Determination of Resident Status

A student’s status as a resident or non-resident of Minnesota for tuition purposes is determined in accordance with Minnesota State Board Policy 2.2 State Residency.

Students who meet one or more of the following conditions on the date they apply for admission to a state college or university shall be classified as residents of Minnesota.

Students who resided in the state for at least one calendar year immediately prior to applying for admission, or dependent students who have a parent or legal guardian residing in Minnesota on the date the students apply. Residency in the state during this period must not have been solely or primarily for the purpose of attending a college or university.
Minnesota residents who can demonstrate that they were temporarily absent from the state without establishing residency elsewhere.
Persons who moved to the state for employment purposes and, before moving and before applying for admission to a public postsecondary institution, accepted a full-time job in the state, or students who are spouses or dependents of such persons.

Non-Residents of Minnesota who meet one or more of the following conditions shall be charged the resident tuition rate unless otherwise prohibited by applicable state or federal law or regulations.

Current and former service members. Current or former members of the U.S. military, their spouses and dependent children, or any persons meeting the eligibility requirements under VA benefits (Chapter 30, 31, 33, or 35), Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship, or similar federal and state laws.
Migrant Farmworkers. Students who have been in Minnesota as migrant farmworkers, as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, section 633.104, over a period of at least two years immediately before admission or readmission to a Minnesota public postsecondary college or university, or students who are dependents of such migrant farmworkers.
Minnesota High School Graduates. A student who graduated from a Minnesota high school, if the student was a resident of Minnesota during the student’s period of attendance at the Minnesota high school and the student physically attends a college or university of Minnesota State.
Employment-Related Relocation. Persons who were employed and were relocated to the state by the person’s current employer.
Refugees and Asylees. Students who are recognized as refugees or asylees by the Office of Refugee Resettlement of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
Prosperity Act. Students, other than nonimmigrant aliens within the meaning of United States Code, title 8, section 1101, subsection (a), paragraph (15), who meet the following requirements established in Minnesota Statutes 135A.043.
1. High school attendance within the state for three or more years,
2. graduation from a state high school or attainment within the state of the equivalent of high school, and
3. in the case of a student without lawful immigration status:
  1. documentation that the student has complied with selective service registration requirements, and
  2. if a federal process exists for the student to obtain lawful immigration status the student must present the higher education institution with documentation from federal immigration authorities that the student has filed an application
  3. to obtain lawful immigration status.

Students who are initially classified as not being Minnesota state residents may have their status changed to that of resident by successfully appealing their initial residency classification. Petitions for in-state tuition are available under "Appeals and Petitions" in the Official Forms section of the Normandale Student Services webpages.