Do Washington Residents Get In-State Tuition in North Dakota? (Community College, 2026)
WUE — 150% of the resident rate
Not in-state, but reduced — Washington and North Dakota both belong to Western Undergraduate Exchange, so community college tuition at North Dakota two-year colleges can drop to roughly $7,300 a year against the $7,300 non-resident rate. Awards are limited and campus-by-campus.
- You would pay
- $7,300/yr
- Resident pays
- $5,200/yr
- Over 2 yrs
- No saving available
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.
Washington and North Dakota both take part in Western Undergraduate Exchange. That does not make you a North Dakota resident; it caps what a participating campus may charge you. At North Dakota two-year colleges the cap works out at roughly $7,300 against $7,300.
Seen from Washington, this is one option among 50. 13 other states offer Washington residents a reduced community college rate, the lowest being California at about $2,100, against $4,700 for in-state study at Washington community and technical colleges.
Confirm the specific campus takes part. State-level membership is necessary and not sufficient, and several flagship universities either exclude their most competitive majors or sit out entirely.
Every route from Washington to North Dakota
| 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. | $7,300 | $0 | Conditional |
Where Washington residents pay less
Staying home, a Washington resident pays $4,700 a year for in-state community college tuition at Washington community and technical colleges. The cheapest North Dakota option for you is $7,300 at North Dakota two-year colleges, which is $2,600 a year more than staying home, or $5,200 over 2 years.
Washington belongs to Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) at community college level, so 14 of 50 states offer Washington community college students a reduced rate, and North Dakota is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Washington to California | Western Undergraduate Exchange · California Community Colleges | $2,100 |
| Washington to New Mexico | Western Undergraduate Exchange · New Mexico community colleges | $3,450 |
| Washington to Arizona | Western Undergraduate Exchange · Maricopa County Community Colleges | $4,200 |
| Washington to Hawaii | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Hawai'i Community Colleges | $5,250 |
| Washington to Nevada | Western Undergraduate Exchange · Nevada community colleges (NSHE) | $5,400 |
Washington's neighboring states, compared
What a Washington resident pays for community college tuition in each state that borders Washington, cheapest first:
Compare all 50 states from Washington in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
North Dakota residency, in brief
North Dakota grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (N.D. Admin. Code 15-10-17.1), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to North Dakota to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
North Dakota residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Check that your chosen North Dakota 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 Washington residency documentation current; the program is only open to residents of a member state.
- Compare the result against the residency route: North Dakota grants in-state status after 12 months of domicile, currently $5,200 a year.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do Washington residents get in-state tuition in North Dakota?
No — but you pay less than the sticker rate. Western Undergraduate Exchange caps community college tuition at North Dakota two-year colleges at roughly $7,300 rather than the $7,300 non-resident rate. That is a discount, not in-state classification.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in North Dakota?
North Dakota requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (N.D. Admin. Code 15-10-17.1), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would community college study in North Dakota actually cost a Washington resident?
About $7,300 a year in tuition and mandatory fees under Western Undergraduate Exchange, against $7,300 at the published non-resident rate and $5,200 for a North Dakota resident. Over 2 years that is roughly $0 saved. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates and exclude housing, books and course-specific differentials.
›Where can Washington residents get reduced community college tuition?
In 14 states at community college level. Outside North Dakota, 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 North Dakota cheaper than staying in Washington?
No. Washington's in-state community college rate is $4,700 a year at Washington community and technical colleges, and the cheapest North Dakota option for a Washington resident is $7,300, so North Dakota costs about $2,600 more a year, or $5,200 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.
- North Dakota University System — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- Washington community and technical colleges — 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 North Dakota two-year 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 North Dakota University System, N.D. Admin. Code 15-10-17.1. 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.