Residency Information
and Application 

Legal Residence of Students • The university applies the definitions and conditions stated here as required by state law in the classification of students as residents or nonresidents for the assessment of fees.

Requests for a review of residency classification should be submitted to the registrar; forms for this purpose are available from the Office of the Registrar. To be applicable for a particular semester, such requests must be accompanied by documentation that all residency requirements have been met by the last day to register for that semester.

MINORS — The residency of a minor (less than 21 years of age) is that of the father, the mother or a general guardian duly appointed by a proper court in Mississippi. If a court has granted custody of the minor to one parent, the residence of the minor is that of the parent who was granted custody by the court. If both parents are dead, the residence of the minor is that of the last surviving parent at the time of that parent’s death, unless the minor lives with a general guardian, duly appointed by a proper court of Mississippi, in which case his residence becomes that of the guardian. A student who, upon registration at a Mississippi institution of higher learning or community college, presents a transcript demonstrating graduation from a Mississippi secondary school and who has been a secondary school student in Mississippi for not less than the final four (4) years of secondary school attendance shall not be required to pay out-of-state tuition.  This section shall not apply to a person as it relates to residency for voter registration or voting.

REMOVAL OF PARENTS FROM MISSISSIPPI — If the parents of a minor who is enrolled as a student in an institution of higher learning move their legal residence from the state of Mississippi, the minor is immediately classified as a nonresident student.

TWELVE MONTHS OF RESIDENCE REQUIRED — No student may be admitted to the university as a resident of Mississippi unless his residence, as defined above, has been in the state for a continuous period of at least 12 months immediately preceding his admission.

RESIDENCE IN AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION CAN BE COUNTED — A student who has lived within the state for 12 months following his 21st birthday may establish residence in his own right by showing that he is living in the state with the intention of abandoning his former domicile and remaining in the state permanently, or for an indefinite length of time.

RESIDENCE STATUS OF A MARRIED STUDENT — A married student may claim the residence of the spouse, or may claim independent residence status under the same regulations, set forth above, as any other adult.

CHILDREN OF PARENTS WHO ARE EMPLOYED BY THE UNIVERSITY — Dependent children of parents who are members of the faculty or staff of the university may be classified as residents without regard to the residence requirement of 12 months.

MILITARY PERSONNEL ASSIGNED ON ACTIVE DUTY STATION IN MISSISSIPPI — Members of the U.S. armed forces on extended active duty and stationed within Mississippi may be classified as residents, without regard to the residence requirement of 12 months, for the purpose of attendance at the university. Resident status of such military personnel who are not legal residents of Mississippi (as defined in Section 37-103-13 of House Bill 409, passed during the 1988 session of the Mississippi Legislature) shall terminate upon their reassignment for duty in the continental United States outside the state of Mississippi.

CHILDREN OF MILITARY PERSONNEL — Resident status of children of members of the armed forces on extended active duty shall be that of the military parent for the purpose of attending the university during the time that their military parents are stationed within Mississippi and shall be continued through the time that military parents are stationed in an overseas area with last duty assignment within the state. Resident status of minor children shall terminate upon reassignment under permanent change of station orders of their military parents for duty in the continental United States outside the state of Mississippi, excepting temporary training assignments en route from Mississippi.

CERTIFICATION OF RESIDENCE OF MILITARY PERSONNEL — A military person on active duty stationed in Mississippi who wishes to avail himself or his dependents of the provisions of the paragraph titled “Military Personnel Assigned on Active Duty Station in Mississippi” must submit a certificate from the military organization showing the name of the military member, the name of the dependent, if for a dependent, the name of the organization of assignment and its address (may be in the letterhead), that the military member will be on active duty stationed in Mississippi on the date of registration at the university; that the military member is not on transfer orders; and the signature of the commanding officer, the adjutant or the personnel officer of unit of assignment with signer’s rank and title. A military certificate must be presented to the registrar of the university each semester at (or within 10 days prior to) registration for the provisions of the paragraph “Military Personnel Assigned Active Duty Station in Mississippi,” named above, to be effective.

FAMILIES OF STUDENTS — The spouse and children of a nonresident student who pays or receives a waiver of the nonresident fee may enroll in the university upon payment of the appropriate fees charged to a resident. Nonresident fees for spouses and children of part-time nonresident students will be prorated.

Responsibility of Students • Residency classification of an applicant for admission is determined by the Office of Admissions and Enrollment Services and is stated on the Admission Certificate issued. Students should notify the registrar immediately by letter of any change in legal residence.

Residency application