Residency

Residence Status for Tuition Payment

A student’s residency classification determines their in-state or out-of-state status for tuition purposes, and may impact admission, scholarship or financial aid eligibility.  State law mandates that only those who can demonstrate 12 months of uninterrupted domicile in North Carolina are eligible for in-state tuition. To be domiciled means maintaining a permanent home of indefinite duration as opposed to maintaining a mere temporary residence or abode incident to enrollment in an institution of higher education.

Residency determinations for all undergraduate, degree-seeking and non-degree students, applying for admission or readmission to UNC system schools are made by the centralized, state-wide Residency Determination Service (RDS).  Individual institutions do not determine residency status for undergraduate students.

Residency determinations for all UNC system graduate students applying for admission or readmission are made by the individual campuses.

For more information, visit https://registrar.unca.edu/nc-residency.