Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE): Member States, Rules and What It Actually Saves (2026)

Operated by Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) · West · 15 member states · verified 2026-09-27

The Western Undergraduate Exchange lets residents of 15 western states pay no more than 150% of the resident tuition rate at participating public colleges in the other member states. It is not in-state tuition. Awards are made by each campus, are capped in number, and usually close months before the admissions deadline.

WICHE's student exchange is the largest of the four regional agreements and the only one that reaches community colleges at scale. Fifteen western states take part. Undergraduates pay at most 150% of the resident rate under WUE; graduate students on an approved program pay the resident rate outright under WRGP.

Which colleges take WUE? See all 167 participating colleges by state, from WICHE's current list. Several flagships, including CU Boulder, UC Berkeley, the University of Oregon and the University of Washington, are not on it.

Does WUE apply to your state pair?The checker runs your two states against all four compacts and every bilateral agreement at once.

The rule, exactly

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)

Undergraduate · Community College

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.

Any eligible majorCampuses opt in individually

Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)

Graduate

WRGP is the graduate half of the same agreement, and it is more generous and much narrower: students admitted to an approved master's, graduate certificate or doctoral program pay the receiving institution's full resident rate, but only a specific published list of programs takes part.

Approved majors onlyCampuses opt in individually

What it is worth, state by state

The WUE rule applied to each member state's reference public four-year university at undergraduate level, 2025–26 rates. Ranked by saving.

WUE rate against the published non-resident rate, 2025–26
Member state	Reference institution	Resident	Under WUE	Non-resident	Saving/yr
California	University of California, Berkeley (not a WUE campus; cap shown for scale)	$15,900	$23,850	$49,600	$25,750
Washington	University of Washington (not a WUE campus; cap shown for scale)	$12,900	$19,350	$43,000	$23,650
Oregon	University of Oregon (not a WUE campus; cap shown for scale)	$15,100	$22,650	$43,500	$20,850
Arizona	University of Arizona	$13,600	$20,400	$41,100	$20,700
Colorado	University of Colorado Boulder (not a WUE campus; cap shown for scale)	$14,000	$21,000	$41,300	$20,300
Montana	University of Montana	$8,000	$12,000	$30,600	$18,600
Utah	University of Utah	$10,000	$15,000	$32,000	$17,000
Hawaii	University of Hawai'i at Manoa	$12,600	$18,900	$35,000	$16,100
Idaho	University of Idaho	$9,400	$14,100	$30,200	$16,100
New Mexico	University of New Mexico	$8,900	$13,350	$28,300	$14,950
Alaska	University of Alaska Fairbanks	$9,300	$13,950	$27,600	$13,650
Nevada	University of Nevada, Las Vegas	$8,900	$13,350	$26,000	$12,650
Wyoming	University of Wyoming	$6,700	$10,050	$21,000	$10,950
North Dakota	University of North Dakota	$11,100	$16,650	$16,700	$50
South Dakota	University of South Dakota	$10,000	$13,600	$13,600	$0

Illustrative: the rule applied to a published rate. Individual campuses set their own award terms and several charge less than the ceiling.

Every WUE state pair, undergraduate level

Each link opens the pair page with the route, the estimated rate and the official source.

Into Alaska (14 states)

Arizona to Alaska California to Alaska Colorado to Alaska Hawaii to Alaska Idaho to Alaska Montana to Alaska Nevada to Alaska New Mexico to Alaska North Dakota to Alaska Oregon to Alaska South Dakota to Alaska Utah to Alaska Washington to Alaska Wyoming to Alaska

Into Arizona (14 states)

Alaska to Arizona California to Arizona Colorado to Arizona Hawaii to Arizona Idaho to Arizona Montana to Arizona Nevada to Arizona New Mexico to Arizona North Dakota to Arizona Oregon to Arizona South Dakota to Arizona Utah to Arizona Washington to Arizona Wyoming to Arizona

Into California (14 states)

Alaska to California Arizona to California Colorado to California Hawaii to California Idaho to California Montana to California Nevada to California New Mexico to California North Dakota to California Oregon to California South Dakota to California Utah to California Washington to California Wyoming to California

Into Colorado (14 states)

Alaska to Colorado Arizona to Colorado California to Colorado Hawaii to Colorado Idaho to Colorado Montana to Colorado Nevada to Colorado New Mexico to Colorado North Dakota to Colorado Oregon to Colorado South Dakota to Colorado Utah to Colorado Washington to Colorado Wyoming to Colorado

Into Hawaii (14 states)

Alaska to Hawaii Arizona to Hawaii California to Hawaii Colorado to Hawaii Idaho to Hawaii Montana to Hawaii Nevada to Hawaii New Mexico to Hawaii North Dakota to Hawaii Oregon to Hawaii South Dakota to Hawaii Utah to Hawaii Washington to Hawaii Wyoming to Hawaii

Into Idaho (14 states)

Alaska to Idaho Arizona to Idaho California to Idaho Colorado to Idaho Hawaii to Idaho Montana to Idaho Nevada to Idaho New Mexico to Idaho North Dakota to Idaho Oregon to Idaho South Dakota to Idaho Utah to Idaho Washington to Idaho Wyoming to Idaho

Into Montana (14 states)

Alaska to Montana Arizona to Montana California to Montana Colorado to Montana Hawaii to Montana Idaho to Montana Nevada to Montana New Mexico to Montana North Dakota to Montana Oregon to Montana South Dakota to Montana Utah to Montana Washington to Montana Wyoming to Montana

