Texas Residency

Residency for tuition purposes is different from residency for obtaining a driver’s license, taxes or voting purposes.  Texas law classifies each person who applies for admission to a Texas public college or university as a resident of Texas, a nonresident, or a foreign (international) student. How students are classified is important because it determines whether they pay non-resident tuition rates or in-state rates.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has established rules that govern residency for higher education in Texas.  For detailed information about regulations relating to residency in the State of Texas, visit the College for All Texans Residency Information Page.

When students apply for admission, the university uses the information they provide on their Apply Texas applications to make an initial determination about residency.  

If the submitted information indicates that the student is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident but that he or she may qualify for residency based on Texas high school graduation, the student must submit the Residency Affidavit [pdf]. The affidavit is a statement by the student that he or she qualifies for residency. It must be completed, signed, notarized, and submitted to the university in order for the student to be classified as a resident.

Sometimes students submit incorrect information or information that makes it appear as though they are non-residents when they actually do qualify for Texas residency.  In other cases, students may initially be ineligible for residency but later become eligible.  In either case, the students may appeal for the resident tuition rate once they can prove eligibility.

To update or change your residency status, you must submit a completed Core Residency Questionnaire [pdf] as well as additional supporting documentation to registrar@twu.edu from your TWU email address.

Please review our Residency Quick List for guidance on the supporting documentation you should submit with your Core Residency Questionnaire.

Individuals can establish residency in two basic ways. One based on establishing domicile and the other based on graduation from high school. The option related to the establishment of domicile is available to citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and to international students who hold eligible Visa Types [pdf].

Option 1: Residency by establishing domicile

This option for establishing Texas residency is available to

• Citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.
• Non-citizens and non-permanent residents may also use this option if they have an application for permanent residency on file with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service.
• International students who hold an eligible visa. Please check the Visa Types [pdf].

If you are independent for tax purposes, you may gain resident status if you establish domicile in the state. If your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) claim you as a dependent on their federal income tax return, they must establish domicile in the state for you to claim residency.

To establish domicile, you or your parent(s)/guardian(s) must meet the following criteria:

1. Physically reside in Texas for 12 consecutive months; and
2. Establish and maintain domicile for 12 consecutive months by doing one of the following:
1. Be gainfully employed in Texas (student employment does not qualify as gainful employment);
2. Have sole or joint marital ownership of residential real property in Texas by the person seeking to enroll or the dependent's parent, having established and maintained a domicile at the residence;
3. Own and operate a business in Texas;
4. Be married for one year to a person who has established domicile in Texas.

Please review our Residency Quick List for guidance on the supporting documentation you must submit with your Core Residency Questionnaire [pdf] in order to petition for reclassification of your residency status. To find a more detailed list of documents that are acceptable as proof to establish domicile in Texas, please refer to the Documentation to Support Establishing and Maintaining Domicile in Texas [pdf].

Option 2: Residency through high school graduation

This option for establishing Texas residency is available to citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and to some international students.

To establish residency through high school graduation, you must:

1. Graduate from a Texas high school or receive a GED in Texas; and
2. Live in Texas for the 36 months immediately before high school graduation; and
3. Live in Texas for the 12 months immediately before the census date (see the Academic Calendar for the exact date) of the semester in which you enroll at Texas Woman's University.

If you are an international student seeking residency through high school graduation, you must submit a Residency Affidavit stating that you will apply for permanent residency when you are eligible to do so.

All residency appeals must include the Core Residency Questionnaire [pdf] and be accompanied by the appropriate supporting documentation.  Please see our Residency Quick List for the supporting documentation needed for your residency appeal.  To find a more detailed list of documents that are acceptable as proof to establish domicile in Texas, please refer to the Documentation to Support Establishing and Maintaining Domicile in Texas [pdf].

• Dependent of Parents who are Texas Residents:
  • The residence of a dependent child is determined by the state of residence of the parent who claims the individual as a dependent for federal income tax purposes.  If the parent is a resident of a state other than Texas, then the student's residency status is the same as the parents' and will pay out-of-state tuition. 
• Independent Students Maintaining Domicile:
  • A U.S. Citizen, national or permanent resident (holder of a permanent residency card) of the United States, or international students who hold residency qualifying Visa Types may establish residency for tuition purposes by establishing domicile in the state of Texas. 
• Military service members and their families:
  • During their period of active service, military service members and their families are presumed to maintain legal residence which was in effect at the time they entered military service. 
  • Active duty service members who are stationed in Texas but whose home of record is in another state may submit the Military Duty Statement form to twuva.twu.edu.
• Residency through Texas High School graduation:
  • International/Foreign students, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) students, and students who entered the U.S. under non-residency qualifying Visa Types for the establishment of domicile may seek the resident rate if they meet the requirements outlined in Texas Administrative Code Chapter 21, subchapter B, Rule 21.25 by submitting a notarized Residency Affidavit. 

• It is the student's responsibility to submit the Core Residency Questionnaire and supporting documentation to establish residency for tuition purposes. Review our Residency Quick List for information on supporting documentation.
• All residency documentation must be submitted to the Registrar's Office by the term's census date for which a residency rate change is being requested. Any residence status changed after the census day will apply to the next applicable semester.
• The priority deadline for residency appeals is one week before the earliest registration payment deadline listed in the academic calendar.
• If you have submitted a Core Residency Questionnaire, it is your responsibility to check your TWU email account for updates regarding your residency appeal.
• The Registrar's Office may request additional documentation after your initial submission.
• Incomplete questionnaires will cause delays in processing.
• Any resident status changed after Census Day will apply to the next succeeding semester you are enrolled.

Qualifying Oklahoma residents may be eligible for reduced tuition as authorized by action of the Texas Woman’s University Board of Regents.  This action applies only to Oklahoma undergraduate students. Eligible students must provide to the Registrar’s Office two different documents showing the physical location of residency in Oklahoma by the census date of the first term to utilize the reduced rate.  This policy is reviewed annually by the Board of Regents and the Board can at any time remove this exemption.