Residency Policy

Determination of residency for purposes of tuition will be made according to the following definitions.  Applicants to the nursing program must satisfy in-district residency requirements as outlined in the nursing program application packet.

In District

An individual who owns property (or if under the age of 24, whose parent/guardian owns property) or who has maintained a permanent and continuous residence in the district for one full year prior to the beginning of credit courses will be classified as an in-district resident. The COCC District consists of all of Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties, the northern portions of Klamath and Lake counties, and the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Jefferson and Wasco counties.

Out of District (in state)

An individual who has maintained a permanent and continuous residence in the state of Oregon but outside of the COCC district during the year prior to the beginning of credit courses, or if under the age of 24, whose parent/guardian has maintained such residence, will be classified as on out-of-district resident.  The student will remain an out-of-district student for two calendar years after the term in which the student began courses; at that time, the student will convert to in-district residency.

Out of State

An individual who has not maintained a permanent and continuous residence in the state of Oregon during the year prior to the beginning of the first term of enrollment will be classified as an out-of-state resident. The student will remain an out-of­-state student for two calendar years after the term in which the student began courses; at that time, the student will convert to in-district residency.

Per Oregon Administrative Rules, residents of California, Idaho, Nevada and Washington will be charged in-state (out-of­-district) tuition.

Native American Students

Students who are enrolled members of federally recognized tribes of Oregon or who are enrolled members of a Native American tribe which had traditional and customary tribal boundaries that include parts of the state of Oregon or which had ceded or reserved lands within the state of Oregon shall be charged in-state tuition regardless of their state of residence (note that residents of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are charged in-district tuition).  See a listing of eligible tribes.  Note that students must provide a copy of tribal enrollment documents to the Director of Admissions/Registrar prior to starting classes.

Veterans

Effective July 1, 2010, out-of-district or out-of-state chapter 30, 33, 35, 1606 and 1607 Veteran students will be classified as "non-resident Veteran" students for residency/tuition classification purposes.

The non-resident Veteran tuition rate will be calculated to be 50% of the difference between COCC's in-district rate and out-of-district/border state rate and complies with Oregon legislation.  In order to receive this benefit, Veteran students must have submitted all required paperwork to the COCC Veteran Student Coordinator by the Friday prior to the term's start.  Requests received after this date will be considered for the following term.  Per the College's standard residency policy, a non-resident Veteran student will be classified as an in-district resident after two years of enrollment. 

Exemption:  Per Oregon Administrative Rules, residents of Washington, California, Nevada and Idaho will be charged in-state (out-of-district) tuition.

Verification: Residency is determined from information provided on the student's application. If there appears to be an inconsistency, the College may require additional information.

Transferring to another Oregon Institution?

In-state residency classifications are different at Oregon Community Colleges than at Oregon University System (OUS) schools and can affect the tuition rates you pay. Educate yourself before you begin your education in Oregon to avoid surprises later.

OUS schools often classify people who move to Oregon to go to school as non-residents even if they have resided in the state for a year, attended a community college as an in-state resident, have registered to vote and own property in this state.

If you moved to Oregon to attend school, with plans to start at a community college and then transfer to a university, read the OUS residency policy to plan your transfer.