Policy 5230A

CLASSIFICATION AS A RESIDENT FOR FEE PURPOSES

The following residency policy was developed under the auspices of the Wyoming Community College Commission and applies to all community colleges in Wyoming.

• A student previously classified as a nonresident may be reclassified any time prior to the end of the published refund period of any term in which he/she qualifies.
• A student who is classified as a resident by one community college will be considered a resident of all colleges.

Wyoming Community College Classification Procedures

1. Residence classification shall be initiated for each student at the time the application for admission is accepted and whenever a student has not been in attendance for more than one semester. All students must respond to the residency question on the application for admission. Students wishing to request a review of the residency decision must submit documentation along with the "Initial Residency" decision or the "Change of Residency" form to the Registrar in Registration and Records.

2. Only individuals or their legal dependents who are US. citizens or are in an immigrant status and certain non-immigrants may qualify for residency.

3. Non-immigrants and their dependents, who possess a valid visa from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with a classification of Temporary Workers or Intra-company Transferee and eligible for education, may qualify for residency. Eligibility for consideration will be based on the privileges and limitations of the visa held by the applicant.

4. Students will be required to submit appropriate documentation to support the residency claim.

The following may be used by a student and would result in an individual being classified as a Wyoming resident for tuition purposes:

• A graduate of a Wyoming high school or recipient of a high school equivalency in Wyoming who enrolls in a community college within twelve months of either high school or equivalency completion;
• An individual who can provide written verification that he/she has lived in Wyoming continuously for one year prior to enrolling;
• A legal dependent under the age of 24, or a spouse of a resident of the State of Wyoming who qualifies as a resident based upon this policy;
• A legal dependent under the age of 24 of a Wyoming community college graduate;
• A student who marries a Wyoming resident shall be granted resident classification at the beginning of the next term following the marriage;
• Active Wyoming National Guard members and U.S. Armed Forces members stationed in Wyoming, and their dependents;
• Members of the United States Armed Forces who move to Wyoming within 12 months from the date of honorable discharge from the service;
• An individual who can provide written verification from an employer that he/she will be employed in Wyoming for an anticipated period of not less than seven months, and such employment is the principal means of support. This letter must be on company stationery, signed by the owner, manager or personnel department and must indicate the date the employee started, his/her status (full or part-time) and the exception that the person will be employed at least seven months;
• Persons temporarily absent from the state due to military services, attendance at educational institutions, or other types of documented temporary absences will not have their resident status voided by such absence;
• People who do not reside in Wyoming but who meet the following criteria will be considered resident students:
  • Has been employed in Wyoming for at least seven months, and such employment is the principal means of support;
  • Pays Wyoming taxes as required by law;
  • Resides in a state with a similar law; and
  • Is willing to submit an affidavit to the above.

Any questions or concerns about the residency policy should be addressed to the Registrar in Registration and Records.

Appeals and exceptions to the above procedure should be addressed to the Vice President for Student Services. Students wishing to appeal that office's decision must go through the Student Affairs appeal process (Policy 5430C).

Policy included in catalog
Adopted: November 10, 1976
Revised: May 26, 1988
Revised: January 24, 1991
Revised: June 8, 2006
Revised: July 16, 2008
Reformatted: February 2012
Revised: October 16, 2014
Reformatted: March 17, 2017