Virginia Residency Rules

 Difficulty

Virginia has some excellent schools, happens to border our nation’s political heart and capital, and earning in-state residency is kinda possible although probably not what most people may have had in mind.  If you’re able to alter your mindset, then maybe Virginia is for you.  You probably want to school right after high school and get in-state immediately…that’s not in the cards.  Every university in Virginia is a bit different, some stricter and some more lenient, but generally there’s a strong advisement or requirement to not be in school during your domicile period which is one year and work a healthy amount instead.  Maybe that happens prior to your freshman year or maybe prior to your sophomore year, but if it doesn’t happen, then basically you’re out of luck.  Many people allow that to be a deal-breaker but you should learn more about your school of interest in Virginia and really think about it once you have a full-picture.  There are certainly other requirements and in-state is not for everyone, but consider not writing yourself off just yet until you know more.  The other requirements tend to be quite manageable.

Virginia Reciprocity Agreements:

Virginia is a member state of the Academic Common Market which is a limited regional reciprocity agreement among select Southern States. Favorable college tuition rates in nearby states are sometimes possible through reciprocity although many restrictions apply.

See Tuition Reciprocity Agreements Explained

See Tuition Reciprocity Agreements Overpromise & Under-Deliver

University-Specific Overviews Below:

Since universities in Virginia are slightly (or significantly) different when it comes to their residency policies and implementations, please see the links below to in-state overviews for individual universities in Virginia. If your college is not highlighted, then please consider buying a University-Specific Nutshell Report or see all available university-specific in-state overviews.

Popular Universities in Virginia:

College of William and Mary-Williamsburg

George Mason University-Fairfax

University of Virginia-Charlottesville

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University-Blacksburg (Virginia Tech)

Other Universities in Virginia:

Christopher Newport University-Newport News
Eastern Virginia Medical School-Norfolk
James Madison University-Harrisonburg
Longwood University-Farmville
Norfolk State University-Norfolk
Old Dominion University-Norfolk
Radford University-Radford
University of Mary Washington-Fredericksburg
University of Virginia School of Medicine-Charlottesville
University of Virginia-College at Wise
Virginia Commonwealth University-Richmond
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine-Richmond
Virginia Military Institute-Lexington
Virginia State University-Petersburg
Virginia-Maryland Reg College of Vet Med-Blacksburg