Waivers

Students who are in an M.S. Plan A program or a Ph.D. program and hold a 0.5 FTE graduate assistantship (Teaching or Research) for the entire semester (from the first day of classes through the last day of finals) are eligible for the Research Waiver of non-resident tuition for that semester. Eligibility for this waiver is verified using information supplied by the department to the School of Graduate Studies. There is an expectation that students will gain residency after one year. Students who cannot gain residency (e.g. international students) may receive the waiver beyond one year if they continue to meet eligibility requirements.

Assistantships are awarded by colleges/departments. Students should contact their department or graduate program coordinator for more information

USU will waive the nonresident portion of tuition for the first year of any incoming graduate student who has an admission GPA above their college average and meets the criteria of excellence as defined by their college and/or department. This waiver is available to graduate students in any degree program but may only be applied for the first year a student is in a graduate degree program. The School of Graduate Studies will verify eligibility for this waiver by using information supplied by the department and by looking at the average admission GPA that is calculated annually for each college. 

Students should contact their department or graduate program coordinator for more information

Students who meet the School of Graduate Studies admission criteria and are a resident of participating states may enroll in graduate programs approved as Western Regional Graduate Programs (WRGP) by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) without paying nonresident tuition. Utah State University’s WRGP degrees can be found on the School of Graduate Studies website. Please visit Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education for more information.

Apply for the WRGP Waiver

The Alumni Legacy Nonresident waiver is available to nonresident students whose parent earned a degree from Utah State University. Qualifying students will have the nonresident portion of tuition waived for their first year while they gain Utah residency.

To qualify, a student must:

• Be admitted into a graduate program.
• Be enrolled as a first-semester graduate student at USU.
• Have at least one parent (biological, step, or legal guardian) who earned an associate degree or higher from USU.
• Remain in good standing. 

Apply for an Alumni Legacy Nonresident Waiver

HB 144 is a House Bill that was passed in 2002 in the state of Utah that allows qualifying undocumented students to pay in-state tuition if they attend a Utah college or university. To qualify for this waiver, students must meet the following criteria:

• Attended a Utah high school for at least 3 years.
• Graduated from a Utah high school with a diploma or G.E.D.
• Must not be registered as an entering student at a Utah college or university before the fall semester 2002.
• Filed an application to legalize immigration status or will file an application as soon as eligible to do so. 

This exemption of nonresident tuition will not be considered until you are an admitted student to Utah State University. If you do not attend Utah State University as an undergraduate student, you must provide high school transcripts showing your graduation date.

Submit a HB144 Exception Affidavit