classification, the portal will open on May 15, 2023 at 12:01 a.m. The deadline to submit an application for all Summer 2023 sessions is June 6, 2023; the portal will close at 11:59 pm EST on that date.  

(Purdue University Fort Wayne and Purdue University Northwest students) Please visit your campus websites for more information and a link to your specific Residence Form.

(Purdue West Lafayette and Polytechnic Statewide Students only) All Residence Reclassification applications for Purdue West Lafayette and Polytechnic Statewide students must be submitted through the Slate portal using the electronic format. To access the portal and the electronic application, current students should navigate to students.connect.purdue.edu and use their BoilerKey to login. To access the page, a Purdue University career account Username and Password must be provided. Once the electronic Residency Reclassification Form is complete and submitted, a list of required documents will then be displayed. The documents will need to be uploaded electronically through the portal and can be formatted as a Word document, PDF, or scanned image file. Once all initial required documents are uploaded, the application will be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for review. When your file is reviewed, if there are any additional documents needed, you will receive a notification via email for additional documentation added to your residency checklist in the portal.  

For more information about the Residence Reclassification process, please contact one of the following addresses based on your campus location:

Residency Frequently Asked Questions

To view a copy of answers to frequently asked questions about residency, click on Residency FAQs.