The Residency Determination Service (RDS) is the centralized system in North Carolina for determining residency for students.
The state of North Carolina substantially subsidizes the cost of tuition for all students whose domicile, or permanent legal residence, is in North Carolina.
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You may qualify as a resident for tuition purposes if:
- you and or/your parent(s)/ legal guardian have established and maintained legal residence (or domicile) in North Carolina for at least 12 consecutive months before you claimed residency,
- your intent is to make North Carolina your home indefinitely, and
- you came to North Carolina for reasons other than to attend college
- To learn more about residency and to apply,