Office of the University Registrar

Washington Residents Absent from State

Absence Due to Military/Civil Service

Washington residents, who enter the military/civil service while domiciled in Washington or established a domicile while stationed in Washington for a period of at least one year, will maintain resident status while being stationed outside of Washington if they:

  • Return within one year (12 months) of discharge/end of service with the intent to be domiciled in Washington.
  • Maintain all legal ties in Washington.

Please reference Military Personnel page for more details.

Absence for Educational Purposes Only

Students who are Washington residents and have been absent due to attending an out-of-state college/university will need to complete the Residence Questionnaire process.

Documentation to provide along with the Residence Questionnaire:

  1. Proof that student has maintained all Washington legal ties and did not take steps to establish domicile in another state. See Residency Requirements for details.
  2. Verification that student resided in Washington for a minimum of one year (12 months) prior to leaving the state for educational purposes.
  3. Documentation from the out-of-state college/university verifying student’s continuous enrollment as a non-resident, paying non-resident tuition. If the student attended a private college/university, only verification of continuous enrollment is required.

A student who is financially dependent upon parent(s)/legal guardian(s) or others should refer to Financially Dependent Students.


DISCLAIMER: The information on this webpage is current as of 03/05/2018. The University of Washington reserves the right to update or remove this page as necessary for clarity and/or to reflect changes to residency law or university policies. This website is intended as guidance only and students are advised to refer to the Washington state laws on residency for current statutes and additional information. See RCW Chapter 28B.15WAC Chapter 250-18, and WAC Chapter 478-161.

The UW Residency Classification Office will administer residency determinations in accordance with the current law at the time of application.