Residency Information

The NC Residency Determination Service (RDS) determines residency for tuition purposes for all UNC System universities.

If you are a new, incoming, or current undergraduate student, and you wish to request a residency classification, you will apply using the NC Residency Determination Service (RDS).  (The process could take several weeks, see explanation below).

  • To begin the process, visit www.NCresidency.org  
  • ALL undergraduate student inquiries about initial determinations, reconsiderations, or appeals, should be directed to RDS, the sole authority for undergraduate residency determinations. You may reach RDS by telephone or email:

Note that the process could take up to 25 days to complete, so starting early is in the student's best interest. If you have not completed the residency application within 25 days from the time you first started the application, RDS will give a nonresident determination and the student will need to submit a reconsideration with RDS using the contact information above.

In accordance with the UNC System Office, beginning Fall 2019, residency applications must be completed with a residency determination by RDS no later than the 45th day from the start date of the term for a fall/spring term (counting  ALL days in a term) in order for the residency determination to apply in the current term. For Summer I or Summer II terms, the deadline is prorated based on the number of days in the term. For exact dates, please see the academic calendar. Failure to meet this deadline will result in a residency determination beginning the next eligible term for which a student is registered.

CHECK YOUR STUDENT BILL: If you have received a residency determination from RDS and your tuition bill for the affected term does not reflect the correct tuition rate associated with the determination, please submit a UNCP Trouble Ticket here.

More questions? Visit our Residency FAQs page found here.

If you are experiencing residency issues that we can help you with at the campus level, please submit a UNCP Residency Trouble Ticket here.