A student’s residency classification determines their in-state or out-of-state status for tuition purposes, and may impact admission, scholarship or financial aid eligibility. State law mandates that only those who can demonstrate 12 months of uninterrupted domicile in North Carolina are eligible for in-state tuition. To be domiciled means maintaining a permanent home of indefinite duration as opposed to maintaining a mere temporary residence or abode incident to enrollment in an institution of higher education.
Residency determinations for all students, degree-seeking and non-degree seeking, applying for admission or readmission to UNC system schools are made by the centralized, state-wide Residency Determination Service (RDS). Individual institutions do not determine residency status.
Visit the Registrar website for a more complete discussion of the procedure for determining legal residency.
For further information, contact:
Office of the Registrar
University of North Carolina at Asheville
Ramsey 011, CPO 1570
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804
Phone: 828.350.4500
Fax: 828.251.6492
Email: registrar@unca.edu