Can You Qualify for In-State Tuition?

Residents of 14 participating states are eligible to enroll in available graduate programs outside of their home state at resident tuition rates. The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) is a tuition-discounting program similar to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) and is coordinated by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE).

Eligibility Requirements

1. Reside in a WRGP eligible state for at least nine consecutive months prior to the beginning of the first academic term of WRGP acceptance.
2. Proof of a permanent address in the WRGP state.
3. Payment of state income tax on wages earned in the WRGP state.
4. Proof of eligibility can be demonstrated by submitting three of the following items:
   • Vehicle registration
   • Driver’s license
   • W2
   • State income tax return
   • Utility bill dated approximately nine months prior to the start of your classes at UNC

Applicants who apply for a WICHE eligible graduate program and reside in a WICHE eligible state will be notified by email after the graduate application is submitted and are given the opportunity to load at least three of these five documents to their Admissions Portal so WICHE status eligibility can be determined.

FAQ's

• Only three of the five documents listed must be submitted to qualify. You do not need to submit all five. Federal 1040 income tax form is not a qualifying document. You should submit your most recent state income tax form. The form must be the actual income tax form, and not your authorization to efile. You may black out any personal information e.g., Social security number, income, etc. when sending these documents to the email address.  The name and address must be visible along with the tax year.
• Vehicle registration and/or utility bills can be in someone else’s name as long as the address reflected on them is the same as the UNC applicant’s address. 
• Documents must be current. No expired vehicle registration or driver’s license will be accepted. All parts of these documents must be clearly visible. 
• No alternative documents will be accepted e.g., pay stubs, student loan forms, vehicle proof of insurance, etc.
• Documents should be combined into one pdf and uploaded to the admissions portal for review. If you cannot submit the pdf to your portal, you may send it to janis.hooper@sh-qjwh.com. If you were attending school in a different state, but did not establish domicile in that state, you may still qualify for WICHE in your state of domicile. You must prove through these documents that you did not establish domicile in the new state.
• If after admission to a WICHE eligible program you request to change your program/site to an Extended Campus program, you will not be able to maintain WICHE status.