Residence Classification of Students for Tuition Purposes (II.D.1)

Volume II: Business and Finance
Chapter D: Tuition and Scholarships
Responsible Executive: Provost
Responsible Office: Office of the Registrar
Date Issued: July 15, 2010
Date Last Revised: June 30, 2025

Contacts
Statement of Policy
Reason for This Policy
Individuals and Entities Affected
Exclusions
Responsibilities
Definitions (defined terms are capitalized throughout the document)
Related Documents, Forms and Tools
Website Address for This Policy
History and Updates
Appendix

Contacts

Policy Clarification

Residency Operations Administrator
765-496-0509 | residency@purdue.edu

Campus Assistance

Fort Wayne Office of the Registrar
260-481-6815 | registrar@pfw.edu

Northwest Office of the Registrar
219-785-5342 or 219-989-2210 | registrar@pnw.edu

West Lafayette Office of the Registrar
765-496-0509 | residency@purdue.edu

Statement of Policy

This policy establishes the principles and procedures by which Students are classified as Residents or non-Residents by Purdue University for tuition and fee purposes. A Student’s residency status also determines the Student’s eligibility for certain financial aid programs.

The University’s definition of the term Resident is different from the definitions developed by other non-University agencies. Purdue University does not recognize declarations of resident status made by other agencies. Thus, a person who is an Indiana resident for tax or voting purposes, for example, may not qualify as a Resident for Purdue University tuition and fee purposes.

The University considers each Student’s individual situation when determining their residency status. University representatives responsible for determining residence classification are authorized to require such certificates, affidavits, documents or other evidence as they deem necessary for both the initial classification of a Student and any subsequent requests to change a Student’s residence classification. In all cases, the burden of proof is on the Student making a claim to Resident status.

Specific Provisions for Determining Residence Classification

The Operating Procedures for Residence Classification of Students provide additional details that supplement these provisions, including how effective dates are applied when a Student’s resident status changes.

A Student who is a Dependent of and resides with their Parent(s) or Legal Guardian(s) may be classified as having Resident status upon their initial Enrollment (i.e., they have not attended classes from Purdue previously) if the Parent(s) or Legal Guardian(s) has maintained a Domicile in Indiana for more than 12 consecutive months directly preceding the first day of classes of the academic semester or session for which the Student is initially Enrolled. A Dependent Student may request reclassification from non-Resident to Resident status if the Parent(s) or Legal Guardian(s):
1. has maintained a Domicile in Indiana for more than 12 consecutive months directly preceding the first day of classes of the academic semester or session for which the Student is initially Enrolled and
2. establishes a Domicile in Indiana and provides clear and convincing documentation to support that the move to Indiana was for a Predominant Purpose. The University takes into consideration the number of months prior to the start of the academic semester or session that the Domicile was established and the reason for the move.
When a Dependent Student’s Parents or Legal Guardians are married to each other, both Parents or Legal Guardians must meet the criteria in item 1 above. The Office of the Registrar has authority to grant an exception to this requirement with documented support of extenuating circumstances.
When a Dependent Student is a graduate of an Indiana high school, only one Parent or Legal Guardian needs to meet the criteria in item 1 above.
When the Parents or Legal Guardians of a Dependent Student were never married or are legally separated or legally divorced, at least one Parent or Legal Guardian must meet the criteria in item 1 above and be partially or wholly financially responsible for the Dependent Student.
A Student with Resident status who is a Dependent and whose Parent(s) or Legal Guardian(s) leaves Indiana for reasons such as employment reassignment (normally not to exceed 12 consecutive months) may maintain Resident status given they provide clear and convincing documentation that the Parent(s) or Legal Guardian(s) continued their Domicile in Indiana while away from the state.
Students who are Eligible Active Duty United States Military Personnel, Eligible Indiana National Guard Personnel, and/or Qualified Veterans are eligible for Resident status. The criteria for these categories are maintained by the Office of the Registrar on the West Lafayette campus (see Related Documents, Forms and Tools for a link).
A Student who is Independent may be classified as having Resident status upon their initial Enrollment (i.e., they have not attended classes from Purdue previously) if they have maintained a Domicile in Indiana for more than 12 consecutive months directly preceding the first day of classes of the academic semester or session for which they are initially Enrolled. A Student who is Independent may request reclassification from non-Resident to Resident status if they:
1. have maintained a Domicile in Indiana for more than 12 consecutive months directly preceding the first day of classes of the academic semester or session for which they are Enrolled and
2. establish a Domicile in Indiana and provide clear and convincing documentation to support that the move was for a Predominant Purpose. The University takes into consideration the number of months prior to the start of the academic semester or session that the Domicile was established and the reason for the move.
Employees (as defined below), their spouse and their Dependent children may be eligible for Resident status upon the start date of their employment with Purdue if they can provide clear and convincing documentation that they maintain or have established a Domicile in Indiana. Non-U.S. citizens also must meet the requirements of item 9 below.
To request consideration of Resident status at Purdue, a non-U.S. citizen must have one of the following immigration classifications, in addition to meeting the other requirements outlined above and in the related operating procedures:
1. Permanent Resident: The individual must have been granted lawful permanent resident status by the Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and must be able to produce a valid permanent resident card verifying the individual’s permanent resident status; or
2. Pending Adjustment of Status to Permanent Resident: The individual must have filed an I-485 application for permanent resident status and must be able to present appropriate documentation of the filing as required by the University; or
3. Eligible Non-Immigrant or Other Lawfully Present Status: The individual must be lawfully present in the United States in a manner that allows them to establish a Domicile in the United States. The Office of the Registrar maintains the list of non-immigrant and other lawfully present statuses that the University considers to be eligible to establish a Domicile in Indiana, and it updates this list periodically.
Once properly classified, a Student’s residency classification remains in place as long as they remain continuously Enrolled in the University and as long as the Student’s circumstances do not change to warrant reclassification (refer to the Operating Procedures for Residence Classification of Students for details). If the Student is not continuously Enrolled and is required to apply for readmission or reentry, their residence classification will be reevaluated upon re-Enrollment.

