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I wrote a well-read post last year called TUITION HACK: LITTLE-KNOWN WAYS TO PAY IN-STATE TUITION RATES AT OUT-OF-STATE COLLEGES. It’s about cutting the high cost of out-of-state public universities by becoming an actual resident of the particular state where the college was located.

As I mentioned in the article, there are four basic elements used to determine residency by these out-of-state public universities. They are, 1) Duration of residence requirement, 2) Financial independence, 3) Proof of residency, and 4) Non-academic purpose for becoming a resident.

The price an out-of-state student pays can be 50% higher than that charged to in-state residents.  However, becoming an actual resident of the state that your college choice is located can be very difficult. Another way to bring down the cost of out-of-state tuition is through regional exchange programs.

Regional exchange programs allow residents of participating states to attend member colleges at the school’s in-state rate, or at a significantly discounted cost. Here are the current four exchange programs in the United States:

Academic Common Market        

https://www.sreb.org/academic-common-market

Midwest Student Exchange        

http://msep.mhec.org

New England Student Exchange     

http://www.nebhe.org/programs-overview/rsp-tuition-break/overview/

Western Undergraduate Exchange

https://www.wiche.edu/wue

 There are some restrictions on these out-of-state reciprocity programs.

Not all states participate. New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey,  Iowa, and North Carolina do not participate in any program.

Not all public schools within each state participate in any program, especially the most popular state flagship universities.

Schools that do participate Western Undergraduate Exchange and Midwest Student Exchange may restrict the majors available and the total number of program participants allowed.

The New England Regional Student Program and the Academic Common Market require that students major in a program not available in their home state. If they change majors, they lose the discount.

Yes, there are a lot of stipulations you must be aware of, but if the student qualifies he or she could potentially eliminate the out-of-state premium to their ideal college choice. The following table lists the exchange programs for each state.