When will a student know if they have to pay in state or out of state tuition for graduate school?

[grad29]

I am going to a graduate program in Wisconsin this fall, 2016. I've lived in Minnesota for the past 5 years and live/work here, so am a Minnesota resident. However after looking up the Wisconsin statutes to see how long it will take for me to establish residency in Wisconsin, I see that there are exceptions already in place for students who graduated from a Wisconsin high school and have parents who are residents of the state (both apply to me). So it looks like instead of having to pay Minnesota reciprocity I may be able to pay the tuition of a Wisconsin resident. 

Will it be indicated on my Fafsa if I get in state tuition or is that just something that shows up automatically in my school balance when my tuition comes due in fall, 2016? Thanks in advance.

[rising_star]

You could just call the financial aid office and ask them how you will be treated. It could be that getting in-state status if your parents are residents of Wisconsin only applies to undergraduates, for example. Rather than wait and find out, why not pose your question to the financial aid office and see what they say about your residency status?

[Psychologyandpizza]

Minnesota and Wisconsin have reciprocity rules, if I'm correct. I thought we were allowed to receive in state tuition rates from either state. I live in WI by the way  

[grad29]

6 minutes ago, Psychologyandpizza said:

Minnesota and Wisconsin have reciprocity rules, if I'm correct. I thought we were allowed to receive in state tuition rates from either state. I live in WI by the way  

Not exactly, it was $47 more per credit for Minnesota residents than for Wisconsin residents. I took the advice of Rising Star and contacted financial aid office. They said based on me graduating high school and having parents who were residents I will be given in state tuition rates. Would have gotten them the 2nd year regardless, but the first year I will now save $47 x 35 credits, or $1,645! Now if I can just qualify for the post GI Bill I will be on cloud 9.

[shadowclaw]

In my limited experience, you will be told about your residency status in one of the ways:

1) Applications often ask you residency questions to determine your residency status before you've even submitted the application. However, if you've recently become a resident and will be just making any cutoffs for dates by the time you start classes or fall under any special exceptions, the application system may not be set up to accurately determine this.

2) You will get either an email or snail mail letter that lists your residency status. This would come sometime between receiving your acceptance letter and actually starting classes. However, I'm not sure if all schools do this.

3) Once you've confirmed that you will be attending, have sent in all of the nessary paperwork and deposits, and are given access to your school's online student portal (some sort of website where you can register for class, see your bill, etc.), you should be able to see a page that lists your residency status. This should be true no matter what school you attend. However, if you have recently become a resident or meet special requirements, you may have to provide the school with documentation before they will change your status to in-state.

I don't believe your FAFSA will list anything about residency on it, just how much you're expected to pay out of pocket for your education and what loans or grants you're eligible for. It will probably be a while before you find out your residency status from the school, so if you really want to know right now, contacting the financial aid or business office it's your best bet, because they will know about all of the rules and regulations and can let you know what to expect.