Residency Requirements
Thomas Edison State University has certain academic and financial residency requirements, however, there are no physical residency requirements for students, including those transferring foreign credit.
Academic Degree Residency Requirements
- Military programs have academic residency requirements of 12 credits for an associate degree and 24 credits for a bachelor’s degree.
- The joint associate degree program with Rutgers School of Health Professions has an academic residency requirement of 6 credits. This number of credits must be taken from the University before a student in these programs is eligible for graduation.
- Students who select the Per Credit Tuition plan, or the Full-Time Flat-Rate Tuition plan (excluding those who enroll under a military plan) with the intention of earning an associate or bachelor's degree from Thomas Edison State University must complete 15 credits via Thomas Edison State University online (OL/NU), Guided Study (GS), or e-Pack® (EP) courses. This requirement may be waived by paying the Credit Hour Residency Waiver fee.
- For students with non-US credits, Thomas Edison State University requires a minimum of 30 credits to be earned from a US institution for bachelor's degree and 15 for associate degrees. Non U.S. credits are limited to 90 for a bachelor and 45 for an associate degree.
Residency for Certificates
Undergraduate students who enroll in the University and seek to earn only a certificate must earn at least 50 percent of the credits for the certificate through Thomas Edison State University credit offerings with the following exceptions:
- A student who has not earned at least 50 percent of the credits for the certificate through Thomas Edison State University credit offerings may pay the certificate residency fee waiver in order to be awarded the certificate.
- If the certificate is awarded at the same time as a Thomas Edison State University associate or bachelor's degree, the 50 percent Thomas Edison State University credit offering requirement for a certificate does not apply, nor does the certificate residency fee waiver. In this case, the student must meet all residency requirements for the associate or bachelor's degree or pay the residency fee waiver for the degree, if required by the selected enrollment plan.
Residency for Tuition and Enrollment Purposes
Thomas Edison State University will determine residency pursuant to New Jersey Administrative Code 9A:5-1.1-1.2. The code requires that students be domiciled in the state of New Jersey for a period of 12 months prior to enrollment in a public institution of higher education in order to be eligible for in-state tuition. United States military personnel and their dependents, who are attending public institutions of higher education in New Jersey, shall be regarded as residents of the state of New Jersey for the purpose of determining tuition (N.J.S.A. 18A:62-4.1).
The Office of the Registrar is the University’s principal authority on residency determination for tuition purposes. Following the registrar’s guidance, an initial residency assessment will be determined by the Office of Admissions and Enrollment Services. The permanent address of the student in effect at the time the student applies for admission will be used to determine residency for tuition purposes. The initial determination will be communicated to the student and used for all tuition and fee assessments until a subsequent change of residency has been approved in accordance with prescribed procedures. The University has the right to ask for documentation.
All requests for a change in residency status will be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar. Students who are classified as nonresidents may petition for in-state residency to the Office of the Registrar. The application for state residency status for tuition purposes determination may be obtained on the University website under student forms. Please return completed application and documentation to the Office of the Registrar, 111 W. State St., Trenton, NJ 08608.
Students submitting change of address forms (or taking other administrative actions) that indicates their state of residency has changed will be contacted by the University and asked to verify their continued eligibility for in-state tuition. Such verification may require submission of a completed petition/questionnaire and the submission of supporting documentation.
To determine whether a person is a New Jersey domiciliary, the primary evidence is a New Jersey Resident Income Tax Return or in the case of a dependent student, a copy of his/ her parent(s), legal guardian’s/spouse’s New Jersey Resident Income Tax Return. Supplementary evidence may include current voter registration card, New Jersey driver’s license, and New Jersey motor vehicle registration.
An undocumented student who wishes to apply for in-state tuition status under the New Jersey Dream Act should complete the Request for Exemption from Out-of-State Tuition Application and Affidavit on our website.