Residency Frequently Asked Questions

You will need to complete one of two forms, depending on if you meet the requirements.

Best practice is to start with the Residency Affidavit, if you do not meet the Residency Affidavit requirements, complete the WA Residency – Undetermined Form.

Please follow the Undetermined Residency Process, please refer to Undetermined Residency for more information.

Depending on your current residency classification, you will need to complete the steps necessary for reclassification.

  • Activate your account (if needed)
  • Log in to the full site
  • Select Student Homepage on the left
  • The Student Homepage tiles will appear
  • Select Additional Resources
  • Select Upload documents
  • Select Renton Technical College
  • Enter or look up the Document Class: Residency Documents
  • Enter or look up the Document Type: Residency Reclassification2
  • Click Attach
  • Attach the document you want to upload
  • Press Save

A Bio/Demo Mismatch occurs when your FASFA/WASFA application does not match the records RTC has on file for Legal Name or Citizenship Status.

If you have a Bio/Demo Mismatch, contact the Financial Aid Office at: financialaid@rtc.edu

A Residency Mismatch occurs when your FASFA/WASFA Application does not match the records RTC has on file for Residency for Tuition Purposes.

  • First step: Review the information on your FASFA/WASFA application to confirm it is accurate
    • If your FASFA/WASFA is inaccurate, you will need to submit a correction, if you need help with your FASFA/WASFA, please contact: financialaid@rtc.edu
  • Second Step: If your information on FASFA/WASFA is correct, reach out to residency about your Residency for Tuition purposes classification. We will review your information and have you complete the necessary documents to reclassify.

Please review the Residents Absent from State information on the Residency page, under Other Residency-Related Resources.

Students have 10 business days from the notification of the hold to submit the missing information and/or required documentation before their reclassification is denied.

If reclassification is denied, students are required to resubmit forms and supporting documentation by appropriate quarter deadlines for reclassification.

You can find the WA residence questionnaire on the Student Forms Library.

The role of our office is to determine whether a student has met the state requirements to be classified as a resident for tuition purposes. We can provide clarifying information about those requirements, answer general questions regarding the Residency Affidavit or the Residence Questionnaire itself, and provide suggestions about how a particular circumstance may affect your ability to meet the requirements for residency. However, you and your family (if applicable) are expected to read and independently follow the state regulations for residency.

The deadline for the initial application to be received by the residency officers is the 30th day after the quarter begins. If you miss this deadline, your application will be classified for the following term.

All residency and tuition reclassification documents are due by the thirtieth (30th) day after the quarter begins. Residency applications are reviewed in the order received and may take seven to ten business days to process. You will receive an email notification once your residency application(s) has been processed by the Residency Officers.

Note: There is no retroactive backdating for residency to previous quarters.

You will receive an email notifying you of your residency reclassification. This email will be sent to the email you initiated the residency reclassification OR to your preferred email on your ctcLink student account.

If your request to change residency classification is not completed by the time tuition is due, you are responsible for paying non-resident tuition and fees. Students are responsible for paying the balance owed. Failure to do so may result in classes being dropped for non-payment.

It can take between 7–10 business days after a Residency Questionnaire is received for it to receive an initial review. If required documentation is missing, or if additional documentation is required due to unclear information, it will further delay our ability to make a residency determination. Therefore, you should be prepared to pay the non-resident tuition rate by the tuition deadline for your quarter of application.

  • Unredacted copies of debit or credit cards (leave the last four digits of the card number if you are connecting the card with your documents)
  • Voter ballots
  • Utility bills (not sufficient proof of physical presence)

Yes, with limitations. You may redact sensitive information as long as it does not inhibit our review process. Our office recommends leaving the last four digits of the student’s social security number on tax forms, so that we can match it to student records. Similarly, leaving the last four digits of account numbers on bank and credit card statements allows us to connect multiple-page statements.

Financially independent students using tax or W-2 forms to show income cannot redact financial information from these forms.

We highly discourage redacting transactions from any bank or credit card statements as it will raise questions with regard to financial independence and/or physical presence in the state.

Please do not submit unredacted copies of debit or credit cards. If you are providing a copy of your debit or credit card(s) to connect the card to your documentation, please redact all but the last four digits of your card number.

If you do not own or use a vehicle in Washington, you are not required to provide this documentation.

You do not need to register to vote if you never registered in any other state.

You can visit WA Voter Registration and print the web registration.

We do not review residency applications or documentation with students before submission. If there are general questions regarding the Residence Questionnaire, we can help clarify them.

Residency policies are set by the Washington legislature and applied uniformly throughout Washington’s colleges and universities. For more details regarding residence classification, please review the various pages of our website, and reference the following links to read the relevant Revised Code of Washington, Washington Administrative Code, and the Washington Student Achievement Council.

State Statute – RCW 28B.15.011-RCW 28B.15.015
State Rules and Regulations – WAC 250-18-010 – WAC 250-18-060
WSAC Student Residency

In order to be considered a resident for tuition purposes, you (or your parent/legal guardian, if you are financially dependent) must have established domicile in Washington for at least one year prior to the first day of the quarter in which you are requesting residency. Establishing a domicile includes affirmatively creating legal ties and relationships in the state of Washington — for example, driver’s license (or state ID), vehicle registration, voter registration, bank account, and lease or home purchase agreement.

Dependent students are financially dependent upon someone else, and/or claimed as a dependent on someone’s latest tax returns. If you are determined to be a financially dependent student, residency will be determined based on your parent’s/legal guardian’s domicile information and supporting documentation, not yours. Note: a married student applying for residency should apply as a financially independent student.

Independent students are not financially dependent upon someone else, or claimed as a dependent on their parent’s, legal guardian’s, or other’s (excluding spouse’s) latest tax returns. If you are determined to be a financially independent student, residency will be based on your domicile information and supporting documentation. If you are applying as financially independent, you must also document your financial independence, including:

  • That you were not and will not be claimed on your parents’, legal guardians’, or others’ tax returns for the previous and current calendar years. A calendar year is defined as January 1 through December 31.
  • That you are independently covering your living expenses (combined cost of attendance and room/board) with your own financial resources. For the UW, you will need to document that you are paying at least 51% or more of your living expenses with independent income/resources.
  • That you did not and will not receive significant financial assistance either directly or indirectly from your parents, relatives, legal guardians, or others (excluding your spouse) for the current and previous calendar year. For the UW, you will need to document that you have not received financial assistance in excess of 49% of your living expenses. Financial assistance includes but is not limited to, personal loans, parent PLUS loans, and gifts. Financial assistance does not include financial aid grants, scholarships, and loans authorized by the financial aid office in your name.