My parents are divorced. My dad has been a resident of the state of Washington for 18 years, owns his house, etc. For the last seven years, my mom and I have lived in Hawaii. She claims me. Will I be able to petition to be classified as an in-state resident at the University of Washington at Seattle?
If your mom claims you as a dependent on her tax return, then it appears the only way you can get residency status in Washington is if your dad can produce documentation that shows you are financially dependent on him: Questionnaire: Financially Dependent Students - Office of the University Registrar
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Can your father claim you this year? Maybe do the math to see what the benefit would be to you and how much your mother would lose?
Thanks! I’m not sure that can happen.
If you live in Hawaii, you could check out WUE (Western Undergraduate Exchange) It’s a group of Western US schools that agree to reduce the tuition rates for students who live in the Western region of the US. You pay 150% or less of a schools non-resident tuition.
This is their example:
If Best Western University’s resident tuition is $10,000 for the academic year, then your WUE rate would be $15,000 ($10,000 x 1.5). If their nonresident tuition is $25,000, then you’d save $10,000 ($25,000 – $15,000). Estimated savings are posted on each school’s profile in the WUE Savings Finder; you can get precise up-to-date figures directly from your enrolling WUE school.
https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/
It will reduce your tuition, but not everyone who applies will get the WUE rates.
Ask your Dad if he can show that you are providing the support. If she claims you, then it will be tough.
Note that WUE discounts are available at Washington public universities except University of Washington (Seattle, Bothell, Tacoma):