Residency Requirements

Residency Status for Tuition Paying Purposes

Residency for tuition purposes is governed by Idaho State Code. Under current Idaho State Code 33-2110A,

  • "... a student in a community college shall not be deemed a resident of the district, or of a county, or of the State of Idaho, unless such student shall have resided within said district, county, or state, for at least one (1) year continuously prior to the date of his/her first enrollment in said community college." Additionally, "residency may not be acquired while attending, and enrolled in a community college."
  • "Counties in Idaho are liable for the out-of-district tuition so long as the student is duly enrolled and attending the college. This liability shall be for six (6) semesters or the term of the curriculum for which the student is enrolled, whichever is lesser. Liability shall terminate if the student's domiciliary residence changes and that change occurs for twelve (12) months."

Certificate of Residency

Residents of the state of Idaho pay either the district or non-district tuition rate pursuant to Idaho State Code 33-2110A. Since North Idaho College receives funding from Kootenai County, Kootenai County residents pay the in-district rate. Students from other counties pay the non-district rate. Students who are not from Kootenai County can receive county support from their county of residence if they have an approved Certificate of Residency on file. With an approved Certificate of Residency, these students can receive total tuition benefit of $3,000, $500 per semester or $63 per credit.

In order to qualify for county support, students who reside in Idaho but not in Kootenai County must file a certificate with their home County Clerk’s Office. The certificate form can be obtained from the Admissions Office, Student Accounts or downloaded [PDF].

  1. Complete the Certificate of Residency [PDF].
  2. Mail the completed form to your County Clerk's Office. Addresses can be found on the back of the certificate form.
  3. The County Commissioner will mail the approved or declined certificate to North Idaho College.

The following counties require a Certificate of Residency each semester: Boise, Bonneville, Butte, Caribou, Cassia, Clark, Elmore, Fremont, Gooding, Jefferson, Lincoln, Minidoka, Oneida, Power, and  Washington County.

The following counties require a Certificate of Residency each academic school year: Adams, Bannock, Bear Lake, Benewah, Bingham, Blaine, Bonner, Boundary, Camas, Clearwater, Gem, Idaho, Latah, Lemhi, Lewis, Madison, Nez Perce, Owyhee, Payette, Shoshone, Teton, and Valley County.

The following counties do not require a Certificate of Residency: Ada, Canyon, Jerome, Kootenai and Twin Falls.

Residents of Idaho

Any applicant for admission who has been domiciled (a person's true, fixed, and permanent home or place of habitation) in Kootenai County for at least 12 months, but less than 18 months, will be asked to submit a Residency Change Form. Until this documentation has been received and approved by the Admissions Office, out-of-state tuition will be charged at the time of registration.

The NIC district comprises all of Kootenai County. For tuition purposes, a student who is a permanent resident of the United States may be classified as a resident of the district by meeting one or more of the following qualifications:

  1. Any student whose parents or court-appointed guardians are domiciled in the college district and provide more than 50 percent of his or her support. (Domiciled means an individual’s true, fixed, and permanent home and place of habitation. It is the place where he or she lives without intending to establish a new domicile elsewhere). To qualify under this section, the parents or guardian must have resided continuously in the college district for 12 months preceding the opening day of the term for which the student matriculates.
  2. Any student who receives less than 50 percent of his or her support from parents or legal guardians, who are not residents of the college district for voting purposes, and who has continuously resided in the college district for 12 months preceding the opening day of the term for which the student matriculates.
  3. The spouse of a person who is classified or is eligible for classification as a resident of the college district for the purpose of attending the college.
  4. A member of the armed forces of the United States, stationed in the college district on military orders.
  5. A student whose parents or guardians are members of the armed forces and stationed in the college district on military orders and who receives 50 percent or more of his/her support from parents or legal guardians. The student, while in continuous attendance, shall not lose his/her residency when his/her parents or guardians are transferred on military orders.
  6. A person separated, under honorable conditions, from the United States armed forces after at least two years of active service, who, at the time of separation, designates the college district as his/her intended domicile or who has the district as the home of record while in service and enters the college within one year of the date of separation.
  7. Any individual who has been domiciled in the college district, has qualified and would otherwise be qualified under the provisions of this statute, and who is away from the district for a period of less than one calendar year and has not established legal residence elsewhere, provided a 12-month period of continuous residence has been established immediately prior to departure.

Tuition Reduction Programs

Washington State Residents Residents of the state of Washington qualify for a reduction of the out of state tuition rate. Residency status is determined at the time of application to the college. See Tuition and Fees for the rates for Washington residents.

Western Undergraduate Exchange Program (WUE) The Western Undergraduate Exchange Program (WUE) was established to financially assist individuals interested in attending college out of their home states. The tuition rate is 150% of the non-district tuition rate. Residency status is determined at the time of application to the college. See Tuition and Fees for the rates for WUE state residents.

Residents from the following states are eligible for the reduced tuition rates:

Alaska Hawaii New Mexico South Dakota
Arizona Montana North Dakota Utah
California Nevada Oregon Wyoming
Colorado