If you are not a North Carolina resident but are hoping to qualify for in-state tuition in your second year, you will need to begin the residency process right away. As this website explains, you will be required to complete certain "residentiary acts" 365 days before you apply for residency. In order for students to be charged in-state tuition, RDS must classify students as in-state residents by Census Day.

NOTE: If you are a non-resident student and also a Teaching Assistant, you MUST apply for in-state residency before the start of your second year. The Graduate School's GSSP benefits only covers one year of out-of-state tuition. It will not cover out-of-state tuition after the first year.

TAs are REQUIRED to apply for in-state residency status once you have lived in NC for at least 12 months. As indicated in your Terms and Conditions document, it is your responsibility to complete the necessary "residency acts" in your first year to ensure you are able to convert to in-state residency by Census Day of your second year. Important: You must initiate those acts ("Some examples of residency acts include getting a NC driver’s license, registering to vote, registering a vehicle, and further actions which demonstrate ties to NC.") as soon as you move here, so that you will be able to document 365 days of residence before your second year begins. Please review the Residency website and reference the Residency PDF to ensure that you complete an item for all three categories. After 365 days of residency you will visit the residency website to complete the application.

The process can be complicated because it is not controlled by the university but is established by the state. In general, try to provide as much detailed information as you can to the state's RDS office. It is your responsibility to secure state residency, but we can help you with the process.

In recent years, and based on student feedback, it seems that many applicants receive an initial decision of out-of-state residency. This is common and these students are ultimately determined to be in-state students upon appealing the decision, where they have the ability to provide supporting documentation.

If you are denied in-state status by RDS, please appeal the decision as soon as possible (there is a 10-day window). This seems to be typical for graduate students who are trying to prove independence from out-of-state parents. We have found that reconsideration is not a useful step. Go directly to appeal.

Please also visit the Graduate School's residency page (go.ncsu.edu/NCRes) for instructions on how to enter your Residency Certification Number (RCN) in MyPack Portal so that your billing information can be updated. Even if you have received an in-state determination from RDS, if you have not entered the RCN in MyPack, the university will continue to classify you as an out-of-state student.

Recap:

1. Begin "residential acts" before you start your first day of class in the graduate program.

2. Once you hit the 365 day mark since completing your first residential act, apply for residency through RDS. RDS must classify you as an in-state resident by Census Day.

3. If you were denied residency, appeal the decision ASAP. Do not bother going through the reconsideration process.

4. Once you are classified as in-state, enter your RCN in MyPack Portal so your tuition bill can be updated and notify the Graduate Services Coordinator about your residency update.

For students in the armed forces, please apply for residency through the Residency Determination Service (RDS) immediately after you submitted your application into the program. You do not need to wait until you are admitted into the program. Do not wait until the first day of class to submit an application. Instructions on how to apply can be found at the Graduate School's Residency page.

For international students, certain immigration classifications will allow you to be exempt from having to seek NC residency for tuition purposes. To see whether you are exempt or ineligible for this process, please refer to the "International Students" section at the Graduate School's Residency page.