Appealing Nonresident Status

The Nonresident Tuition Appeals Committee is the hearing body that considers the appeals for exemption from nonresident tuition. The Committee meets on call of the chair to hear and deliberate the appeals submitted in accordance with the provisions of Ch. 20 UWS Administrative Code. The evidentiary portions of the hearings are open to the public unless the appellant requests a closed session. Deliberations of the Committee are always in closed session. Notice to the appellant will be in accordance with Chapter 227, Wisconsin Statutes.

Students may choose to rely solely on their appeal affidavit and any appropriate supporting documents they choose to submit with that affidavit. If they elect not to appear at the hearing, the case will be decided based on written content only. Any information already submitted to the Office of the Registrar during a residence review will automatically be included for the Committee’s review. This information does not need to be resubmitted. However, we encourage appellants to appear at their hearing if possible. This allows appellants to provide oral testimony and answer any questions the Committee may have about their circumstances. If you choose to make a personal appearance, you may also choose to be accompanied by a guest, such as personal counsel (e.g. a parent, a spouse, etc.) or legal counsel (e.g. an attorney). However, your guests may not appear in your place and may not provide the testimony on your behalf. Parents cannot appeal on behalf of their student. The student is always the appellant and will always provide the testimony in the event of a personal appearance.

Tuition and fees are due in full by the due date shown on your Student Account Invoice. This amount must be paid by the due date in order to avoid a late payment fee. If your appeal is successful, the nonresident tuition will be refunded to you or the outside source of payment if your fees were paid by a source such as financial aid, third party, or scholarship. If the Committee denies your appeal and grants you no relief, you may choose to withdraw from the University without incurring any fees or fee penalties for that term by contacting a Residence Specialist at the Office of the Registrar no later than the Friday of the week following your hearing. You must specifically request a residency withdrawal as a result of your unsuccessful appeal. Residence Specialists cannot grant this special type of withdrawal unless your appeal hearing has concluded with an affirmation of your nonresident tuition status. In most cases, this withdrawal will fully withdraw you from the University. However, if you have already registered for courses for the subsequent term, you may still be registered for those courses and may need to manually drop them. If you withdraw from the University on your own, without requesting this special type of withdrawal from a Residence Specialist, your fees will not be removed in full unless you have withdrawn by the deadline to receive a 100% tuition refund. Appellants who choose to withdraw without requesting the residency withdrawal by the deadline will be refunded based on the date of their withdrawal request as noted in the Office of the Registrar’s dates and deadlines.

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Nonresident Tuition Appeals Committee is the final hearing agent for appeals for exemption from nonresident tuition. Cases will not be reheard following the Committee’s decision unless there is a material error of fact or law, or significant evidence which could not have been discovered by due diligence on your part prior to the hearing and which could change the Committee’s decision. Any request for rehearing on the bases noted above must be in writing, must specify in detail the grounds for the relief sought, and must include all relevant supporting documentation. The request must be received by the Office of the Registrar, Residence for tuition no later than 20 days after the mailing of your Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law letter, which sets forth the basis of the Committee’s decision. Aside from the process noted above, any further appeal for a given term after the Committee has affirmed nonresident status for that term will have to be filed in Circuit Court within 30 days after the mailing of the Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law letter. You can, however, contact the Office of the Registrar to request a redetermination of your tuition status for any subsequent term for which you are enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.