Residency

Highline College follows the residency policies that are set by the state of Washington and are applied throughout Washington’s colleges and universities. Original residency determinations are made based on the students’ responses to the citizenship and residency questions on the admissions application.

There are many ways a student can qualify for resident tuition. Students’ eligibility for resident tuition depends on 1) their citizenship or immigration status, and 2) establishing a bona fide domicile in the state of Washington for 12 months prior to the start of the quarter.

Examples of eligible statuses

• U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals (American Samoa, Swains Island, Northern Mariana Islands)
• Permanent Residents (green card)
• Students with an unexpired Employment Authorization Document
• Refugees, asylees, TPS (Temporary Protected Status), or Withholding of Removal
• Students with current or expired DACA status
• Students with T or U visa status
• Students with PRUCOL (Permanently Residing Under the Color of Law) status
• Other qualifying visas

Establishing domicile in Washington

• Domicile (As defined by WSAC) – “A legal term used to describe a person’s true, fixed, and permanent home. A person can only have one legal domicile in the U.S. at a time. To establish a domicile in Washington, a student must prove physical presence in the state plus intent to permanently remain in the state.”
• Individuals must provide documentation showing they meet the guidelines to establish a WA state domicile:
  • Physically reside in the state for at least 12 months prior to the first day of the quarter students are seeking a residency review.
  • Relinquish all valid legal ties with their former state or country of residence.
  • Create legal ties to the state of Washington.

Common examples of establishing legal ties:

• Driver’s license or state ID
• Vehicle registration
• Voter registration
• Establishing a bank account in WA
• Lease or home agreement
• Employment in WA

Financial independence 

• Individuals are considered “financially independent” if they meet the following criteria for the current and previous calendar years (January – December):
  • Were not claimed as a dependent on someone’s tax return
  • Did not receive significant financial assistance from parents, relatives, legal guardians, or others (excluding spouse)
• For students who are financially independent, we must determine if the students have established domicile in the state of WA. Students may be asked to provide documentation to prove financial independence.
• For students who are financially dependent upon their parent(s) or legal guardian(s), we must determine if the parent(s) or guardian(s) have established domicile in the state of WA.

Other ways to be eligible for resident tuition

• Registered member of an eligible Native American tribe.
• US military veteran, or the spouse, dependent or survivor of a US military veteran.
• Active duty military member with orders to Washington or Washington National Guard (or the spouse or dependent of one of these).
• Holder of an E, H, L visa who has lived here a year for reasons other than education
• Someone who spent at least 75% of both their junior and senior years in a Washington state high school AND had a parent/legal guardian who was an eligible Washington resident for at least one year.

Examples of factors that can disqualify students from resident status

• Possession of an out-of-state driver’s license
• Possession of an out-of-state vehicle registration
• Receiving financial assistance from another state’s government in the past year

The information provided on this webpage is for informational purposes and is subject to change. 

Regardless of citizenship or immigration status, students can be eligible for the resident tuition rate through the Residency Affidavit, if they meet all of the following conditions:

• Earn a high school diploma, GED, or diploma equivalent before your first quarter at Highline College.
• Maintain a primary residence in Washington for at least one year (12 consecutive months) immediately prior to starting your first admitted quarter at Highline College.
  • The Washington residence must be for purposes other than college. If you take any courses at another Washington college during the prior 12 months, you cannot have taken more than six credits in any given term. If you exceed that limit, you must prove that you have a Washington residence for non-college reasons.
• Sign an affidavit stating you meet the requirements.

Students who meet all of the above criteria can submit the Residency Affidavit (English Version, Translated Spanish Version) to request a change in residency status.

Information regarding the three different tuition rates is available on the Tuition Rate Table.

• Resident
• Non-Resident, Eligible for waiver – For students who meet the eligible citizenship/immigration requirements, but have not met the 12-month domicile requirement
• Non-Resident, Full tuition

Military-affiliated students may be eligible for in-state, resident tuition through SB5874.

• Who may be eligible?
  • Military-affiliated students
    • Any student who is eligible for Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance or rehabilitation benefits.
  • Current military members
  • Military veterans
  • Military dependents
• “I am a military-affiliated student. How can I update my residency status?”
  • Follow the directions above to submit a residency review request. Once your request is received, the Admissions office will connect with you to verify documentation and review your eligibility.

Regardless of citizenship or immigration status, students can be eligible for the resident tuition rate through the Residency Affidavit, if they meet all of the following conditions:

• Earn a high school diploma, GED, or diploma equivalent before your first quarter at Highline College.
• Maintain a primary residence in Washington for at least one year (12 consecutive months) immediately prior to starting your first admitted quarter at Highline College.
  • The Washington residence must be for purposes other than college. If you take any courses at another Washington college during the prior 12 months, you cannot have taken more than six credits in any given term. If you exceed that limit, you must prove that you have a Washington residence for non-college reasons.
• Sign an affidavit stating you meet the requirements.

Students who meet all of the above criteria can submit the Residency Affidavit to Admissions to request a change in residency status.

DACA Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Not all DACA students are eligible for the Affidavit; however, DACA students can establish residency and can receive college-bound funding. DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is an official federal status. DACA involves filing fees, requires renewal and is not a path to citizenship. DACA recipients may be eligible for employment.

Washington State Supports DACA Students

• University of Washington Dream Project
• Highline College Counseling Center
• Seattle Office of Immigration and Refugee Affairs
• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center
• United We Dream
• Informed Immigrant
• National Immigration Law Center
• National Immigration Law Center DACA Page

Students who are undocumented do not qualify for federal student aid. However, Washington’s Real Hope Act expanded eligibility for the Washington College Grant to low-income, non-citizen students. If you are eligible, complete the WASFA (Washington Application for State Financial Aid) to be considered for State Need Grant. All typical Financial Aid deadlines apply.

• Washington State Resident Tuition eligibility
• Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA)
• US Department of Education Resource Guide for Supporting Undocumented Youth

Scholarship Opportunities

• National Scholarship for High School and Community College Graduates
• Scholarships AZ
• Educators for Fair Consideration
• Hispanic Association for Colleges and Universities

How are my residency status and tuition rate originally determined?

• Following the regulations set by the state of Washington, the Admissions office determines the residency status and tuition rate of students based on the responses to the questions regarding citizenship status and residency on the admissions application.

How can I find my residency status and tuition rate information?

• We notify students who are coded as non-residents after they have enrolled in classes.  If students have a tuition balance due, they can view the details of the charges in the ctcLink Financial Account tile. The details will show if the charges are resident or non-resident.  You can also inquire about your residency status by emailing residency@highline.edu from your Highline student email account.

What is the deadline to submit residency documentation?

• Requests for residency reviews must be submitted by the 30th day of the quarter. Students are encouraged to submit documentation as soon as possible since tuition due dates and financial aid deadlines precede the residency’s 30th-day deadline. Unless due to institutional error, we cannot make residency changes for previous quarters.

My parents are not residents of Washington. Can I qualify for resident tuition?

• If you are considered a financially-dependent student, then we must determine if your parents meet the Washington state domicile requirement. If your parents do not meet the domicile requirements, you may not be eligible for the resident tuition rate. In this case, we will explore if you are eligible for the residency affidavit, or if you have enough documentation to prove you are financially independent.