UI tightens rules for out-of-state students seeking in-state tuition

As Iowa's public universities consider how to implement cuts in state revenue, University of Iowa officials are raising the bar for incoming out-of-state students seeking in-state residency after beginning their studies.

UI officials began exploring the need to tighten the requirements after the university saw 317 part-time freshmen enrolling at the university during fall 2016.

“That’s a record number,” said UI Registrar Larry Lockwood.

Many of those nonresidents were not taking enough credit hours to trigger the higher tuition rate that full-time out-of-state students are required to pay. That scenario adds up to more than $6 million in tuition that otherwise would be going to the university if those out-of-state students — including those living in dormitories — had been registered full-time.

Out-of-state students have to live in Iowa for at least a 12-month period and provide evidence that they moved to Iowa primarily for reasons other than higher education.

Previous Coverage:

• Iowa universities could face additional state budget cuts
• Budget deal cuts $8 million from UI, ISU; $2 million from UNI
• Hundreds of returning UI students wait-listed for housing

But where nonresident students previously had to show that they worked an average of 20 hours a week over that 12-month period, students enrolling after May 1 will now have to show they’re working at least 30 hours per week on average.

Many of those students met the minimum, one-credit-hour requirement to be eligible for student housing, but their off-campus work schedules required them to come and go at odd hours of the night, disturbing the rest and study needs of full-time students, Lockwood said.

Iowa’s public universities offer lower tuition to resident students because the state government is offsetting some of those costs through general fund appropriations. With a nearly $20,000 gap between the annual costs for resident and nonresident students, out-of-state students can pay as much as $80,000 more in base tuition and fees over four years of undergraduate study.

The changes in residency requirements come at a time when UI is now having to trim at least $8 million in state funding promised for the current academic year. Iowa State University is facing a similar mid-year cut, and the University of Northern Iowa has to trim $2 million. More state cuts for the current fiscal year could be on the way.

The changes do not need to be approved by the Iowa Board of Regents, UI officials said, because the policies are within the general residency requirements already outlined in board policy.

“We want to put some common sense into the process,” Lockwood said. “If you really want to be an Iowa resident, you’ll have to meet the criteria that everyone else is going to meet.”

Iowa Administrative Code states that out-of-state students may be eligible for resident reclassification following 12 consecutive months in the state, “provided the student is not enrolled as more than a half-time student” and “provides sufficient evidence of the establishment of an Iowa domicile.”

The code makes exceptions for the students whose parents move to Iowa during their studies as well as for students who are active military, veterans or have refugee status.

But the gist of the law states that people coming to Iowa from another state to enroll more than half-time in any institution of postsecondary education “shall be presumed to have come to Iowa primarily for educational reasons, rather than to establish a domicile in Iowa.”

UI Housing officials also are increasing the minimum number of credit hours required for students to be eligible to live in the dorms or other university housing options. In the past, that number has been only one credit hour. Starting this fall, however, the minimum will be seven credit hours — enough to qualify students for half-time status.

“We’ve generally had more bodies than we’ve had beds,” said Von Stange, director of University Housing and Dining. “We know that some of those students are part-time students, and we want to provide our limited residence hall space for students who are spending most of their time on campus and in class.”

Students will have until the 10th day of class to register for the minimum number of credit hours, Stange said. Those who fail to do so will be notified that they will have to move elsewhere.

For out-of-state UI students still looking to become Iowa residents, at least some of the increased work requirements will have to be off campus, Lockwood said. Work-study jobs on campus cap at 20 hours per week.

“There are a lot of local business that would be more than happy to hire them on,” said Lockwood, pointing out that the Iowa City area has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state.

It's unclear exactly how many incoming UI students might be affected by the new requirements. For the past few years, Lockwood said, UI has reclassified the residency status of about 500 student annually, but that includes all types of previously out-of-state students.

Iowa State University requires out-of-state students to work at least 20 hours per week for at least 12 consecutive months before being considered Iowa residents, according to ISU Registrar Laura Doering.

The Ames-based university received 256 applications for residency reclassification in 2014, 253 in 2015 and 271 in 2016. Of those total applications, ISU officials turned down 31 in 2014, 34 in 2015 and 51 in 2016.

Reach Jeff Charis-Carlson at jcharisc@press-citizen.com or 319-887-5435. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffCharis.