Navigating Out-of-State Tuition Waivers at the University of Tennessee

For many prospective students, the cost of tuition can be a significant factor in deciding where to pursue higher education. The University of Tennessee (UT) System, like many public universities, charges higher tuition rates for out-of-state students. However, there are several avenues through which non-Tennessee residents may be eligible for tuition waivers or reduced tuition rates. This article will explore the various requirements and eligibility criteria for out-of-state tuition waivers at the University of Tennessee, helping prospective students understand their options for making education more affordable.

Understanding Residency Requirements

The State of Tennessee and the UT System have established residency regulations that are consistently applied across all public higher education institutions in Tennessee. UT Knoxville uses this classification to determine the appropriate tuition and fee rate, as well as to verify financial aid eligibility and retention.

Dependent vs. Independent Students

Residency classification hinges on whether a student is considered dependent or independent.

Dependent students (those under 24, unless married, a parent, or a veteran/active-duty service member) assume the domicile of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).

Independent students (those 24 or older, or meeting other independence criteria) must provide clear and convincing evidence that their move to Tennessee was not primarily for educational purposes. Simply owning property or having a Tennessee driver's license is insufficient to establish in-state status.

Even if parents do not claim a student as a dependent for income tax purposes, the student may still be considered financially dependent if they are eligible to be claimed under the federal income tax code. The student needs to document he/she has income independent of parents sufficient to support themselves. Income obtained from parent financed, guaranteed or co-signed loans, gifts from parents, loans, grants or scholarships received by a student who is classified as a dependent for FAFSA purposes, property purchased by parents, and college funds, 529 plans, trust funds or savings plans set up for a student are not considered independent financial support.

Factors Affecting Initial Classification

The admissions process considers various factors when determining a student's initial residency status, including:

Address of student and parents
High school graduation state (including boarding schools and home school affiliation outside of Tennessee)
Transfer work from out-of-state educational facilities
Tax information

Reclassification Process

Students initially classified as out-of-state for tuition purposes can request a review of their residency status. This involves submitting a residency application and supporting documentation by the deadline to add or drop full session courses without a "W" for the semester in which reclassification is sought. Applications received after the deadline will be considered for the next semester. Retroactive residency classifications are not available.

The application is reviewed by the appropriate residency classifier (e.g., Undergraduate, Graduate, College of Law, or College of Veterinary Medicine). The Residency Committee reviews first appeal materials, and the Residency Coordinator reviews prior materials and the decision of the Residency Committee.

Students who have completed the full appeals process and were denied in-state residency may reapply in a future semester if their circumstances have changed.

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Common Misconceptions

Tennessee residency guidelines for tuition purposes are independent of other state rules or regulations governing residency for other purposes, including property tax liability, eligibility to vote, obtaining a driver license or registering a car.
Out-of-state students do not acquire domicile in Tennessee while attending a higher educational facility regardless of the length of time a student is enrolled. A presence in the state of Tennessee to attend a higher educational institution does not provide permanent domicile but is considered a temporary residence for educational purposes.
Turning 24 or otherwise being classified as an independent student while attending the University does not automatically provide a student with in-state classification.
Receiving in-state classification at another higher educational institution in the state of Tennessee does not automatically grant in-state classification at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Employee Fee Waivers

The University of Tennessee offers fee waivers to eligible employees, which can significantly reduce the cost of tuition.

Eligibility for Employees

Full-time regular faculty and staff are eligible for a fee waiver for up to a maximum of nine undergraduate or graduate credit hours per term. This waiver applies to university maintenance fees and out-of-state tuition.

Eligibility is determined by the employee's status on the published first day of classes for each term or summer school session, with the exception of graduate assistants (GTA’s, GA’s and GRA’s).
Employees on leaves of absence with pay, or on leaves of absence without pay due to an on-the-job injury or family and medical leave, retain eligibility.
Employees must meet all admission requirements, complete prerequisite courses, and follow established registration procedures.
The employee must work the prescribed percent of time for which employed, and time taken for class attendance must be made up or leave used, based upon an arrangement with the supervisor and department head.

Course Restrictions and Considerations

If possible, courses should be taken outside the normal working day. The needs of the office shall be considered by the supervisor and the department head in approving class time or make-up/leave time during the normal working day. All requests for a modified work schedule to take courses must be approved by the employee’s department head and the director of human resources or their designees.
Fee waivers for mini-term credit courses are permitted provided that the employee and the department head agree on an acceptable work schedule or determine that the employee will take annual leave.
Employee fee waivers apply to mathematics and other refresher courses for which no credit is given but the courses are required as prerequisites for other credit courses. One zero-credit-hour course would reduce the employee’s fee waiver eligibility by three hours.
The employee fee waiver applies to distance education courses which are offered for credit and are listed in the employee’s home campus catalog. Any video access fee is not covered by the fee waiver.
The employee fee waiver applies to courses offered by the Tennessee Language Center.

Courses Not Covered

Fees are not waived for non-required non-credit courses, correspondence courses, special credit courses with workshop fees, and distance education courses not listed in the employee’s home catalog. However, departments are permitted to pay for such courses provided the following conditions are met: the department-head considers the course to be of direct value to the employee’s current job; a similar credit course is not available at an appropriate time or location; and, the request is approved by the campus chief business officer or designee.

Summer Session for Faculty

Full-time faculty on academic year appointments may take up to 15 hours during the summer session with waiver of fees, provided they are not teaching during that period and are employed by UT for the following school year (August - July).

Graduate Assistants

Persons appointed as graduate assistants, graduate teaching assistants and graduate research assistants receive an accompanying fellowship award consisting of waiver of fees during the fall and spring semesters or fall, winter, and spring quarters. If the individual holds an appointment during the summer, he or she is entitled to waiver of fees.

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Inter-institutional Agreements

The chief administrator of a campus may make arrangements with other state educational institutions to offer job-related courses with waiver of fees to employees provided that no appropriate courses are available on that campus. In this event each campus may develop a procedure ensuring reimbursement of fees paid under any of the following conditions: (1) failure to complete the course(s), (2) termination of employment prior to the completion of the course(s), or (3) failure to pass the course(s).

Retiree Fee Waivers

University retirees with 10 years of full-time employment with the University of Tennessee may receive fee waivers for up to 9 undergraduate or graduate credit hours per term at any University of Tennessee campus. University retirees with 10 years of regular continuous part-time employment at a minimum of 50 percent time with the University of Tennessee may receive fee waivers based upon the percent of effort worked just prior to retirement.

State Employee Fee Waivers

State law provides full-time employees at the University of Tennessee and Tennessee Board of Regents and Locally Governed Institutions with a fee waiver for one course for credit per term (maximum of four terms per year) at any state supported college, university, or area vocational- technical school. This waiver also applies to tuition charges, maintenance fees, student activity fees, or registration fees.

The employee must comply with the enrolling institution’s requirements which may involve 1) presenting a valid University of Tennessee employee identification card; 2) completing the institution’s approval form; and/or 3) waiting for late registration to assure space in the class.

The University of Tennessee fee waiver and the state fee waiver shall not be combined to waive fees for courses taken at the University of Tennessee. Since the UT fee waiver already exceeds the state benefit, the state fee waiver may not be used by University of Tennessee employees to take courses at any UT campus.

Other Tuition Reduction Opportunities

Tennessee Hope Scholarships

Employees who are eligible for educational assistance (fee waiver) and are also recipients of any of the Tennessee Hope Scholarships are eligible for both benefits in full without coordination of benefits or any reductions applied.

Military Affiliation

UTK does not provide waivers in out-of-state tuition to students residing in bordering states. Border waivers are available at some Tennessee higher education institutions.

Full-time active duty military whose Home of Record or Home of Legal Residence is not Tennessee and are currently stationed in the state of Tennessee or at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, are eligible to be out-of-state students who do not have to pay out-of-state tuition. Current active duty military orders need to be provided to receive this waiver.

Full-time active duty military whose Home of Record or Home of Legal Residence is Tennessee and is currently stationed out-of-state or abroad, qualify for in-state classification for tuition purposes. Current active duty military orders and documentation to show Home of Record or Home of Legal Residence will need to be provided.

