Twelve-Month Rule Exceptions

Students that are the dependent child of at least one parent that claims Arizona as their primary and permanent home are eligible for the Resident tuition rate without 12 months presence in Arizona. The Arizona parent must be eligible to claim the student as a dependent child on their taxes for the current tax year. If the student’s parents are divorced, a copy of the divorce decree and custody agreement/parenting plan will be required.

If the student will turn 24 during the tax year the semester you are seeking reclassification is in, they are not eligible for this exception since the Arizona parent will not be eligible to claim the student as a dependent child for that tax year. Similarly, students that are currently 24 or older, or under 24 but are married, are also not eligible for this exception.

Complete and submit the Dependent Child Arizona Domicile Affidavit and follow the instructions. Go to Procedures, Forms, & Deadlines page.

If you are a Veteran OR Retired Military Personnel OR utilizing the GI Bill/Choice Act, please call the Veteran Success Center to determine if you are eligible for the Resident tuition rate.

Phone: 928-523-8387
E-mail: vets@nau.edu

If you are Active Duty (or Dependent of) (and are NOT using GI Bill/Choice Act), you may qualify for resident tuition under the following circumstances:

• Active Duty Military Member is Stationed in Arizona: The individual (member/sponsor) is a member of the United States Armed Forces, Arizona National Guard or Reserves stationed in Arizona pursuant to military orders (or is the spouse or dependent child of that individual).
• Active Duty Military Member Stationed outside of Arizona: The individual (member/sponsor) is a member of the United States Armed Forces stationed outside of Arizona pursuant to military orders (or is the spouse or dependent child of that individual) and the individual claimed Arizona as their state of legal residence for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the beginning of the student’s semester.

Complete and submit the Active Duty Military or Dependent of Affidavit and follow the instructions. Also, contact the NAU Veteran Success Center for assistance in Veteran Affairs forms and processes. Go to Procedures, Forms, & Deadlines page.

Student’s spouse must meet all the Independent Student residency criteria. This means the Spouse has established domicile in Arizona for at least 12 continuous months prior to the term, has demonstrated intent to maintain Arizona Domicile beyond being a student, and is financially independent. Furthermore, the Spouse is entitled to claim the student as an exemption for state and federal tax purposes.

If the Student and/or Spouse is a non-citizen, they must hold an eligible Visa to be re-classified as an in-state student for tuition purposes. See the list of eligible Visas.

If you have a pending Permanent Resident application (regardless of your current Visa type), meaning you have submitted an I-485 and have received back an I-797 from USCIS, please contact the office for more information before submitting a petition.

Complete and submit the Spouse Arizona Domicile Affidavit and follow the instructions. Go to Procedures, Forms, & Deadlines page.

If you are not domiciled in Arizona, but are an enrolled member of a federally recognized Arizona tribe, you may qualify for reclassification. See the full list of tribes on the sidebar of this page.

Send a copy of your Tribal Enrollment Card or Certificate of Indian Blood to Residency@nau.edu.

If you are domiciled in Arizona and are an employee, or spouse of an employee, transferred to Arizona by his/her employer for employment purposes, you may qualify for reclassification without waiting 12 months.

This exception does NOT apply in the following situations:

• New hire
• Self-employed
• Employee of a family owned/operated business
• Employee-initiated transfer

Complete and submit the Transferred Employee Arizona Domicile Affidavit and follow the instructions. Go to Procedures, Forms, & Deadlines page.

If you have participated in the AmeriCorps or the Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) program for at least one year in Arizona, you may qualify for reclassification without 12 months presence.

Complete and submit the AmeriCorps/VISTA Affidavit and follow the instructions. Go to Procedures, Forms, & Deadlines page.

If you are employed by an Arizona school district and are on contract to teach full-time or are a full-time non-certified classroom aide, you may be eligible to pay resident tuition for courses required for certification.

Complete and submit the Non-Resident Arizona Teacher Waiver form and follow the instructions. Go to Procedures, Forms, & Deadlines page.

Doctoral students who have completed all requirements for their degree except dissertation, and qualified as a resident immediately prior to beginning their dissertation, are entitled to classification as a resident until the completion of their degree or until the time parameters to complete their degree have expired.

Complete and submit the Doctoral Candidate Dissertation Exception form and follow the instructions. Go to Procedures, Forms, & Deadlines page.