How to Pay In-State Tuition at Out-of-State Schools

It’s no secret that the economy is keeping students closer to home for college, as families find crossing state lines means incurring large additional expense, the most obvious of which involves nonresident fees at public institutions. At some colleges the difference between nonresident and resident can be as much as almost $20,000 per year or nearly $80,000 over four years. And this is hardly chump change. But suppose there were a way to avoid these penalties, and pay in-state tuition at out-of-state schools? Interested?

Thanks to a number of regional “reciprocity” agreements, students have the opportunity to broaden college options and save money by applying for reduced tuition programs sponsored by state associations, such as the Academic Common Market, which is administered by the Southern Regional Education Board. In other words, paying in-state tuition at an out-of-state school may be possible if your state participates in an agreement with other states permitting students to attend public institutions across state borders and pay less than nonresident tuition. With the support of such tuition exchange programs, a student could pay the same to study out-of-state as they would in their own home state.

Here’s how it works. Suppose you are a Virginia resident and have your heart set on studying petroleum engineering—and why not? It’s only the highest paying undergraduate major surveyed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Under the terms of the Academic Common Market, you would be eligible to enroll at either West Virginia University or Louisiana State University and automatically qualify for in-state tuition. Another Virginia resident wanting to study nuclear engineering could receive reduced tuition at Georgia Tech or the University of Tennessee. Or, a Maryland student determined to study dairy science would qualify for in-state tuition at Virginia Tech.

Unfortunately, these programs are not widely publicized. Students and parents have to do a little investigation and be ready to do extra paperwork at the time of application. Keep in mind that there are often limitations on the majors covered by reciprocity agreements and some flagship universities, like UVA, do not participate. But if you’re interested in an out-of-state bargain and want to explore options beyond your state’s public system, reciprocity agreements may be the way to go.

• Academic Common Market (Southeastern States): Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Participating Virginia colleges and universities include Christopher Newport, College of William and Mary, George Mason, Longwood, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Radford, VA Tech, and VA State University.
• Midwestern Higher Education Compact: Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Public institutions agree to charge students no more than 150% of the in-state resident tuition rates for specific programs.
• New England Board of Higher Education: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. All 82 New England public colleges and universities participate in the “Tuition Break” program, enabling students to enroll in out-of-state public institutions at a discount.
• Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Students pay only 150% of the receiving state’s resident tuition at over 140 participating public institutions.

Several states also participate in state-to-state programs including Illinois and Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and Nevada and California. Note that many of these tuition exchange programs extend to graduate studies as well.

Click here for information on in-state tuition breaks for DC residents.