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Your residency status determines which tuition rate applies to your cost of attending UMKC. Many students qualify for tuition discounts based on residency.

Contact Us

Atterbury Student Success Center
5000 Holmes St.
Kansas City, MO 64110
residency@umkc.edu
816-235-8652

Other Financial Aid

You may be eligible for scholarships and other types of aid that offset the cost of paying out-of-state tuition. 

Contact the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office for more information.

Residency Tuition Rates

Missouri Rate

Missouri residency is applicable to undergraduate, graduate and professional students. This includes students enrolled at the schools of Law, Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy.

Kansas Rate

  • The Kansas Rate is for undergraduate students living in Kansas. This rate is not available to students in professional programs, such as Law, medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy programs.
  • Visit the Kansas Rate page to find out more.

Metro Rate

  • The Metro Rate is for graduate students in the Kansas City Metro area. This rate is not available to students in professional programs, such as Law, Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy schools.
  • Visit the Tuition and Fees page on the Cashiers site to learn more.

Military Rate

  • Active military members currently living in Missouri or Kansas, as well as those who have been honorably or generally discharged qualify for the Military Rate. Military spouses and dependents also qualify for this rate. 

Heartland Rate

  • This is a discounted rate for undergraduate students who are residents of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas or Wisconsin.
  • Visit the Heartland Rate page to find out more.
  • Students do not need to petition for the Heartland Rate. If a student is eligible for this rate, it will be determined during the initial application process.

Midwest Student Exchange Program

  • This is a discounted rate for residents of Wisconsin, Kansas, Ohio, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana and North Dakota to enroll in designated institutions and selected graduate programs at reduced tuition levels outside of their home state.
  • Visit the Midwest Student Exchange Program page to find out more.
  • Students do not need to petition for the Midwest Student Exchange Program rate. If a student is eligible for this rate, it will be determined during the initial application process.

Noncitizen students

Noncitizen students with lawful immigration status can become residents. This includes, but isn't limited to, most visa types, refugees and asylees. Students holding F, J and M visas are NOT eligible for in-state tuition via Missouri residence, the Kansas Rate or the Metro Rate.

Permanent residents (i.e. students with green cards) are eligible for in-state tuition. A continuing student who becomes a permanent resident while attending UMKC will not need to petition to change his or her residency status. These students can contact us about residency changes.

Permanent residents who wish to get in-state tuition after moving to Missouri or Kansas will need to petition. If petitioning for residency, permanent residents do need to prove that they have 12 months of domicile or relocated here for retirement or employment purposes.

In-state tuition is available to students with Missouri, undergraduate Kansas or graduate Metro residency and to students who qualify for the Military Rate.

Determining Residency

Residency is determined by the state of residence students list on their application to UMKC, with a few exceptions.

  • First-time college students' residency is determined based on the state of residence and the state of the high school they will graduate from. If they graduate from a high school not in Missouri, they will be considered a nonresident until proof of permanent residency is provided.
  • Students who have lived in their qualifying region for less than 12 months before applying to UMKC will have their residency determined based on their prior state of residence.
  • Any student who has a previous record as a resident of a state other than Missouri will be considered a nonresident until that student submits a petition and it is approved.
  • The residency of students under the age of 21 will be determined by where their parents live unless they are emancipated or financially independent. 

How to apply for a residency rate

  • Submit the Missouri/Kansas in-state residency status application form and all required documents before the deadline (see table)
  • You must provide proof of domicile in Missouri or Kansas for the 12 months before the semester starts
  • Once you submit your petition for residency, there is a waiting period while we make a decision based on the documentation you provided. This can take up to two weeks. The decision about your residency will be sent to your email address.
  • If your petition is approved and you’re granted residency, your tuition rate will be reassessed by the Cashiers Office and notification of the change sent to the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, which could affect your aid package.
Application Deadlines
Semester Qualifying 12 months Deadline for petition and all supporting documents
Fall August to August October 1
Spring January to January March 1
Summer June to June July 1

The burden of proof of Missouri and Kansas residency is on the student; therefore, it is important to answer all applicable questions and to provide all required documents to the Residency Processor for committee review. For questions, please email us or call (816) 235-1201.

Required documents

  1. Residency change petition form
  2. Proof of employment
  3. Copy of a valid driver’s license or state identification card
  4. Copies of federal and state income tax forms from last year
  5. Copy of your vehicle registration (if applicable)
  6. Copy of your Missouri voter registration card
  7. Copy of evidence of domicile (lease, deed or mortgage)
  8. Personal statement
  9. Secondary evidence of domicile (optional, but strongly encouraged in support of petition)

Not all documents guarantee approval for Missouri or Kansas rates. Residency petitions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

For further details regarding required documents, along with details regarding relocation due to employment/retirement or military status, please view the required documents details.

Review required documents details

View how to submit required documents

Processing fee

  • Effective Fall 2021 there is a non-refundable $250 processing fee that will be required when submitting your petition. You must be enrolled for the term for which you are petitioning.
  • If your petition is denied for a particular term, then later you feel you have met the requirement you must submit a new petition with supporting documents. An additional $250 processing fee will be required at the time of the new petition. 

 

Common Questions

No. Residency is based on where the student’s permanent home is. Owning property in Missouri or Kansas will not make you eligible for residency if you do not reside there permanently.

Students can demonstrate their independence by providing evidence of legal emancipation or by proving their financial independence. Independent students are not claimed on their parents’ taxes and do not receive financial support from their parents. Students under 21 who are claimed on their out-of-state parent’s taxes will not be eligible to update their residency to their current state.

An emancipated minor is a student under 21 years old who is not under the care, custody, and support of a legal custodian. A student may become emancipated through marriage, formal court action, abandonment, or positive action of alienation on the part of the student. Mere absence of the minor student from the domicile of  their legal custodian shall not constitute proof of emancipation. Any minor student taken as an income tax deduction (by anyone other than a spouse) is considered an unemancipated minor.

No, your residency status will not change automatically. The only way for an out-of-state student to have his or her residency changed is to petition.

No. Noncitizen students must possess ‘lawful immigration status’ to be considered residents.

Yes. In most cases students with H visas are eligible for Missouri residency, or the Kansas or Metro rates. H visa holders who have lived here for 12 months prior to applying to UMKC will not need to submit a petition. Only those who have not lived here for 12 months need to petition.

No. Do not submit all of your bank statements or utility bills for the whole year. Only two documents dated at least 12 months before the appropriate term are needed. If a document is multiple pages (such as bank statements,) you need only submit the page that lists your address, name, and the date.