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In-State Tuition Residency Requirements

For tuition purposes, Texas state law classifies all applicants to El Paso Community College as either (1) Residents of Texas, (2) Non-residents of Texas, or (3) foreign students. This is important since this determines whether students pay in-state or out-of-state tuition, and whether or not a student might qualify for state-based financial aid. Please understand that residency for admission and tuition purposes at EPCC is different from residency for voting or tax purposes, and will be based on the information provided on the ApplyTexas application in accordance with the rules established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

A student’s residency status is determined at the time of application by the answers given on the Core Residency section of the application. If a student would like to have EPCC to review their residency status as determined by the application the student can resubmit their EPCC Core Questions and request that Admissions and Registration complete a Residency Classification Review. Students will be contacted as to the documentation needed to support this request for review. Students will also need to submit a new application anytime that there has been an interruption in their enrollment equal to or longer than a consecutive fall and spring semester.

In order to qualify as a Texas resident an individual must both (1) reside in Texas for one year and (2) establish a domicile in Texas prior to enrollment. An applicant or student who is claimed as a dependent on a parent’s most recent federal tax return will be classified based on the parent’s qualifications for residency. An applicant (or the applicant’s parent, in the case of dependent students) are considered to have established a domicile in Texas if at least one of the following conditions has been met for at least twelve consecutive months immediately preceding the census date of the semester in which a person seeks to enroll:

  • Sole or joint marital ownership of residential real property in Texas having established and maintained domicile at that residence,
  • Ownership and customary management of a business which is regularly operated without the intent of liquidation in the foreseeable future
  • Gainful employment that provides for at least one-half of the individual's expenses or employment of at least twenty hours per week. For gainful employment purposes, wages earned cannot include funds received from employment that is conditional upon a person’s status as a student. So earnings received from work study, stipends, fellowships, teaching assistantships, etc., do not qualify as gainful employment.
  • Marriage for at least twelve consecutive months immediately preceding the census date of the semester in which a person seeks to enroll to a person who has established and maintained a domicile by one of the above three methods detailed above.

Again – Texas residency requires that the individual both live in Texas for at 12 consecutive months and that they establish a domicile (as outlined above) in the state of Texas.

The establishment and/or update of a student’s residency status will always require a new application with the Core Residency Questions completed. Students who wish their residency status to be reviewed my submit an updated Residency Core Questions. The Office of Admissions & Registration will contact the student after reviewing their Residency Core Questions and determining what type of documentation is needed to support their residency claim. It should be understood that a student’s residency status can never be established or updated merely by presenting documentation. A new application or an updated Residency Core Questions form will always be need to update a student’s residency status.

The rules established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board provide several options to establish Texas Residency. These options are detailed below. A student may be asked to provide documentation that provides proof that they have both lived in Texas for the last year and established a domicile in the state. The type of documentation requested may differ according to the student’s individual circumstances.