Residency Requirements

Thomas Edison State University has certain academic residency requirements, however, there are no physical residency requirements. 

Academic Residency Requirement

• All degree programs that have a capstone course requirement must have that capstone requirement fulfilled by Thomas Edison State University credit. The capstone requirement cannot be fulfilled via transfer credit. See Capstone Transfer Policy.
• The joint degree programs with Rutgers School of Health Professions have academic residency requirements. For associate degrees the requirement is 6 credits and for bachelor’s degrees the requirement is 12 credits. This number of credits must be taken from the University before a student in these programs is eligible for graduation.
• For non-degree enrolled students, at least 50% of the credits required for an undergraduate or a graduate certificate must be earned at Thomas Edison State University. Application of any transferred credits is at the discretion of the dean.

Credit Hour Residency Requirements

• The University’s military programs have credit residency requirements of 12 credits for an associates degree program and 24 credits for a bachelor’s degree program. This includes students enrolled under the Military Degree Completion Plan, Navy College Distance Learning Partnership and ArmyIgnitED.
• Students enrolled under the Per Credit Tuition Plan have a credit residency requirement of 16 Online, Guided Study or E-pack credits that covers both associate and bachelor’s degree programs. This credit residency requirement can be waived by paying a Residency Waiver Fee, which is paid by students if they do not intend to meet the credit residency requirements of the University.

Residency for Tuition and Enrollment Purposes

Thomas Edison State University will determine residency pursuant to New Jersey Administrative Code 9A:5-1.1-1.2. The Code requires that students be domiciled in the state of New Jersey for a period of 12 months prior to enrollment in a public institution of higher education in order to be eligible for in-state tuition. United States military personnel and their dependents, who are attending public institutions of higher education in New Jersey, shall be regarded as residents of the state of New Jersey for the purpose of determining tuition (N.J.S.A. 18A:62-4.1).

The Office of the Registrar is the University’s principal authority on residency determination for tuition purposes. Following the registrar’s guidance, initial residency assessment will be determined by the Office of Admissions. The permanent address of the student in effect at the time the student applies for admission will be used to determine residency for tuition purposes. The initial determination will be communicated to the student and used for all tuition and fee assessments until a subsequent change of residency has been approved in accordance with prescribed procedures.

All requests for a change in residency status will be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar. Students who are classified as nonresidents may petition for in-state residency to the Office of the Registrar. The application for state residency status for tuition purposes determination may be obtained on the University website under student forms at tesu.edu/studentforms. Please return completed application and documentation to the Office of the Registrar, 111 W. State St., Trenton, NJ 08608.

Students submitting change of address forms (or taking other administrative actions) which indicates their state of residency has changed will be contacted by the University and asked to verify their continued eligibility for in-state tuition. Such verification may require them submit a completed petition/questionnaire and the submission of supporting documentation.

To determine whether a person is a New Jersey domiciliary, the primary evidence is a New Jersey Resident Income Tax Return or in the case of a dependent student, a copy of his/her parent(s), legal guardian’s/spouse’s New Jersey Resident Income Tax Return. Supplementary evidence may include current voter registration card, New Jersey driver’s license and New Jersey motor vehicle registration.