Do North Dakota Residents Get In-State Tuition in Oregon? (Community College, 2026)
WUE — 150% of the resident rate
Not in-state, but reduced — North Dakota and Oregon both belong to Western Undergraduate Exchange, so community college tuition at Oregon community colleges can drop to roughly $8,100 a year against the $9,700 non-resident rate. Awards are limited and campus-by-campus.
- You would pay
- $8,100/yr
- Resident pays
- $5,400/yr
- Non-resident rate
- $9,700/yr
- Saved over 2 yrs
- $3,200
Conditional: Individual campuses opt in and can cap or close awards — confirm with the school before you apply.
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.
Open this pair in the checker to switch level, compare other states, or copy a link to the result.
Both states are members of Western Undergraduate Exchange. Membership is the easy part — the award itself is made campus by campus, and participating institutions cap how many they fund each year.
The comparison that matters is with home: North Dakota two-year colleges charges a North Dakota resident $5,200 a year. 14 other states offer North Dakota residents a reduced community college rate, the lowest being California at about $2,100.
Before you count on it, check three things with the campus directly: that it participates this year, that your major is covered, and when its award deadline falls. All three change annually and none of them are set by the state.
Every route from North Dakota to Oregon
| Route | What it gives you | Per year | Saving | Guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Undergraduate Exchange | A WUE award caps tuition at 150% of the receiving institution's resident rate. About 170 public colleges and universities across the member states participate, and each one decides which majors it opens to WUE, how many awards it funds, and what GPA it asks for. | $8,100 | $1,600 | Conditional |
Where North Dakota residents pay less
Staying home, a North Dakota resident pays $5,200 a year for in-state community college tuition at North Dakota two-year colleges. The cheapest Oregon option for you is $8,100 at Oregon community colleges, which is $2,900 a year more than staying home, or $5,800 over 2 years.
North Dakota belongs to Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) at community college level, so 15 of 50 states offer North Dakota community college students a reduced rate, and Oregon is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota to California | Western Undergraduate Exchange · California Community Colleges | $2,100 |
| North Dakota to New Mexico | Western Undergraduate Exchange · New Mexico community colleges | $3,450 |
| North Dakota to Arizona | Western Undergraduate Exchange · Maricopa County Community Colleges | $4,200 |
| North Dakota to Hawaii | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Hawai'i Community Colleges | $5,250 |
| North Dakota to Nevada | Western Undergraduate Exchange · Nevada community colleges (NSHE) | $5,400 |
North Dakota's neighboring states, compared
What a North Dakota resident pays for community college tuition in each state that borders North Dakota, cheapest first:
- Minnesota$6,100/yr · Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity
- South Dakota$6,300/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Montana$6,450/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
Compare all 50 states from North Dakota in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
Oregon residency, in brief
Oregon grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (OAR 580-010-0030), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to Oregon to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
Oregon residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Check that your chosen Oregon campus participates in Western Undergraduate Exchange — membership is a state-level agreement, but each campus decides whether to offer it and how many awards to fund.
- Confirm your intended major is on the approved list. Individual campuses opt in and can cap or close awards — confirm with the school before you apply.
- Apply for the award at the same time as admission, and well before the campus deadline — most participating institutions award on a first-come basis and close early.
- Keep your North Dakota residency documentation current; the program is only open to residents of a member state.
- Compare the result against the residency route: Oregon grants in-state status after 12 months of domicile, currently $5,400 a year.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do North Dakota residents get in-state tuition in Oregon?
No — but you pay less than the sticker rate. Western Undergraduate Exchange caps community college tuition at Oregon community colleges at roughly $8,100 rather than the $9,700 non-resident rate. That is a discount, not in-state classification.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in Oregon?
Oregon requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (OAR 580-010-0030), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would community college study in Oregon actually cost a North Dakota resident?
About $8,100 a year in tuition and mandatory fees under Western Undergraduate Exchange, against $9,700 at the published non-resident rate and $5,400 for an Oregon resident. Over 2 years that is roughly $3,200 saved. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates and exclude housing, books and course-specific differentials.
›Where can North Dakota residents get reduced community college tuition?
In 15 states at community college level. Outside Oregon, the lowest are California ($2,100), New Mexico ($3,450), Arizona ($4,200). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in Oregon cheaper than staying in North Dakota?
No. North Dakota's in-state community college rate is $5,200 a year at North Dakota two-year colleges, and the cheapest Oregon option for a North Dakota resident is $8,100, so Oregon costs about $2,900 more a year, or $5,800 over 2 years, in tuition and fees alone.
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.
- Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- North Dakota University System — residency for tuition purposes ↗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 Oregon 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). The residency test — the durational requirement, the domicile evidence and the dependent-student rule — was checked against Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission, OAR 580-010-0030. 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.