Texas Tech University

Residency Determination


Residency for admission and tuition purposes at a public college or university in Texas is not the same as residency for voting or tax purposes. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Legislature establishes the rules that govern Texas residency for tuition purposes.

Students and applicants are assigned a residency status based upon the answers provided on the admissions application. If you are unsure whether to submit a domestic or international application, you can utilize the Domestic or International Determination tool for guidance. Classifications will be either Texas resident (in-state), nonresident (out-of-state), or foreign (international). 

A United States citizen or permanent resident who does not meet the required criteria will be classified as a nonresident for tuition purposes. A non-citizen who is not a permanent resident of the United States and has not been permitted by U.S. Congress to adopt the United States as their domicile while in this country will be classified as a foreign (international) student.

As required by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, all returning Former Tech students who have not been enrolled with Texas Tech University for two or more regular semesters will be required to submit the Core Residency Questionnaire for verification of their residency status.

Follow these steps to submit the Core Residency Questionnaire:

  • Log into RaiderConnect
  • Navigate to Resources & Forms tab
  • Complete and submit the Residency Form
  • You will be contacted via email regarding next steps

Former Tech may be required to complete a residency questionnaire once their application has been reviewed. Any time a student or applicant who believes they may qualify for Texas residency wishes to change their status must complete the questionnaire as the first step

Out-of-State Residency Change

If a student is classified as a nonresident and wishes to be considered for reclassification as a resident, they must complete the Core Residency Questionnaire. Current students should email admissions.residency@ttu.edu to be provided with the questionnaire. Once received, a staff member will contact the student via email with a list of the required supplemental items and documentation.

If you live in Texas solely to attend school and reside out-of-state the rest of the year, you are a resident of that state and are not eligible to Texas residency for tuition purposes.

Individuals or parent/court-appointed legal guardians attempting to establish their residency in Texas must physically reside in the state and establish domicile in Texas, by one of the four factors listed below, at least 12 months prior to the semester requested. It is the student's responsibility to provide documentation in support of their claim of domicile.

Criteria for Establishing Domicile

The following factors occurring throughout at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding your term of enrollment may lend support to your claim of establishing and maintaining a domicile:

  1. Sole or joint marital ownership of residential real property in Texas; having established and maintained principle, permanent residence at that address
  2. Ownership and customary management of a business while residing in Texas which is regularly operated without the intent of liquidation in the foreseeable future
  3. Gainful employment that provides for at least one-half of the individual's expenses or employment of at least twenty hours per week. Employment conditioned upon your status as a student such as work study, student assistant employment, receipt of stipends, financial aid refunds, fellowships, teaching assistantships, etc. does not qualify as gainful employment.
  4. Marriage to a person who has established and maintained a domicile by one of the above three methods. The marriage must have taken place at least 12 months prior to the term of enrollment.

The cost of attendance benchmark for gainful employment is based on the Financial Aid Cost to Attend. We take the total undergraduate Texas Resident tuition and divide in half.  

Refer to the Rules and Regulations on the College for All Texans website for additional information.

Additional Pathways to Residency


Undergraduate students that meet all the following criteria qualify as a Texas resident for tuition purposes:

  • Graduated from a public or accredited private high school in Texas or received the equivalent of a Texas high school diploma in the state, and
  • Lived in Texas for the 36 months immediately preceding the date of high school graduation, and
  • Lived in Texas the 12 months preceding the census date of the academic semester in which the student enrolls at Texas Tech University


  1. An individual who provides more than one half of their own financial support and is not eligible to be claimed as a dependent for income tax purposes, and
  2. Has established and maintained their domicile in Texas for the 12 consecutive months preceding the census date of the academic semester in which they enroll at Texas Tech University.

We may request 12 months of pay stubs from all employment to support the student's claim of Texas residency for tuition purposes. Multiple jobs are permitted as long as they qualify under the rules for gainful employment above in Criteria for Establishing Domicile.



