Financial Matters: Studying out-of-state at in-state prices
Because of agreements developed between some neighboring states, many out-of-state students pay tuition at the same or only a slightly higher rate than in-state residents. For example, students from Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin may be eligible for tuition reductions at certain mid-western institutions through the Midwest Student Exchange Program.
The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program allows residents of member states to enroll in participating institutions at reduced tuition. States served by WUE include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The Academic Common Market provides reduced tuition (often at in-state fees) for students in sixteen southern states who want to pursue degrees not available at their own in-state public universities. Undergraduate reciprocity programs are available to students in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Some state universities, such as the University of Texas at Austin, attract highly qualified students to their state by offering them scholarships that include the right to pay in-state tuition. Other state systems, such as that of the Virginia public colleges, have a tuition structure that may result in out-of-state students paying no more than they would for a similar education in their home state.
The bottom line is to check out prices at all programs of interest to you. You may just be surprised by the cost of studying out-of-state!