Full-time active duty military or veteran military whose Home of Record or Home of Legal Residence is not Tennessee and are stationed outside of Tennessee are eligible to be out-of-state students who do not have to pay out-of-state tuition under the Tennessee Vets Act.

Inactive/veteran reservists or national guard are eligible to be out-of-state students who do not have to pay out-of-state tuition under the Tennessee Vets Act.

ROTC cadet students enrolled at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in the ROTC program and are eligible for and are currently and actively participating in the ROTC program are eligible to be out-of-state students who do not have to pay out-of-state tuition under the Tennessee Vets Act. This waiver is provided on a per-semester basis and is only available while eligible for and currently and actively participating as an ROTC student.

Dependent of full-time active duty military whose Home of Record or Home of Legal Residence is not Tennessee and are currently stationed in the state of Tennessee or at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, are eligible to be out-of-state students who do not have to pay out-of-state tuition. Current active duty military orders need to be provided to the residency classifier to receive this waiver.

Dependent of full-time active duty military whose Home of Record or Home of Legal Residence is Tennessee and currently stationed outside of Tennessee qualify for in-state classification for tuition purposes. Current active duty military orders and documentation to show Home of Record or Home of Legal Residence will need to be provided. A current Certificate of Eligibility or document showing VA educational benefits eligibility that are administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs will need to be provided to the residency classifier to receive this benefit. If not eligible for and using such benefits for the first semester the dependent student attends, out-of-state fees will be applied and due until benefits are used and will not be refunded for prior semesters benefits were not used. If benefits being used expire while the dependent student is enrolled at UTK the out-of-state waiver will remain as-long-as the student remains continuously enrolled. Dependent students who receive such benefits but are attending an online program and living outside of Tennessee are not eligible for the waiver in out-of-state tuition and residency classification would be determined in the same way as any other student. Benefits must be administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

Non-U.S. Citizens

Non US citizens who have current status of lawful permanent resident, Asylee, and certain non-immigrants who hold visas from particular categories (A1, A2, A3, E1, E2, G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, H1b, H4 (only if a dependent of an H1B visa), I, K1, K2, K3, K4, L1, L1a, L1b, L2, NATO1, NATO2, NATO3, NATO4, NATO5, NATO6, NATO7, O1, O3 (only dependents of an O1 visa), P1, P2, P3, P4, R1, R2, T1, or V visa) who can provide proof that they have initiated the process to become either a permanent resident or naturalized, may be eligible to be classified in-state if they meet all other requirements for in-state classification as a dependent or independent person and meet Eligibility Verification for Entitlements (EVEA) regulations set forth by the State. Students holding an F or J visa are not eligible for in-state classification even if parents, spouse or legal guardians are US citizens, legal permanent residents or hold a visa category listed above. Students who have applied for or obtained Deferred Action are ineligible for in-state tuition rates based on domicile, regardless of whether parents/legal guardian are living in Tennessee.

Other Waivers and Discounts

Age-Related Tuition Reduction: Tennessee residents who are or will be age 65 or above during the academic term may enroll for credit courses free of charge.
Tuition Reduction for the Permanently and Totally Disabled: In accordance with Tennessee Code Annotated, Section §49-7-113, Tennessee residents who have a permanent total disability may qualify for reduced tuition at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Dependents of Military Veterans: This waiver applies to every dependent child in Tennessee under age 23 whose parent(s) served in the US military during an armed conflict and to spouses of veterans who meet the below conditions.
UT Southern In-State Tuition: At UT Southern, students from across the country can experience the quality education, small class sizes, and supportive community of UT Southern at an affordable cost. You pay the same tuition and fees as in-state students: approximately $11,264 for the academic year.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

UT offers scholarships to out-of-state students who show high academic excellence and achievements. Additionally, grants are reserved for students with the highest financial need and do not need to be repaid. Student loans help cover educational expenses. Students, assistants and associates in graduate positions who are employed at least 25% time at the University receive some tuition and/or maintenance waivers. Individual academic departments authorize these positions.

Responsibilities and Contacts

Employees are responsible for applying to the university, enrolling in classes, and completing the waiver and taxation forms.

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