Frequently Asked Questions

You may view the Montana University System's Residency Policy established by the Board of Regents online. 

The burden to prove financial independence is upon the petitioner.  Typically, tax returns, pay stubs with year-to-date earnings, financial aid award documentation, tax exempt affidavits, and savings documentation are submitted.  Petitioners may provide other documentation to establish clear and convincing evidence that the student is more than 51% financially independent. 

Tuition payments sources are considered when evaluating financial independence.  If a parent or guardian pays tuition it considered as support not a student resource. 

If a parent claims a student as dependent the student’s residency is impacted based on the state in which those taxes were filed.  For example: if the parent resides outside Montana files as a resident of another state it is unlikely the student would be considered a Montana resident for tuition purposes. f the parent resides in Montana and files resident Montana income taxes it may help the student establish Montana residency for tuition purposes;  

529 accounts are considered parent resources and is therefore considered as support received from a parent or guardian.  

• If you currently live in Montana and have already started establishing/transferring your legal ties (driver’s license, vehicle registration, voter registration), you can apply seeking in-state classification as a Montana resident.  This will inform the Office of Admissions of your intent and help them to determine if additional documentation may be needed from you to determine your residency classification.  
• If you do not live in Montana and have not established/transferred all of your legal ties to Montana (driver’s license, vehicle registration, voter registration), you should apply as out-of-state (i.e. NOT seeking in-state classification as a Montana resident).  Once you move to Montana, please contact the Office of Admissions for more information regarding petitioning for reclassification. 

• If you live in Montana but have not established any legal ties in Montana (driver’s license, vehicle registration, voter registration), you should apply as out-of-state (i.e. NOT seeking in-state classification as a Montana resident).  Please contact the Office of Admissions for more information regarding petitioning for reclassification.  
• If you do not live in Montana and have not established/transferred all of your legal ties to Montana (driver’s license, vehicle registration, voter registration), you should apply as out-of-state (i.e. NOT seeking in-state classification as a Montana resident).  Once you move to Montana, please contact the Office of Admissions for more information regarding petitioning for reclassification. 

• Please contact your Admissions Evaluator for additional information and instructions on updating your application. 

   

• If you believe you have met the requirements for establishing in-state Montana residency for tuition purposes, your residency status can be reviewed upon submission of a petition for reclassification. 

• Undergraduate students new to MSU or Gallatin College, including those transferring to MSU from Gallatin College, should contact their Admissions Evaluator. 
• Continuing or returning students, please contact the Registrar's Office 
• Incoming Graduate Students contact the Graduate School 

No- Please gather all requested documentation before submitting your packet to the Registrar's Office. 

Once a petition has been turned in with complete documents, it typically takes 2-4 weeks for it to be reviewed. 

It does not. You would still need to meet the requirements set by the Board of Regents. 

Veronica Jordan | [email protected] | (406) 994-4161

***All Residency Appointments are conducted remotely via Web Ex. After the appointment is set-up you will recieve an email the morning of the appointment with information on how to Log-in Online or join by phone. You do not need to be a member of Web-Ex in order to join the meeting.