Appeals

The Operating Procedures for Residence Classification of Students outline the process a Student may follow to appeal a residency reclassification decision.

Failure to Provide Adequate Information

A Student who fails to notify the University of a change in factors or provides false or incomplete information that causes an inaccurate classification as a Resident may be required to pay any retroactive tuition and/or fees that would have been assessed. In addition, the Student may be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, as well as other penalties that may be prescribed by the law.

Reason for This Policy

The Indiana legislature, through state statute, has delegated to Indiana’s institutions of higher education the authority to determine when a person becomes eligible for Resident status for the purpose of paying tuition and fees. As a state-supported institution of higher education, Purdue University recognizes the significance of the issue of residence classification. Therefore, the Board of Trustees has established different tuition and fee rates for Residents and non-Residents that give preference (with some exceptions) to students whose circumstances meet the University’s definition of Resident.

Individuals and Entities Affected

All campuses and Students of Purdue University.

Exclusions

There are no exclusions to this policy.

Responsibilities

Designated Residency Administrators

Serve as chair of the Residence Reclassification Committee.
Receive applications for residency reclassification for their campus and convene the campus Residence Reclassification Committee to review and make determinations.
Serve as non-voting chair of the Residence Appeal Committee.
Receive appeals on residence classification for their campus and convene the campus Residence Appeal Committee to review and make determinations.

Vice Provost for the Office of Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars (or designee)

Determine the initial residence classification of each graduate Student upon Enrollment or re-Enrollment to the University.

Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine (or designee)

Determine the initial residence classification of each Student Enrolled in the professional veterinary medical program.

Dean of the College of Pharmacy (or designee)

Determine the initial residence classification of each Student Enrolled in the professional pharmacy program.

Offices of Admissions

Determine the initial residence classification of each undergraduate Student admitted to or re-Enrolled at their campus (classification for Students of Purdue Polytechnic Institute Statewide is the responsibility of the West Lafayette Office of Admissions).
Initiate a reclassification inquiry upon receipt of any changes in factors that might cause a Student to no longer meet the definition of Resident.

Offices of the Registrar

Determine residence reclassifications for all continuously Enrolled Students at their campus (the West Lafayette office makes determinations for Students of Purdue West Lafayette, Purdue Polytechnic Institute Statewide and Purdue University Indianapolis).
(West Lafayette office) Maintain and promulgate to all campuses Operating Procedures for Residence Classification of Students to support this policy.

Residence Reclassification Committees

Review requests for residency reclassification on their campus and make timely determinations whether to approve.

Residence Appeal Committees

Review each appeal of a determination made by the Residence Reclassification Committee and make a timely final decision on the Student’s residence classification.

Students

Promptly provide accurate information and all requested documentation to the University for residence classification (or reclassification) purposes.
Notify the University of any change in factors that might affect their residence classification in accordance with the requirements outlined in the Operating Procedures for Residence Classification of Students.
If filing an appeal, do so in accordance with the requirements of the Operating Procedures for Residence Classification of Students.

Definitions

All defined terms are capitalized throughout the document. Additional defined terms may be found in the central Policy Glossary.

