Residency guidelines
What is residency?
A residence is a place in which a person resides – a dwelling place or abode – essentially a house or apartment. Residence is not established by attendance at a college.
- Resident: a United States citizen, immigrant, or permanent resident who has established and maintains residency in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, or California.
- Non-resident: a United States citizen, immigrant, or permanent resident who has not established or does not maintain residency in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, or California.
Residency and tuition
Use the chart to determine your residency status and what type of tuition you will pay.
| Tuition | Description |
|---|---|
| Resident | Students residing in Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho or Nevada
|
| Veteran students eligible for VA Education Benefits | |
| Students holding one of the following approved nonimmigrant visas (A, E, G, H-1B, H-1C, H-4, I, K, L, NATO, O, R, S, T, TN, U, or V) | |
| Non-resident | Students residing outside Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, or Nevada |
| Students holding one of the following valid nonimmigrant visas (F or J ) |
How to update your residency status
Submit Residency Form with 2 pieces of documentation
To request a residency status change, you must prove that you have established a permanent home in the state of Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, or Nevada, where you intend to remain.
To apply for residency reassessment, fill out the Residency Form and submit it to any Enrollment Services office. Along with the form, you must include two pieces of documentation from the list below to prove residency. Acceptable documents are listed below.
To apply your new residency to a term, you must submit the form by the drop deadline of the term for which you want to have tuition reassessed. Residency updates are not retroactive and cannot be applied to a previous term. If you believe there was an error in your residency status, you may submit a Residency Rate Review form.
Acceptable documentation of residency
You must include two pieces of documentation from this list.
- Oregon Drivers License or ID card
- Bank account statements (showing Oregon address)
- Oregon State Income Tax form with Oregon address (most current)
- Current W-2 form (showing Oregon address)
- Documentation of possession of Oregon vehicle license plates
- Active Duty military ID, copy of orders in Oregon
- Selective Service registration
- Oregon Voter registration card
- Utility bills (gas, water, power, telephone)
- Immigration documents (Visa, I-94, change of status application verification)
- Documentation of entry into a legal agreement in Oregon (marriage, divorce, etc.)
- Documentation of ownership of residential property or of continuous occupancy of rented or leased property in Oregon
- Recent Veteran: LES, DD214
- Documentation of public assistance, rehabilitation, unemployment or other Oregon state services
Students with specific nonimmigrant visas (NIV)
People holding one of the following approved nonimmigrant visas (A, E, G, H-1B, H-1C, H-4, I, K, L, NATO, O, R, S, T, TN, U, or V) are eligible to pay resident tuition.
Students holding one of these visas and wishing to pay resident tuition must bring their passport to any Enrollment Services office. Upon expiration of that visa type, the student will be charged non-resident tuition. Students will be able to submit copies of their updated visas at which time the resident tuition can be reinstated based on the visa’s time frame listed in the passport.
Who can study at PCC?
A number of nonimmigrant visa statuses exist that allow for full-time or part-time study. Visit the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s website for a list of all nonimmigrant visa classes and whether it allows for full-time or part-time study.
Notes:
- Foreign Nationals who are U.S. Permanent Residents, on approved Refugee or Asylum status, can study in the United States without any restrictions.
- Individuals in the U.S. on a Visitor or Tourist visa (B1/2) or ESTA (Visa Waiver Program) cannot study in credit courses at PCC.
- Individuals in the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa can apply for a change of status to the F-1 visa through USCIS.
Questions about study while on a nonimmigrant visa other than the F-1 visa should be discussed with an immigration lawyer and/or the Department of Homeland Security.