Do New Mexico Residents Get In-State Tuition in Washington? (Undergraduate, 2026)
WUE — 150% of the resident rate
Not in-state, but reduced at participating campuses — New Mexico and Washington both belong to Western Undergraduate Exchange, which caps undergraduate tuition at 150% of each participating school's resident rate. University of Washington itself does not offer WUE, where New Mexico residents pay $43,000.
- WUE cap, for scale
- $19,350/yr
- Resident pays
- $12,900/yr
- Non-resident rate
- $43,000/yr
- Saved over 4 yrs
- $94,600
Conditional: University of Washington is not on WICHE's WUE list. The figure applies the 150% cap to its resident rate for scale only; 9 other Washington campuses offer WUE, each capped against its own resident rate.
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.
This pair is covered by Western Undergraduate Exchange, with one large exception: University of Washington is not on WICHE's list of participating schools. The discount is real at other Washington campuses, where it caps tuition at 150% of that campus's resident rate; at University of Washington the $43,000 non-resident rate stands.
New Mexico residents start from $8,900 a year, the in-state undergraduate rate at University of New Mexico. Measured against that, Washington costs $10,450 a year more than staying home. 14 other states offer New Mexico residents a reduced undergraduate rate, the lowest being Wyoming at about $10,050.
Treat the figure below as a planning number rather than a quote. Rates are set per campus and per college within the campus, and a program in engineering or nursing frequently carries a differential the headline rate does not include.
Every route from New Mexico to Washington
| 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. | $19,350 | $23,650 | Conditional |
Where New Mexico residents pay less
Staying home, a New Mexico resident pays $8,900 a year for in-state undergraduate tuition at University of New Mexico. The Washington WUE estimate for you is $19,350, the 150% cap applied to University of Washington's resident rate (that campus does not itself offer WUE), which is $10,450 a year more than staying home, or $41,800 over 4 years.
New Mexico belongs to Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) at undergraduate level, so 15 of 50 states offer New Mexico undergraduate students a reduced rate, and Washington is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico to Wyoming | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Wyoming | $10,050 |
| New Mexico to Texas | Texas Border-County Tuition Waiver · The University of Texas at Austin | $11,700 |
| New Mexico to Montana | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Montana | $12,000 |
| New Mexico to Nevada | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Nevada, Las Vegas | $13,350 |
| New Mexico to South Dakota | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of South Dakota | $13,600 |
New Mexico's neighboring states, compared
What a New Mexico resident pays for undergraduate tuition in each state that borders New Mexico, cheapest first:
- Texas$11,700/yr · Texas Border-County Tuition Waiver
- Utah$15,000/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Arizona$20,400/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Colorado$21,000/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Oklahoma$29,800/yr · non-resident
Compare all 50 states from New Mexico in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
Washington residency, in brief
Washington grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (RCW 28B.15.012), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to Washington to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
Washington residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Check that your chosen Washington 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. University of Washington is not on WICHE's WUE list. The figure applies the 150% cap to its resident rate for scale only; 9 other Washington campuses offer WUE, each capped against its own resident rate.
- 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 New Mexico residency documentation current; the program is only open to residents of a member state.
- Compare the result against the residency route: Washington grants in-state status after 12 months of domicile, currently $12,900 a year.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do New Mexico residents get in-state tuition in Washington?
No. University of Washington does not offer WUE, so there the $43,000 non-resident rate applies. Other Washington campuses that participate cap tuition at 150% of their own resident rate. That is a discount, not in-state classification.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in Washington?
Washington requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (RCW 28B.15.012), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would undergraduate study in Washington actually cost a New Mexico resident?
University of Washington does not offer WUE, so there it is the $43,000 non-resident rate. At a participating Washington campus, WUE caps tuition at 150% of that campus's resident rate; applied to University of Washington's $12,900 for scale, that would be about $19,350. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates.
›Where can New Mexico residents get reduced undergraduate tuition?
In 15 states at undergraduate level. Outside Washington, the lowest are Wyoming ($10,050), Texas ($11,700), Montana ($12,000). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in Washington cheaper than staying in New Mexico?
No. New Mexico's in-state undergraduate rate is $8,900 a year at University of New Mexico, and the cheapest Washington option for a New Mexico resident is $19,350, so Washington costs about $10,450 more a year, or $41,800 over 4 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.
- Washington Student Achievement Council — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Washington — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of New Mexico — 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 University of Washington’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 Washington Student Achievement Council, RCW 28B.15.012. 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.