2.2.1 State Residency Reclassification

Purpose

To establish a consistent process for considering nonresident student requests to be reclassified as a Minnesota State Resident.

Definitions

Domicile:

A person’s true, fixed, and permanent living place and the place to which the person intends to return after temporary absences.

Procedural Steps

To be reclassified as a Minnesota state resident, a student must demonstrate the establishment of domicile in Minnesota.

Required Period of Residence

A student must have maintained a domicile in Minnesota for a continuous period of one calendar year immediately prior to applying for reclassification, and residency in Minnesota during this period must not have been solely or primarily for the purpose of attending a college or university.

Other Factors

Students are responsible for providing supporting documentation and evidence with their petition for reclassification. Relevant facts and circumstances may be considered during the evaluation of a petition for a change in state residency, including, but not limited to, the ones listed below.

1. Continuous presence in Minnesota between academic terms or other periods when not enrolled as a student
2. Registration as a voter in Minnesota
3. Ownership of a home in Minnesota
4. Domicile of the student’s spouse in Minnesota
5. Registration of the student’s automobile in Minnesota
6. For a dependent student, domicile in Minnesota of the student’s parent or legal guardian
7. Evidence of the intent to acquire a domicile in Minnesota
8. Sources of the student’s financial support are generated within Minnesota
9. An offer of employment in Minnesota to begin after the student’s projected date of college graduation

Decision

Riverland will consider all petitions for reclassification and communicate a decision to the student within 30 days. A student whose residency is changed to that of a Minnesota resident must be charged the resident tuition rate effective at the beginning of the term in which the petition was submitted. Classification of a student as a Minnesota resident will apply to all Minnesota State colleges and universities.

Appeal

If a student’s petition for reclassification as a resident has been denied, the student must submit a written appeal to the Vice President of Strategic Enrollment and Equity, whose decision will be final. If the appeal is successful and the residency is changed to that of a Minnesota resident, the student shall be charged the resident tuition rate effective at the beginning of the term in which the petition was submitted.

Related Policies or Forms

Riverland Policy 2.2 Residency

Riverland Procedure 2.2.2 U.S. Military Members, Spouses, and Dependent Children

Revisor's Office website

• Minnesota State Statutes 135A.043, Resident Tuition

Date Implemented: New June 2025

Responsible Division / Author: Student Affairs / VP of Strategic Enrollment & Equity, Dean of Students

Date Revised: Procedure separated from policy September 2025