Contact the Residency Classification Office
Doctoral Candidate Dissertation Exception
The Doctoral Candidate Dissertation Exception is for doctoral students that have completed all requirements for their degree except the dissertation.
The student must meet ALL these requirements as defined by the Arizona Board of Regents to be considered an Arizona resident for tuition purposes. Those requirements are:
1. The student qualified as an Arizona resident immediately prior to beginning their dissertation Accordion Closed
- “Immediately prior” is defined as the most recent term. The student must have been an active student at NAU for that semester.
- If you had to submit an admission or re-admission application to begin enrollment in the upcoming term, your residency classification is determined based on that application, and you are not eligible for this exception.
2. The student has completed all credits other than their dissertation Accordion Closed
- The student must be enrolled in their dissertation at the time of submission.
This exception requires these exact specifications to be met. If you do not meet these requirements or cannot provide the information requested but still think you classify as an Arizona resident, please use the residency navigator to find which other petition or affidavit option is best for you.
Definitions and Things to Know:
- The term “resident for tuition purposes” differs from other definitions of Arizona residency. You can be a resident for other purposes and not be a resident for tuition purposes.
- To qualify as an Arizona resident for tuition purposes, you must have U.S. Citizenship, a permanent resident card, or an eligible visa to qualify. You can view the visa eligibility here.
- The residency office will review all facets of your academic career in our review of your petition – this includes your application for admission, financial aid awards and any communications with the residency office or other NAU offices. We may verify or investigate the authenticity of any documents submitted.
- We will communicate with you via your NAU email address. It is your responsibility to check your email and respond in a timely manner.
- Additional documentation may be requested by the residency office after our initial review of your petition and supporting documents. Please respond promptly to ensure your review can be completed.
- The residency office is required to follow Arizona Board of Regents policy, which is state law.