Do North Dakota Residents Get In-State Tuition in Wisconsin? (Undergraduate, 2026)
MSEP — 150% of the resident rate
Not in-state, but reduced — North Dakota and Wisconsin both belong to Midwest Student Exchange Program, so undergraduate tuition at University of Wisconsin-Madison can drop to roughly $17,400 a year against the $42,100 non-resident rate. Awards are limited and campus-by-campus.
- You would pay
- $17,400/yr
- Resident pays
- $11,600/yr
- Non-resident rate
- $42,100/yr
- Saved over 4 yrs
- $98,800
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.
North Dakota and Wisconsin both take part in Midwest Student Exchange Program. That does not make you a Wisconsin resident; it caps what a participating campus may charge you. At University of Wisconsin-Madison the cap works out at roughly $17,400 against $42,100.
Seen from North Dakota, this is one option among 50. 20 other states offer North Dakota residents a reduced undergraduate rate, the lowest being Wyoming at about $10,050, against $11,100 for in-state study at University of North Dakota.
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 North Dakota to Wisconsin
| Route | What it gives you | Per year | Saving | Guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midwest Student Exchange Program | Participating public institutions charge MSEP students no more than 150% of their in-state resident rate. Participating private institutions instead discount their own published tuition by at least 10%. Each institution chooses whether to take part and which programs it opens. | $17,400 | $24,700 | Conditional |
Where North Dakota residents pay less
Staying home, a North Dakota resident pays $11,100 a year for in-state undergraduate tuition at University of North Dakota. The cheapest Wisconsin option for you is $17,400 at University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is $6,300 a year more than staying home, or $25,200 over 4 years.
North Dakota belongs to Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) and Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP) at undergraduate level, so 21 of 50 states offer North Dakota undergraduate students a reduced rate, and Wisconsin is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota to Wyoming | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Wyoming | $10,050 |
| North Dakota to Montana | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Montana | $12,000 |
| North Dakota to Nevada | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Nevada, Las Vegas | $13,350 |
| North Dakota to New Mexico | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of New Mexico | $13,350 |
| North Dakota to South Dakota | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of South Dakota | $13,600 |
North Dakota's neighboring states, compared
What a North Dakota resident pays for undergraduate tuition in each state that borders North Dakota, cheapest first:
- Montana$12,000/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- South Dakota$13,600/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Minnesota$16,500/yr · Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity
Compare all 50 states from North Dakota in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
Wisconsin residency, in brief
Wisconsin grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Wis. Stat. § 36.27), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to Wisconsin to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
Wisconsin residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Check that your chosen Wisconsin campus participates in Midwest Student Exchange Program — 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: Wisconsin grants in-state status after 12 months of domicile, currently $11,600 a year.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do North Dakota residents get in-state tuition in Wisconsin?
No — but you pay less than the sticker rate. Midwest Student Exchange Program caps undergraduate tuition at University of Wisconsin-Madison at roughly $17,400 rather than the $42,100 non-resident rate. That is a discount, not in-state classification.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Wis. Stat. § 36.27), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would undergraduate study in Wisconsin actually cost a North Dakota resident?
About $17,400 a year in tuition and mandatory fees under Midwest Student Exchange Program, against $42,100 at the published non-resident rate and $11,600 for a Wisconsin resident. Over 4 years that is roughly $98,800 saved. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates and exclude housing, books and course-specific differentials.
›Where can North Dakota residents get reduced undergraduate tuition?
In 21 states at undergraduate level. Outside Wisconsin, the lowest are Wyoming ($10,050), Montana ($12,000), Nevada ($13,350). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in Wisconsin cheaper than staying in North Dakota?
No. North Dakota's in-state undergraduate rate is $11,100 a year at University of North Dakota, and the cheapest Wisconsin option for a North Dakota resident is $17,400, so Wisconsin costs about $6,300 more a year, or $25,200 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.
- Universities of Wisconsin — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Wisconsin-Madison — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of North Dakota — 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 Wisconsin-Madison’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, MHEC). The residency test — the durational requirement, the domicile evidence and the dependent-student rule — was checked against Universities of Wisconsin, Wis. Stat. § 36.27. 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.