Residency
What is Resident tuition?
Students with resident status are assessed in-state instructional fees, which are subsidized by funds from the State of Oregon's Higher Education budget. Non-resident students are assessed a higher level of instructional fees that more closely approximates the actual cost of instruction.
Only bona fide residents of Oregon who meet the residency guidelines outlined in the Residency Standards and Procedures will be assessed resident tuition rates. Oregon State University carefully reviews the residency status of all students at the time of application using the Residency Standards. Only authorized residency officers may apply and interpret these rules and procedures. No other indication or determination of residency by any other institutional office, department, program, or staff represents the official institutional determination of residency for Oregon State University.
Please note: students who only attend summer session may pay in-state tuition regardless of residency status. However, students who plan to attend any other term will be assessed tuition and fees based upon appropriate residency fee status at that time.
What is an Oregon Resident?
- Establishment of a domicile and predominant physical presence in Oregon for a period of 12 months or more prior to the beginning of the term in which resident status is sought.
- Financial dependence on an Oregon resident or financial independence.
- Primary purpose for being in Oregon other than to obtain an education.
- Nature and source of financial resources.
- Various other indicia of residency (e.g., proof of physical presence in Oregon in the form of rental, lease, or mortgage documents, demonstration of employment in Oregon, payment of Oregon income taxes)
* Key considerations are for quick reference purposes only. For a complete explanation of these factors, refer to the rules in the Residency Standards and Residency Guide and Procedures.
More Information
The residency office may be reached at [email protected]. Please be sure to reach out from your OSU-issued email address for questions specific to your situation. General inquiries may come from a non-OSU email address, but please note we might only be able to respond generally if it seems the topics are covered by FERPA (see below). We are also unable to share information about specific students with individuals other than that student.
For all residency-related inquiries, email the Residency Office at [email protected]. If you are admitted to OSU, please email from your OSU email address and include your OSU ID number. General inquiries may come from a non-OSU email address but please note that we are not permitted to share information about matriculated students with individuals other than that student.
Our office often receives requests for appointments. In order to ensure a prompt turnaround time, and accurate communication of information, we are unable to accommodate appointments. We encourage individuals with requests for information and questions about residency status to email us.
Our office primarily communicates digitally, via email, for mutual historical record of residency-related communications and for accurate communication of information. Email communication also allows our office to ensure a prompt response to inquiries as well as to the intensive review of residency affidavits. If an individual, after email communications, would like to speak with the Residency Office for additional clarification regarding the Oregon Residency Standards, a brief phone appointment could be scheduled by emailing [email protected] and outlining the questions you wish to discuss. Please note that we cannot review documents or offer a predictive residency determination during a phone appointment. Please note that we are not permitted to share information about matriculated students with individuals other than that student.
Residency Affidavits can only be accepted from admitted students. Admitted students should submit their Residency Affidavit and required supporting documents electronically through their student services portal. Residency Affidavits will only be accepted if submitted through DocuSign. All required documents should be attached to the DocuSign affidavit in the format of PDF files. TIFs, PGNs, Google docs and photographs are not accepted formats.
Please review your affidavit prior to submitting via DocuSign. Make sure all required materials are attached with the affidavit. Decisions will not be made on incomplete affidavits. Please remove social security numbers and bank account numbers from documents before attaching to your DocuSign residency affidavit.
Complete a residency affidavit online in your student services portal.
First, read all instructions on completing an affidavit.
Residency affidavits with all required supporting documents must be submitted to the Residency Office email by close of business on the deadline. With the exception of Summer term, the deadline is always the last day to register for the term in which resident classification is sought. Typical processing and review of affidavits takes three to four weeks, so it is highly recommended that all materials be submitted at least 30 days prior to the first day of the term. (See chart below for specific deadline dates). These deadlines will be strictly enforced.
| Term | Deadline |
| Fall 2025 | October 3, 2025 |
| Winter 2026 | January 9, 2026 |
| Spring 2026 | April 3, 2026 |
| Summer 2026 | June 26, 2026 |
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law designed to protect the privacy of a student's educational records. FERPA also applies to the student's residency classification and records. In accordance with the FERPA regulation, the OSU Residency Office is required to have the student's permission in order to release residency classification and residency affidavit review information. If a parent/guardian/spouse/other contacts our offices with questions regarding a student's residency classification, details cannot be released without a valid FERPA release on file. To learn more about FERPA or to submit a Student Consent to Release Information Form, you can learn more on the Office of the Registrar FERPA webpage.
Please see Section G of the Residency Standards for how non-U.S. Citizens might meet the requirements for residency.
Additionally, there are some groups who may be eligible for exemption from non-resident tuition, but do not qualify for Oregon Residency.
Residency Office Mission
Ensures OSU’s compliance with the Oregon Residency Standards as well as tuition equity legislation and programs while providing guidance to students about potential pathways to a more affordable education and assisting all students in attaining their educational goals.
About Us
OSU is required to be in full compliance with the Oregon Residency Standards, a compact signed/agreed upon by the Oregon Public University (OPU) Presidents. The OSU Residency Office serves residency classification-related functions for the entire University, including prospective students, admission applicants, matriculated students, returning students and alumni. The Residency Office serves Corvallis Campus, Bend Campus, Ecampus, Portland Campus, and the EOU partnership program. The Residency Office serves undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, graduate-level and professional school applicants and students as well as OSU’s international students. In addition to compliance with the Oregon Residency Standards, the Residency Office also ensures OSU’s full compliance regarding tuition equity legislation and programs. While ensuring compliance with Oregon Residency Standards and legislation, the Residency Office recognizes and values diverse lived experiences, perspectives and viewpoints.
What We Do
The Residency Office, in addition to our important compliance role, intentionally supports the retention and affordable education goals of Oregon State University by educating prospective and matriculated students about the Oregon Residency Standards. The Residency Office also advises students regarding establishing residency for tuition purposes, and through directly assisting hundreds of current OSU students, each year, to obtain residency classification at OSU for tuition purposes. As a result of the Residency Office’s efforts to provide a clear path to residency, greater access to higher education is provided to matriculated students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, including first generation college students. The Residency Office maintains strong collaborations and partnerships across departments, including the Office of Financial Aid, Student Accounts and the Scholarship Office. As employers, we hire, train and develop multi-year cohorts of Oregon State University student employees. With their unique insight and empathy, these students develop printed materials, videos and other resources to encourage OSU students about the possibility of establishing residency for tuition purposes.