| Application Name | Residency Affidavit | Traditional Application: Financially Dependent | Traditional Application: Financially Independent | Military | American Indian | Freely Associated States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| More Information | Residency Affidavit information | Financially Dependent information | Financially Independent information | Military Residency information | American Indian Residency information | Freely Associated States information |
| Residency status granted | Full resident status | Full resident status | Full Resident status | Resident tuition only | Resident tuition only | Resident tuition only |
| Waiting Period | 12 months after student moves to Washington | 12 months after parent, step-parent, legal guardian moves to Washington | 12 months after student moves to Washington | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Immigration status | N/A | Student and parent must have an eligible immigration status during entire waiting period. | Student must have an eligible immigration status during entire waiting period. | N/A | N/A | Student must be a citizen of one of three Freely Associated States: Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Republic of Palau |
| Financial independence | N/A | Student must be financially dependent* | Student must be financially independent* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Student lives in WA | Student must live in WA 12 months before attending any WA college more than 6 credits each term. | N/A | Student must live in WA 12 months prior to the term | Varies | Must live in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, or Montana. | N/A |
| Parent, Step-parent, or legal guardian lives in WA | N/A | A parent, step-parent, or legal guardian must live in WA 12 months prior to the term. | N/A | Varies | N/A | N/A |
| Establish Domicile | Student must be able to document that they were living in Washington during the waiting period. | The parent, step-parent, or legal guardian must obtain Washington documents within a few months of moving to Washington. | The student must obtain Washington documents at least 11 months prior to the term | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Presumption+ | Students taking more than 6 credits per term during the waiting period are not eligible | N/A | Must overcome presumption+ | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| WUE/Cougar Award | N/A | Financially dependent students may receive the Cougar Award during the waiting period. | Financially independent students may not use the time receiving the Cougar Award towards the waiting period.+ | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Military affiliation | N/A | N/A | N/A | Students eligible for VA Educational benefits are eligible. Other military-affiliated students may also be eligible. | N/A | N/A |
| American Indian tribal membership | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Must be a member of a federally recognized tribe whose customary and tribal boundaries include portions of Washington | N/A |
| Time Requirement to complete application | Less than 5 minutes | 30 minutes if documentation is prepared in advance | 60 minutes if documentation is prepared in advance | Less than 5 minutes once documentation from the VA is obtained | Less than 5 minutes | Less than 5 minutes |
| Type of documentation required | Documentation is not needed for many students. Student may need to provide proof of living in WA which may include housing, state ID, transcripts, etc. | Parent proof of domicile including housing, state identification, vehicle registration, etc. See Dependent Checklist | Student proof of domicile including housing, state identification, vehicle registration, etc. Parent tax return required in most instances. See Independent Checklist | Varies. Certificate of Eligibility, military orders, etc. Most students need to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility from the VA before completing this application. | Tribal membership card | Citizenship documentation |
| *Financial status: Financially dependent students are claimed on someone else's taxes and receive more than half of their support from someone else. See the financially independent page for more information on the requirements to be considered financially independent for residency purposes. | ||||||
| +Financially Independent Students and Presumption: Financially independent students establishing residency after starting college must overcome the presumption that they have moved to the state for higher education purposes. Students receiving the WUE are considered to be in the state for educational purposes and may not use the time that they are receiving the WUE towards the 12 month waiting period. This does not impact students who are financially dependent. | ||||||