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In-State Tuition in New York: Residency Rules and Out-of-State Rates (Community College, 2026)

Verified 2026-08-072025–26 rates
New York is in:WUE — not at this levelMSEP — not at this levelACM — not at this levelTuition Break — not at this level
VerdictIn-state tuition

To get in-state tuition in New York you need 12 months of New York domicile before the term begins (8 NYCRR § 302.1). In-state community college tuition is $5,900 a year at SUNY community colleges, against $11,300 for non-residents. New York belongs to no regional tuition compact at this level.

You would pay
$5,900/yr
Resident pays
$5,900/yr
Non-resident rate
$11,300/yr
Residency worth over 2 yrs
$10,800

Tuition and mandatory fees only, compiled from published rates and rounded. Excludes housing, books and course differentials. Eligibility is decided by the institution, not by this page.

Coming to New York from a specific state?Pick your home state and the checker returns your exact route and the dollar difference.

For community college students, New York prices residency at $5,400 a year — $5,900 against $11,300 at SUNY community colleges. New York does not belong to any of the four regional tuition compacts, so an out-of-state student has no exchange-program route into the in-state rate.

New York classifies a student as a resident after 12 months of domicile. Physical presence in New York for at least 12 months before the term begins, combined with objective evidence that you intend to make New York your permanent home rather than living there to attend college. Classification is decided by the institution you enroll at, and a financially dependent student is assigned the parents' domicile.

This page covers all 50 origin states. Direction matters: what a New York resident pays elsewhere is a different question from what an arriving student pays here, and the two are rarely symmetric.

What New York charges, and who pays less

Routes into New York at SUNY community colleges, community college level — 2025–26 rates
RouteWhat it gives youPer yearSavingGuaranteed?
New York residencyYou pay the published resident rate once you meet the state's residency test.$5,900$5,400Yes, if eligible

New York residency requirements

Residency for tuition purposes in New York, verified 2026-08-07
Durational requirement12 months of domicile before the term begins
Domicile testPhysical presence in New York for at least 12 months before the term begins, combined with objective evidence that you intend to make New York your permanent home rather than living there to attend college.
Dependent studentsA financially dependent student is assigned the parents' domicile. If your parents are not New York residents, you are not one either, regardless of where you live.
Independent studentsA financially independent adult can establish domicile on their own record.
Named exceptions
  • Active-duty military stationed in New York and their dependents
AuthorityState University of New York ↗(8 NYCRR § 302.1)

Step by step

  1. Confirm you meet the New York domicile test: Physical presence in New York for at least 12 months before the term begins, combined with objective evidence that you intend to make New York your permanent home rather than living there to attend college.
  2. Gather the documents the State University of New York asks for — a driver's license, voter registration, vehicle registration and a 12-month record of physical presence are the usual set.
  3. File the residency classification form with the campus registrar before the term's deadline; classification is decided by the institution, not by the state.
  4. If you are financially dependent, check whose domicile counts — New York assigns a dependent student the parents' domicile, so the parents must qualify.

Official links

State University of New York ↗SUNY community colleges tuition ↗New York residency ↗

Coming to New York from another state

Direction matters. These cover the exact move into New York at community college level:

Alabama → New YorkAlaska → New YorkArizona → New YorkArkansas → New YorkCalifornia → New YorkColorado → New YorkConnecticut → New YorkDelaware → New YorkDistrict of Columbia → New YorkFlorida → New YorkGeorgia → New YorkHawaii → New YorkIdaho → New YorkIllinois → New YorkIndiana → New YorkIowa → New York
All 50 origin states
Kansas → New YorkKentucky → New YorkLouisiana → New YorkMaine → New YorkMaryland → New YorkMassachusetts → New YorkMichigan → New YorkMinnesota → New YorkMississippi → New YorkMissouri → New YorkMontana → New YorkNebraska → New YorkNevada → New YorkNew Hampshire → New YorkNew Jersey → New YorkNew Mexico → New YorkNorth Carolina → New YorkNorth Dakota → New YorkOhio → New YorkOklahoma → New YorkOregon → New YorkPennsylvania → New YorkRhode Island → New YorkSouth Carolina → New YorkSouth Dakota → New YorkTennessee → New YorkTexas → New YorkUtah → New YorkVermont → New YorkVirginia → New YorkWashington → New YorkWest Virginia → New YorkWisconsin → New YorkWyoming → New York

