By Will Geiger
Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.
Reviewed by Bill Jack
Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.
Edited by Maria Geiger
Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.
Updated: April 22nd, 2024
Public colleges and universities are some of the most affordable options for students. After all, individual states fund in-state institutions in their states so that they are affordable for residents. In-state tuition can be quite a bit more affordable than out-of-state tuition.
However, what if you want to attend a public college as an out-of-state student—is there a way that you can pay in-state tuition?
Yes, there are! In fact, there are three majors ways that students can access in-state tuition as an out-of-state student:
All of these options will give students opportunities for discounted, in-state tuition rates. In the following article, we’ll talk about how much money students can save with in-state tuition and how to qualify as an in-state student. Let’s get started!
In-state tuition can lead to some serious savings for students. Let’s take the state of Vermont for example. According to our average cost of college in the U.S. research, Vermont has the most expensive public 4-year in-state tuition with an average total Cost of Attendance, or COA, of $30,921 per year. The COA for out-of-state students is a hefty $55,152. Out-of-state students pay $24,231 per year more, for a total of $96,924 over four years!
Of course, tuition at individual public colleges and universities will vary and this will only apply to public institutions. Private colleges and universities will charge the same tuition regardless of residency. In case you were curious, the same research report from the College Board found that average private college tuition was $39,400 in 2022-2023.
Let’s take a look at this tuition example from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill:
North Carolina Residents
Out-of-state Residents