Into Nevada (14 states)

Alaska to Nevada Arizona to Nevada California to Nevada Colorado to Nevada Hawaii to Nevada Idaho to Nevada Montana to Nevada New Mexico to Nevada North Dakota to Nevada Oregon to Nevada South Dakota to Nevada Utah to Nevada Washington to Nevada Wyoming to Nevada

Into New Mexico (14 states)

Alaska to New Mexico Arizona to New Mexico California to New Mexico Colorado to New Mexico Hawaii to New Mexico Idaho to New Mexico Montana to New Mexico Nevada to New Mexico North Dakota to New Mexico Oregon to New Mexico South Dakota to New Mexico Utah to New Mexico Washington to New Mexico Wyoming to New Mexico

Into North Dakota (14 states)

Alaska to North Dakota Arizona to North Dakota California to North Dakota Colorado to North Dakota Hawaii to North Dakota Idaho to North Dakota Montana to North Dakota Nevada to North Dakota New Mexico to North Dakota Oregon to North Dakota South Dakota to North Dakota Utah to North Dakota Washington to North Dakota Wyoming to North Dakota

Into Oregon (14 states)

Alaska to Oregon Arizona to Oregon California to Oregon Colorado to Oregon Hawaii to Oregon Idaho to Oregon Montana to Oregon Nevada to Oregon New Mexico to Oregon North Dakota to Oregon South Dakota to Oregon Utah to Oregon Washington to Oregon Wyoming to Oregon

Into South Dakota (14 states)

Alaska to South Dakota Arizona to South Dakota California to South Dakota Colorado to South Dakota Hawaii to South Dakota Idaho to South Dakota Montana to South Dakota Nevada to South Dakota New Mexico to South Dakota North Dakota to South Dakota Oregon to South Dakota Utah to South Dakota Washington to South Dakota Wyoming to South Dakota

Into Utah (14 states)

Alaska to Utah Arizona to Utah California to Utah Colorado to Utah Hawaii to Utah Idaho to Utah Montana to Utah Nevada to Utah New Mexico to Utah North Dakota to Utah Oregon to Utah South Dakota to Utah Washington to Utah Wyoming to Utah

Into Washington (14 states)

Alaska to Washington Arizona to Washington California to Washington Colorado to Washington Hawaii to Washington Idaho to Washington Montana to Washington Nevada to Washington New Mexico to Washington North Dakota to Washington Oregon to Washington South Dakota to Washington Utah to Washington Wyoming to Washington

Into Wyoming (14 states)

Alaska to Wyoming Arizona to Wyoming California to Wyoming Colorado to Wyoming Hawaii to Wyoming Idaho to Wyoming Montana to Wyoming Nevada to Wyoming New Mexico to Wyoming North Dakota to Wyoming Oregon to Wyoming South Dakota to Wyoming Utah to Wyoming Washington to Wyoming

What goes wrong

WUE is a rate cap, not in-state residency — it does not shorten or replace the receiving state's domicile requirement.
Participation is per campus, not per state. A state joining WICHE does not oblige any of its universities to offer WUE, and several flagships either exclude their most competitive majors or do not participate at all.
Award counts are funded annually. Applying in the first admissions round matters more here than almost anywhere else in US tuition policy.
WRGP awards the full resident rate but only on a published list of graduate programs; a program that exists at the campus is not necessarily on the list.
Campuses leave as well as join. Arizona State University stopped offering WUE to students admitted from fall 2026 onward and replaced it with its own nonresident scholarship; students already enrolled on WUE keep it. Check the campus's current WUE page, not last year's list.
Members are states, not regions. Texas, Nebraska and Kansas are western in habit but are not WICHE members.

The other three

MSEP

Midwest · 8 states

MSEP is the midwestern tuition exchange, run by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact. Eight states participate. It is the only one of the four regional agreements that includes private colleges, which enter on a percentage-discount basis rather than a rate cap.

ACM

South · 15 states

The Academic Common Market is the southern agreement, and the most valuable of the four when it applies: an approved student pays the receiving state's full in-state rate, not a multiple of it. The trade is a narrow gate — the degree has to be one your home state does not offer.

Tuition Break

New England · 6 states

Tuition Break is the New England agreement, covering all six states and all three levels — the only one of the four that formally includes community colleges, four-year universities and graduate programs under a single rule.

Asked and answered

›Which states are in WUE?

15 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming. WICHE operates the program. Membership is a state-level commitment — each campus then decides whether to participate and which programs it opens.

›Does WUE give you in-state tuition?

WUE caps tuition at 150% of the resident rate. WRGP pays the receiving institution's full in-state rate. In no case does it make you a resident of the receiving state, and it does not shorten that state's residency clock.

›What are the catches with WUE?

WUE is a rate cap, not in-state residency — it does not shorten or replace the receiving state's domicile requirement. Participation is per campus, not per state. A state joining WICHE does not oblige any of its universities to offer WUE, and several flagships either exclude their most competitive majors or do not participate at all. Award counts are funded annually. Applying in the first admissions round matters more here than almost anywhere else in US tuition policy.

›Which levels does WUE cover?

Undergraduate, Community College, Graduate. Every member state participates at every level the program covers.

Sources

Every eligibility rule on this page is checked against the operating compact commission or the state's own residency authority. Last verified 2026-09-27.

WICHE — Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
WICHE — Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
WICHE — Member states and territories ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
Arizona State University — WUE (ends for new admits from fall 2026) ↗Accessed 2026-09-27

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.