Leaving New York to study elsewhere

What a New York resident pays in each of the other 50 states:

New York → AlabamaNew York → AlaskaNew York → ArizonaNew York → ArkansasNew York → CaliforniaNew York → ColoradoNew York → ConnecticutNew York → DelawareNew York → District of ColumbiaNew York → FloridaNew York → GeorgiaNew York → HawaiiNew York → IdahoNew York → IllinoisNew York → IndianaNew York → Iowa
All 50 destination states
New York → KansasNew York → KentuckyNew York → LouisianaNew York → MaineNew York → MarylandNew York → MassachusettsNew York → MichiganNew York → MinnesotaNew York → MississippiNew York → MissouriNew York → MontanaNew York → NebraskaNew York → NevadaNew York → New HampshireNew York → New JerseyNew York → New MexicoNew York → North CarolinaNew York → North DakotaNew York → OhioNew York → OklahomaNew York → OregonNew York → PennsylvaniaNew York → Rhode IslandNew York → South CarolinaNew York → South DakotaNew York → TennesseeNew York → TexasNew York → UtahNew York → VermontNew York → VirginiaNew York → WashingtonNew York → West VirginiaNew York → WisconsinNew York → Wyoming

New York at other levels

New York — UndergraduateNew York — Graduate

Asked and answered

›What are the residency requirements for in-state tuition in New York?

Physical presence in New York for at least 12 months before the term begins, combined with objective evidence that you intend to make New York your permanent home rather than living there to attend college. The durational requirement is 12 months, administered by the State University of New York under 8 NYCRR § 302.1. Classification is made by the institution you enroll at, not centrally.

›How much is out-of-state tuition in New York?

$11,300 a year in tuition and mandatory fees at SUNY community colleges for 2025–26, against $5,900 for a resident — a gap of $5,400. Rates differ by campus and by college within a campus.

›Which tuition exchange programs does New York belong to?

None at community college level. New York is not a member of any of the four regional tuition compacts for this level of study, so out-of-state students have no exchange-program route to a reduced rate.

›Can I get in-state tuition in New York after one year of living there?

12 months of domicile is the requirement, but time alone is not enough. You have to show you moved to live in New York rather than to attend college there — driver's license, vehicle registration, voter registration, employment and state tax filing are the evidence campuses ask for. A financially dependent student is assigned the parents' domicile regardless.

Sources

Every eligibility rule on this page is checked against the operating compact commission or the state's own residency authority. Last verified 2026-08-07.

Tuition figures on this page are compiled 2025–26 published rates (basis: published compiled), rounded to the nearest $100 and refreshed each June. Eligibility rules are checked against the cited compact commission or residency authority.

  1. State University of New York — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
  2. University at Buffalo (SUNY) — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
  3. SUNY community colleges — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
  4. University at Buffalo Graduate School — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07

How this page was made

Compiled and checked by Billy Reiner, editor of In-State Check. Last verified 2026-08-07.

Compiled from published rate pages
The in-state and non-resident figures are tuition and mandatory fees for one full-time year, read from SUNY community colleges’s own 2025–26 rate page and rounded to the nearest $100. Housing, books, travel and course-specific differentials are not included in them.
Checked against the administering body
Compact membership at this level was checked against the commission that runs the program (WICHE, MHEC, SREB and NEBHE). The residency test — the durational requirement, the domicile evidence and the dependent-student rule — was checked against State University of New York, 8 NYCRR § 302.1. Nothing here is taken from another comparison site.

Not advice. In-State Check is independent of every college, compact and state agency named here. Residency classification and award decisions are made by the institution you apply to. Found an error? Send the page URL and the source that contradicts it to [email protected], and the page is corrected and re-dated. Full methodology.