Regional tuition compact
One of four multi-state agreements — WUE, MSEP, ACM and NEBHE Tuition Break — that set a reduced tuition rate for residents of member states.
The four compacts divide the country roughly by region and do not interoperate. A student in a WICHE state gets nothing from the Academic Common Market, and membership in one has no bearing on the others.
They differ in mechanism as much as in geography. Two of them cap tuition at a multiple of the resident rate, one pays the resident rate outright, and one charges the resident rate plus a capped premium.
In every case, state membership is necessary but not sufficient: the individual campus decides whether to participate, which majors it opens, and how many awards it funds.
See also
Asked and answered
›What does "regional tuition compact" mean for in-state tuition?
One of four multi-state agreements — WUE, MSEP, ACM and NEBHE Tuition Break — that set a reduced tuition rate for residents of member states.
›Why does regional tuition compact matter?
They differ in mechanism as much as in geography. Two of them cap tuition at a multiple of the resident rate, one pays the resident rate outright, and one charges the resident rate plus a capped premium.
How this page was made
Compiled and checked by Billy Reiner, editor of In-State Check. Last verified 2026-09-27.
- Compiled from published rate pages
- Every dollar figure on this site is tuition and mandatory fees for one full-time year, read from the named reference institution’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 is checked against the commission that runs each program (WICHE, MHEC, SREB and NEBHE), and every residency rule against the issuing state authority or statute. 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.