Dependent
A status whereby a Student is reliant on someone other than themselves for their financial needs OR can be claimed on someone else’s income taxes.

Designated Residency Administrator
The individuals appointed by each campus’s registrar to serve in this role.

Domicile
A person’s permanent home. A person has only one Domicile at a given time, although that person may maintain more than one residence at a time. Establishment of a new Domicile requires demonstration that the former Domicile has been abandoned with no intent to return. Regardless of age, a Student’s Domicile is assumed to be that of their Parent(s) or Legal Guardian(s) until such time as the Student becomes Independent.

Eligible Active Duty United States Military Personnel
A Student who is currently serving on active duty in a branch of the United States armed forces and is stationed in Indiana, but who is otherwise a nonresident of Indiana.

Eligible Indiana National Guard Personnel
A Student who is currently serving in the Indiana National Guard, but who is otherwise a nonresident of Indiana.

Employee
For purposes of this policy, Employees include:

Faculty and regular staff (i.e., not temporary or through a third-party contract) employed by Purdue University half-time or more for a period of time expected to continue for more than a year.
Individuals as defined above on approved leave of absence, with or without pay.
Individuals as defined in item 1 above receiving benefits from one of the University’s disability programs.

Enrolled or Enrollment
For the purposes of this policy, it is the status of a Student who is officially registered for coursework at any of the University’s campuses.

Independent
A status whereby a Student is responsible for their own financial needs, has not been Dependent upon their Parent 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.

Parent or Legal Guardian
The biological or adoptive mother or father of a Student, or any other individual who stands or stood in loco parentis of the Student when the Student was a child (i.e., under 18 years of age). This term does not include an arrangement between a Student and another person made for the primary purpose of 1) obtaining Indiana Resident status under this or similar policy at an institution of higher education and/or 2) obtaining a high school education.

Predominant Purpose
Residence in the state of Indiana for a primary purpose other than attending an institution of higher education.

Qualified Veteran
A Student, other than one qualifying as Eligible Active Duty United States Military Personnel or Eligible Indiana National Guard Personnel, who meets the definition of a “qualified veteran” set forth in the Indiana Code, as that definition may be supplemented by criteria maintained by the Office of the Registrar on the West Lafayette campus from time to time.

Residence Appeal Committee
A campus committee appointed by the Provost (West Lafayette campus) or Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (Northwest and Fort Wayne campuses), or their designees, tasked with reviewing and making final decisions on appeals to residence reclassification determinations for their campus.

Residence Reclassification Committee
A campus committee appointed by each campus’s registrar tasked with reviewing and making determinations on applications for residency reclassification.

Resident
A status granted to a Student by the University in accordance with this policy that affords the Student access to in-state tuition rates as determined by the Board of Trustees.

Student
For the purposes of this policy, a Student is a person who has accepted their offer of admission to the University.

Website Address for This Policy

www.purdue.edu/vpec/policies/business-finance/iid1

History and Updates

June 30, 2025: Provisions for residency status updated for clarification, including separate requirements for dependent vs independent students. Added requirement for living in Indiana 12 consecutive months directly preceding the first day of classes and provisions for various statuses of parents/guardians. Shortened time leaving Indiana from four years to 12 months. Added provisions for students from Indiana high schools and for employees of Purdue. Updated responsibilities and definition of Resident and added definitions for Dependent, Designated Residency Administrator, Employee, and Residence Reclassification Committee.

August 1, 2017: Significant updates were made to this policy including: 1) moved the specific provisions for determining residence classification into the Statement of Policy and added provisions for Students whose Parents or Legal Guardians are divorced, 2) moved language about adequate information into the Statement of Policy, 3) added responsibilities for the Dean of the College of Pharmacy and for Students, 4) merged responsibilities for deans and directors of admissions under the Office of Admissions, 5) replaced definition for Emancipated with definition for Independent, 6) replaced definition of Active Duty Military with definitions for Eligible Active Duty United States Military Personnel, Eligible Indiana National Guard Personnel and Qualified Veteran, and 7) removed the procedures to a separate document.

November 18, 2011: Policy number changed to II.D.1 (formerly II.6.1) and website address updated. Links in Related Documents section updated as well.

July 15, 2010: Significant revisions to the policy have been made and it has been formatted in the current University policy template. Approval of these revisions was granted by the Board of Trustees at their July 8-9, 2010, meeting.

This policy originated with Board of Trustees decision dated April 30, 1970. Board of Trustees revisions were made January 9, 1975, July 10, 1975, and May 31, 1997.

Appendix

There are no appendices to this policy.