Residency Information

Attention Current Students

If you are currently not classified as a resident for tuition purposes and you believe you meet the requirements of NC G.S. ' 116-143.1 or 116-143.3, please file your application and supporting documentation to your admissions office by the appropriate dates below. It is the student's responsibility to provide the documentation necessary to support his or her claims for in-state residency for tuition purposes by the applicable deadlines.

Fall Semester 2011 - please file your application with all supporting documentation by 5 p.m., September 6, 2011.

Spring Semester 2012 - please file your application with all supporting documentation by 5 p.m. January 23, 2012.

All admitted students must be classified - initially or after a lapse in enrollment - as a resident or nonresident for tuition purposes, as per North Carolina law. Evidence is necessary to claim residency.

Residency applications can be printed from a link on the right or completed from the LSAC online application and sent to the Office of Admissions in ONE of the following ways:

1. You can mail the application to the UNC School of Law, Office of Admissions, Van Hecke-Wettach Hall, CB 3380, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3380.
2. You can fax the application to us at 919.843.7939.
3. You can email the application to us at law_admissions@unc.edu

Please allow us a few days after sending the residency application to process and update the status of your file. You will be notified via the online status checker and via an email when your residency application has been received and your file is complete.

Please note that the online residency application for graduate students on the university website should not be used to apply for residency at the School of Law.

Important Residency Note

Each entering class is usually comprised of 70-75 percent in-state students and 25-30 percent out-of-state students. Therefore, each applicant's residency status must be determined before a final admission decision can be made.

All applicants claiming North Carolina residency status (even if you've lived in North Carolina your entire life) must complete the North Carolina Residency Form (applicants needing visual assistance should complete this residency form).

Additional information about claiming North Carolina residency for tuition purposes can be obtained from the Office of the University Registrar.

Forms

North Carolina Residency Form
Form used to claim residency for tuition purposes.

North Carolina Residency Form (for those needing visual assistance)
Form used to claim residency for tuition purposes.

Resident Status Supplemental Form
For the applicant who is not a United States citizen and are eligible to apply for North Carolina residency.

Military Tuition Benefit Form
For military applicants, spouses or dependents. This form is for those who will be active duty military in North Carolina while attending law school or the dependent of someone who is active duty military in North Carolina while attending law school. It does not qualify you as a resident of North Carolina for tuition purposes, but allows those who qualify to pay the resident tuition rate as a nonresident. Please make sure you submit all required documents and affidavits with the form.

N.C. Residency Statute

North Carolina law (G.S. 116-143.1) provides, "To qualify as a resident for tuition purposes, a person must have established legal residence (domicile) in North Carolina and maintained that legal residence for 12 months immediately prior to his or her classification as a resident for tuition purposes."