Residence Qualifications

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Students enrolling at Kirkwood are classified as residents or nonresidents of Iowa, or as international students, for admission and tuition purposes by the college Registrar’s Office. The Iowa Department of Education establishes requirements for proof of Iowa residency for community colleges.

To determine resident or non-resident residency, the primary determination is the reason a person is in the state of Iowa. The second determination will be the length of time a person has resided in Iowa (a minimum of 90 days prior to the start of the semester). If a person is in the state primarily for educational purposes, that person will be considered a non-resident. If a person holds an F-1 or J-1 student visa status, the residency classification is international. 

Please note that a student cannot be a resident of two states at the same time. If your home is in another state and you are living in Iowa for the purpose of attending school, you are a resident of your home state and not a resident of Iowa.

Residency status changes are not automatic. They must be requested by the student. The Request to Change Residency Status form must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office no later than the first week of classes for the request to be considered for the current semester. Requests submitted later than this will be reviewed and considered for the following semester. In no case will a residency status be changed retroactively for prior terms.