This policy outlines the process by which tuition rates are charged to students based on residency. It further sets forth guidelines for establishing residency for purposes of student tuition.
Residency determination applies to all credit based tuition and fees charged to students at CWI.
Domicile: An individual’s true, fixed and permanent home and place of habitation. It is the place where the student intends to remain, and to which he/she expects to return when he/she leaves without intending to establish a new domicile elsewhere.
Community College District: Type of a special-purpose district. Each district consists of part(s) of a state and operates the public community college system in its district.
Continuously resided: Physical presence in the State of Idaho for twelve (12) consecutive months without being absent from Idaho for more than a total of thirty (30) days during the twelve (12) months. Absence from the state for normal vacations, family travel, work assignments, short-term military training, and similar occasions totaling not more than thirty (30) days during the twelve (12) month qualifying period, in and of itself, will not be regarded as negating the continuous residence of the individual.
Support: Financial support given to the student during the twelve (12) months preceding the opening date of the term for which resident status is requested. Any student who receives fifty percent (50%) or more of his/her support may demonstrate this by showing that he/she is claimed as a dependent by a parent or legal guardian for income tax purposes or that a parent or legal guardian provides fifty percent (50%) or more of the cost of attending an institution according to the CWI Financial Aid Office or that other similar evidence exists of parental support.
Armed Forces: United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard; it only includes Idaho Guard and Reserves.
Residency determination for tuition purposes is governed by guidelines adopted by CWI and Idaho Code §§ 33- 2110B.
Based on information provided by the applicant in the Application for Admission, CWI Student Services shall make an initial determination concerning the student’s residency status for tuition purposes (e.g. Idaho/out-of-state, indistrict/out-of-district). If residency information is missing or incomplete, the student status will default to nonresident, and the tuition will default to out-of-state. The student’s residency status remains unchanged unless the student submits a Residency Redetermination Form with the required documentation to Student Accounts on or before the tenth day of instruction for the fall and spring semesters and the fifth day of instruction for summer semester, and a determination is made based on the evidence supplied. Qualifications for residency must be met prior to the opening day of the semester for which reclassification is sought.
In general, a student enrolling at CWI shall not be deemed a resident of the community college district, of a county, or of the State of Idaho, unless the student has established domicile within said district, county, or the state, for at least twelve months continuously prior to the beginning of the term for which the student enrolls.
Students who enroll at CWI may qualify for Idaho residency, for tuition purposes, under one or more of the following criteria (documented proof will be required):
The following nonresident students do not qualify as a resident student for tuition purposes:
Once a student is determined to be a resident of the State of Idaho, a further determination is made on district residency. District residency is based on the county of residence. Residents of Ada, Bonneville, Canyon, Jerome, Twin Falls and Kootenai County pay in-district tuition and fees. Students whose permanent residence is in Idaho but outside of Ada, Bonneville, Canyon, Jerome, Twin Falls and Kootenai counties are charged out of district fees of up to $500 per semester in addition to in-district tuition and fees. Idaho counties without a community college district pay the student’s out of-district fees not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500) each semester for a two (2) semester year for a fulltime student, up to a maximum of three thousand dollars ($3,000) lifetime liability, provided the student completes and submits to the CWI Student Accounts department the Certificate of Residency form and residency can be verified by the county of residence. If residency is verified by the county, the student is responsible for paying in-district tuition and fees and the balance, if any, of the out of district fees above the maximum liability of the county of his/her residence. If verification is not received from the student’s county of residence the student is responsible for out of district tuition and fees. Idaho out-of-district students will complete a new Certificate of Residency form each academic year and submit the form to the county in which they reside.
Students who enroll at CWI may qualify for district residency, for tuition purposes, under one or more of the following criteria (documented proof will be required):
Establishment of a new domicile in Idaho by a student who formerly domiciled in another state has occurred if the student is physically present in Idaho primarily for purposes other than education and can show satisfactory proof there is not a present intention to relocate outside of the State of Idaho.
A student can prove establishment of domicile for purposes other than education if any of the following were completed for at least twelve (12) months prior to the term the student tries to become a resident student:
The following, if done for at least twelve (12) months before the term in which the student proposes to enroll as a resident student, lend support to domiciliary intent and the absence of which indicates a lack of domiciliary intent. By themselves, the following do not constitute sufficient evidence of the establishment and maintenance of a domicile in Idaho for purposes other than educational purposes:
If the student is not satisfied with the decision made by Student Accounts, he/she can appeal to the Assistant Vice President of Enrollment and Student Services. All appeals must be submitted (or postmarked), in writing and accompanied by all required documentation, within ten (10) calendar days after the date of notification of residency decision that is being appealed. Failure to comply shall constitute a waiver of all claims to reclassification for the applicable term.
CWI reserves the right to audit students at any time with regard to eligibility for Idaho or district resident status and to reclassify students who are registered under an improper classification. Residency classification or reclassification based upon materially erroneous, false or misleading statements or omissions by or in support of the applicant shall be set aside retroactively upon the discovery of the erroneous nature of such statements. Any student having paid less than required to CWI because of an erroneous classification or reclassification that is subsequently set aside, shall repay any and all amounts not properly paid because of the erroneous classification or reclassification. If a student concealed information or furnished false or misleading information and was classified incorrectly as a result, he or she will also be subject to appropriate disciplinary and/or legal action.
It shall be the responsibility of the student to notify CWI of possible changes in residency and to furnish all requested documentation in a timely fashion. Students may request a review of their residency status by submitting the Residency Redetermination form and all required documentation to Student Accounts on or before the 10th day of instruction in the fall and spring semesters and the fifth (5th) day of instruction for summer semester. The student shall describe in detail the reasons why the original residency determination is believed to be erroneous. The burden of proof in requesting a change in residency status rests with the student. Within thirty (30) days following the receipt of the student’s Residency Redetermination form, Student Accounts shall issue a decision and notify the student in writing. Students are responsible for paying the tuition and fees owed on their accounts by the established due date. Resident tuition rates shall be effective for the semester in which a student is reclassified to resident status. If residency (Idaho and/or district) is granted after payment was received, the difference will be refunded within a reasonable time to the student.