More Rhode Island students qualify for in-state tuition

More Rhode Island students could qualify for the resident tuition rate at Rhode Island public colleges and universities if Gov. Daniel McKee signs a bill that has cleared both chambers. The measure would cut the high-school attendance test from three years to two, with the change set to take effect July 1, 2026.

That matters for students who have built their lives in the state but could still be charged the higher nonresident rate under the old standard. The bill narrows the hurdle without turning the exemption into an automatic pass.

The residency test stays

Students would still have to live in Rhode Island and graduate from an approved Rhode Island high school, or earn a Rhode Island equivalency diploma. The bill also keeps a separate route open for nonimmigrant foreign national students with three years of Rhode Island residence and three years of Rhode Island high school attendance, who would remain eligible for the same in-state tuition as other Rhode Island students.

So the change is not a broad tuition giveaway. It is a tighter definition of who has shown enough local connection to be treated like a resident for tuition purposes.

The affidavit stays quiet

The application paperwork changes, too. Students filing the required affidavit would have to say they meet the listed requirements, but the form cannot require them to reveal immigration or citizenship status.

If a student is not a U.S. citizen and does not have lawful immigration status, the affidavit would only need a statement that the student has filed, or will file when eligible, for lawful immigration status. For families trying to plan for college costs, that privacy language is part of the point.