Residency for Tuition Purposes

The residency information provided during your admissions review will initiate your residence review. You may be asked to provide further information to determine your eligibility for resident tuition.

In general, to be eligible for resident tuition, you must be a bona fide resident of Wisconsin during the 12 months prior to enrollment. Individuals who enter and remain in Wisconsin primarily for educational purposes do NOT qualify as bona fide residents for tuition purposes even after living in Wisconsin a year or more.

If you do not qualify as a Wisconsin resident, you will be classified as a nonresident and pay nonresident tuition. The nonresident classification will continue in effect until you overcome the presumption that you are here primarily for educational purposes.

Note: Under Federal law some active duty members of the armed forces and their families may be eligible for resident tuition as outlined in 20 USC 1015d.  This information focuses on the Wisconsin laws governing resident status for tuition purposes. Eligibility for resident tuition under Federal law is not the same thing as meeting the criteria for Resident Status under Wisconsin law. Students eligible for in-state tuition through military affiliation are classified as non-residents while receiving the resident tuition rate. Veterans may also be eligible.

Bona fide residence is defined in Wisconsin Statutes § 36.27(2)(e). It requires that a person be able to demonstrate intent to establish and maintain a permanent home in Wisconsin.

To be eligible for resident tuition, you or your parent/guardian must be a bona fide resident of Wisconsin during the 12 months prior to enrollment. Individuals who enter and remain in Wisconsin primarily for educational purposes do not qualify as bona fide residents for tuition purposes even after living in Wisconsin for a year or more.

Bona fide residency requires that a person can demonstrate the intent to establish and maintain a permanent home in Wisconsin. If your primary reason for entering Wisconsin is to attend college or university, you cannot qualify as a bona fide resident, even after living in Wisconsin for 12 months or more.

Factors that can help demonstrate bona fide residency include, but are not limited to:

• Physical presence in the state for at least 12 months
• Payment of Wisconsin income taxes
• Wisconsin employment
• A Wisconsin driver’s license
• Wisconsin voter registration
• Wisconsin vehicle registration
• Involvement in local organizations and community life

You may also qualify for in-state tuition if:

• You graduated from a Wisconsin high school and your parent(s)/guardian(s) are bona fide residents of Wisconsin for at least 12 months prior to enrollment
• You are a minor or eligible to be claimed as a tax dependent and one of your parents/guardians has been a bona fide Wisconsin resident for at least 12 months prior to enrollment
• You, your spouse, or a parent/guardian was relocated to Wisconsin for work, or accepted employment in Wisconsin before an application for admission was submitted.
• You are a refugee who came to Wisconsin immediately upon entering the United States and have resided in Wisconsin since then.
• You, or your parent, lived and worked in Wisconsin as a migrant worker for at least 3 months in at least 2 out of the last 5 years prior to enrollment.
• 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
• 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
• 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 lived in Wisconsin for a six-month period immediately prior to enrollment in that semester.

In all of these cases, you may be required to provide additional documentation, and additional criteria may apply beyond what is described here.

Minnesota/Wisconsin Tuition Reciprocity Information

Minnesota residents may qualify for reduced tuition at UW-Stout through the Minnesota–Wisconsin Tuition Reciprocity Program (Section 39.47–Minnesota-Wisconsin Student Reciprocity Agreement). Approved students pay tuition rates comparable to Minnesota resident tuition at public institutions.

To receive reciprocity tuition rates, you must apply and be approved through the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

Learn more about eligibility requirements and complete the reciprocity application on the Minnesota Office of Higher Education website.

Additional Non-Resident Tuition Programs

UW–Stout offers multiple reduced tuition options for non-resident students, including Midwest Tuition, Return to Wisconsin, and other reciprocity or tuition waiver programs.

Visit the Tuition Reciprocity & Waiver Programs page to explore all available options, eligibility requirements, and potential savings.