Appealing Nonresident Status

Appeal Process

While all nonresident students have the right to submit an appeal, consulting with a Residence Specialist will help you determine whether moving forward with an appeal is a reasonable decision under your individual circumstances. Having a clear understanding of the law and appeals process may save you a good deal of time and energy. Appeals decisions are always made in accordance with Wisconsin law, so students cannot be granted resident status unless they demonstrate eligibility under Wisconsin Statutes 36.27(2).

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The Nonresident Tuition Appeals Committee

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.

The Hearing

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

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.

The Final Decision and Further Appeals

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.

Prerequisites

There are a few conditions required to submit an Appeal from Nonresident Tuition Status:

  1. You must be classified as a nonresident student for the semester that you are appealing.
  2. You must be enrolled in the semester for which you are appealing. If you are not enrolled in your semester of appeal, your appeal will be dismissed without review.
  3. You must ensure that the Office of the Registrar, Residence for Tuition Section receives your appeal application by the deadline listed on this website for that semester of appeal. Appeal applications received after the deadline will not be processed or considered.

What happens after I submit an Appeal for Exemption from Nonresident Tuition?

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The Office of the Registrar will confirm that your appeal has been received.

It may take up to a week or more to confirm receipt of your appeal, depending on the volume of residence traffic at the time you submit your form. If you wish to confirm receipt of your appeal more quickly, you may call a Residence Specialist at (608) 262-1355.

Your enrollment for the term of your appeal will be verified.

If you have not registered for classes in the academic term for which you are appealing, your appeal will not be heard.

You will be scheduled for a hearing on a first come, first served basis.

Appeals are generally heard during the semester of appeal. In most cases, students will pay the nonresident tuition charges when the tuition bill is due, but if the appeal is successful, the difference between the resident and nonresident tuition rate will be refunded.

A “Notice of Hearing” letter will be mailed to you ten days prior to the hearing date.

If you waive your right to a ten-day notice on the Application’s legal rights page, the Office of the Registrar will still send you a notice of your hearing date, but it may be sent less than ten days prior to the hearing.

Your appeal will be considered in a formal appeal hearing.

The Nonresident Tuition Appeals Committee decides the outcome of residence for tuition appeals in an appeal hearing. Students have the right to appear at their hearing to provide testimony or may choose to have their appeal considered based on written information only.

The hearing results will be mailed to you after the hearing.

Both successful and unsuccessful appellants will be mailed a short letter that simply lists the outcome of their appeal. Unsuccessful appellants will also be mailed a separate “Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law” letter that provides more context about the Committee’s decision. This longer letter is mailed within thirty days of the hearing, usually about a month after the hearing date.

Appeals Forms

Each academic term has specific dates in which the application will become available and when it is due. If there is no application available for a specific term, either it has not been released or the window to submit an appeal for that term has closed. You do not need to wait until the deadline to submit an Appeal Application. If you intend to appeal, it is in your best interest to submit the appeal application as soon as possible after completing it so that the Office of the Registrar can begin the initial processing of your appeal.

Important: You must contact a Residence Specialist before completing and submitting an appeal form. A formal residency appeal is not the correct way to request residency in many cases. A Residence Specialist will help you understand if this is the correct process for you. It is best to contact a Residence Specialist by phone at (608) 262-1355. If you cannot reach someone, please leave a message with your phone number and a specialist will return your call when available. You can also contact Residence Specialists at ResidenceForTuition@registrar.wisc.edu.

Please do not attempt to “pre-submit” your appeal form for review. All information that you send to the Registrar’s Office about your residency will be included in your residence file in it’s current state. If you have questions about your appeal form, please contact a residence specialist first, then submit your appeal form after you are certain it is complete.

All “in-person hearings” will be conducted remotely via Zoom. Appellants will only need a web browser and internet connection to attend an appeal hearing.

wdt_ID Term, Year Appeals Form First Available Deadline for Submitting Appeals (4:00 p.m. on this day) Form Link Will Appear Here When Available
3 Spring 2024 Friday, December 1, 2023 Friday, February 2, 2024
4 Summer 2024 Monday, April 15, 2024 TBD