Do North Dakota Residents Get In-State Tuition in Wyoming? (Undergraduate, 2026)
WUE — 150% of the resident rate
Not in-state, but reduced — North Dakota and Wyoming both belong to Western Undergraduate Exchange, so undergraduate tuition at University of Wyoming can drop to roughly $10,050 a year against the $21,000 non-resident rate. Awards are limited and campus-by-campus.
- You would pay
- $10,050/yr
- Resident pays
- $6,700/yr
- Non-resident rate
- $21,000/yr
- Saved over 4 yrs
- $43,800
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.
Western Undergraduate Exchange sits between the $6,700 in-state rate and the $21,000 non-resident rate at University of Wyoming, landing at roughly $10,050. It is a discount you apply for, not a classification you qualify for.
20 other states offer North Dakota residents a reduced undergraduate rate, the lowest being Montana at about $12,000. At home, in-state undergraduate tuition is $11,100 at University of North Dakota, so Wyoming works out at $1,050 a year less than staying home.
The failure mode is timing. Awards of this kind are funded annually and allocated in the order applications arrive, so a student admitted in March can find the program closed while a student admitted in November does not.
Every route from North Dakota to Wyoming
| 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. | $10,050 | $10,950 | 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 Wyoming option for you is $10,050 at University of Wyoming, which is $1,050 a year less than North Dakota's own in-state rate at University of North Dakota.
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 Wyoming is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 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 to Alaska | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Alaska Fairbanks | $13,950 |
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.
Wyoming residency, in brief
Wyoming grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 21-17-105), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to Wyoming to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
Wyoming residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Check that your chosen Wyoming 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 North Dakota residency documentation current; the program is only open to residents of a member state.
- Compare the result against the residency route: Wyoming grants in-state status after 12 months of domicile, currently $6,700 a year.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do North Dakota residents get in-state tuition in Wyoming?
No — but you pay less than the sticker rate. Western Undergraduate Exchange caps undergraduate tuition at University of Wyoming at roughly $10,050 rather than the $21,000 non-resident rate. That is a discount, not in-state classification.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in Wyoming?
Wyoming requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 21-17-105), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would undergraduate study in Wyoming actually cost a North Dakota resident?
About $10,050 a year in tuition and mandatory fees under Western Undergraduate Exchange, against $21,000 at the published non-resident rate and $6,700 for a Wyoming resident. Over 4 years that is roughly $43,800 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 Wyoming, the lowest are Montana ($12,000), Nevada ($13,350), New Mexico ($13,350). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in Wyoming cheaper than staying in North Dakota?
On tuition, yes. The cheapest Wyoming option for a North Dakota resident is $10,050 a year, which is $1,050 below North Dakota's own in-state rate of $11,100 at University of North Dakota. Housing and travel are not included.
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.
- University of Wyoming / Wyoming Community College Commission — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Wyoming — 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 Wyoming’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 University of Wyoming / Wyoming Community College Commission, Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 21-17-105. 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.