Bringing down the cost of out-of-state tuition
Attending college in another state can be costly, sometimes more than doubling the tuition you pay. According to data reported to U.S. News in an annual survey, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2017–2018 school year was $9,528 for state residents at public colleges and $21,632 for out-of-state students. While in-state schools can be the least expensive route, costing thousands of dollars less than out-of-state rates, there are a few ways out-of-state students can qualify for lower tuition rates. Here are 10 ways a public school may reduce out-of-state tuition rates.
State tuition reciprocity agreements
A couple of states have tuition reciprocity programs. Wisconsin, for example, holds an agreement with Minnesota that reduces nonresident tuition for Wisconsin residents to attend its public institutions. Colorado and New Mexico are other examples of states with reciprocity agreements.
Legacy exceptions
Attending a parent’s alma mater can sometimes reduce college tuition. The University of Kansas offers the Jayhawk Generations Scholarship to qualifying legacy students. The award gives a partial tuition waiver up to 150 percent of the resident tuition rate for students who have a parent, stepparent, legal guardian, stepgrandparent, grandparent, stepgreat grandparent and great grandparent or legal guardian who graduated from KU. The University of Missouri also offers a legacy program, lowering tuition rates for out-of-state alumni dependents who excel academically.
Proximity to neighboring states
There may be flexible residency requirements for students who live near state lines. At the University of Arkansas, the New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award Scholarship offers college grant money to offset out-of-state tuition rates. Students from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma who achieve at least a 3.3 GPA in high school and an ACT score of 24 or SAT score of 1160 or better can receive between 70 to 90 percent off nonresident tuition.
Regional exchange programs
“Some colleges offer three different tuition rates: one rate for in-state students, a higher rate for out-of-state students and an intermediate rate between the two rates for students from adjacent states or regional exchanges,” says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher and vice president of research for Savingforcollege.com. Tuition exchange programs include the Western Undergraduate Exchange, the Midwest Student Exchange Program, the New England Regional Student Program and Academic Common Market in the South. Under WUE, for instance, students can attend a participating public school in a member state, paying up to 150 percent of the in-state tuition rate.
Diversity tuition waivers
A few state schools offer nonresidents a cultural diversity waiver to reduce their tuition bill. Mayville State University in North Dakota, for example, offers a diversity waiver to students from underrepresented backgrounds, which includes African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and refugees.
Merit-based tuition waivers
To attract students with stellar academic records, some public universities offer merit-based waivers up to the value of in-state tuition. At the University of Georgia, for example, between 75 and 100 nonresident students each year are offered an academic scholarship known as the Presidential Waiver, which covers up to 100 percent of the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition and fees.
Tuition waivers for veterans
Some public institutions offer out-of-state veterans in-state tuition. At the University of Alaska–Fairbanks, for example, all veterans, regardless of their state of residency, are eligible to receive in-state tuition, as long as they’re using their GI Bill benefits.
Waivers for active military and their dependents
Many schools make exceptions for students with a parent in the U.S. armed forces and offer in-state rates for specific circumstances. At the Georgia Institute of Technology, a dependent or spouse in a service member family that has been assigned recently to a posting in Georgia can qualify for the in-state rate.
Waivers for undocumented students
Some states will grant an out-of-state tuition waiver to undocumented students. Under the education code in California, nonresident students who attended a California high school and graduated with a diploma or equivalent qualify for exemption from out-of-state tuition rates. Florida has a similar policy, granting in-state tuition rates to nonresidents who graduated from a Florida high school. But the Sunshine State has a few more caveats: Undocumented students need to have attended a Florida high school for three consecutive years and enroll at a college within two years of graduating.
Economic development waivers
Some state institutions will offer an economic development waiver to students who recently relocated to the state because their parent or guardian was offered a full-time job. At the College of Coastal Georgia, students can qualify for a temporary waiver of out-of-state tuition while establishing residency if they had a parent who relocated within the last 12 months “to accept full-time, self-sustaining employment,” according to CCGA’s website.
More from U.S. News
How to Get In-State Tuition at Out-of-State Colleges
Schools That Offer Merit-Based Tuition Waivers to Out-of State Students
See Which Cities Offer Tuition-Free College Programs
10 Ways Public Universities Reduce Out-of-State Tuition originally appeared on usnews.com