  1. An individual whose parent or court-appointed legal guardian claims the student as a dependent for federal income tax purposes (or provides more than half of the student's financial support for those not subject to US federal income taxes), and
  2. Has established a domicile in Texas not less than 12 months before the census date of the academic semester in which they enroll at Texas Tech University, and
  3. Has maintained a residence continuously in the state for the 12 months immediately preceding the census date of the academic semester in which the person enrolls in the institution.

We may request the most recent 1040 tax form showing the student is claimed as a dependent and proof of parental employment over the previous 12 months to support the claim of Texas residency for tuition purposes.



The following information is provided for members of the United States Armed Services and their spouses or dependents. Students can qualify as Texas residents in one of these two ways:

  1. The service member's Home of Record with the military is Texas
  2. The service member's Home of Record is not Texas, but their taxable state has been Texas for at least the 12 consecutive months prior to enrollment.

Documents we may request include:

  • The service member's Officer/Enlisted Records Brief
  • The last 12 months of Leave and Earnings Statements showing Texas as the taxable state
  • Form DD-214 if the service member has separated from the military
  • If the student is a dependent of the service member, we will also require the most recent 1040 tax form showing the student is claimed as a dependent

If a student does not qualify under these Residency rules, they may still be eligible for a variety of military-related Exemptions and Waivers through the Student Business Services website. Additionally, please visit our Military and Veterans Programs office website, where more information can be found about the Hazlewood Act, Financial Aid, VA benefits, and a variety of other important resources


Non-Citizens Who Attend a Texas High School

Eligibility Under Senate Bill 1528 and House Bill 1403


If a student meets the following criteria but is not a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident they may qualify for in-state tuition under Senate Bill 1528. The Senate Bill 1528 Residency Affidavit must be notarized and returned to the Undergraduate Admissions office. A copy can be sent via email to admissions.residency@ttu.edu or uploaded via the student's RaiderConnect account.

Undergraduate students that meet all of the following criteria qualify as Texas residents for tuition purposes:

  • Graduated or will graduate from a public or private high school in Texas or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in the state, and
  • Lived in Texas for the 36 months immediately preceding the date of high school graduation (10th, 11th, and 12th grades), and
  • Lived in Texas the 12 months preceding the census date of the academic semester in which the student enrolls at Texas Tech University

Current Visa Holders: Please know that if you are currently on any visa type, and you are admitted to Texas Tech University using the affidavit, you will be required to meet with the Office of International Affairs who will assist you with questions and any necessary documents regarding your visa status. Please contact the Office of International Affairs at 806-742-3667 to schedule an appointment regarding your status if you are in the U.S. on a visa.

Bordering State/County Waivers

Undergraduate students whose place of residency is Oklahoma or New Mexico are classified as nonresidents but receive the benefit of paying the near equivalent to resident tuition via Student Business Services' Bordering County and Bordering State waivers. Eligibility information and application for these waivers are found at Exemptions and Waivers. Contact Student Business Services at sbs@ttu.edu or 806-742-3272 with any questions regarding waivers.

Questions

If an undergraduate applicant or currently enrolled student has questions regarding their residency status at Texas Tech University, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions office at 806-742-1480.

International students who wish to change their residency status for tuition purposes will be processed by the Office of International Affairs. Please contact their office at 806-742-3667.

Graduate students will be processed through the Graduate Admissions Office, who can be contacted at graduate.admissions@ttu.edu or 806-742-2787

Deadlines

Students attempting to change their residency status have until the census date of each semester to provide a completed Core Residency Questionnaire and their required documentation. The census date is the 12th class day for the Fall or Spring terms and the 4th class day for Summer semesters.

Census Dates: 

  • Summer 2023 - June 5, 2023
  • Late Summer 2023 - July 7, 2023
  • Fall 2023 - September 11, 2023
  • Spring 2024 - January 29, 2024
  • Summer 2024 - May 31, 2024
  • Late Summer 2024 - July 4, 2024



FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974

 

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