In order to qualify for in-state tuition for North Carolina Public and Community Colleges, you will have to complete an RDS form! I can help walk you through it.
The Basics
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RDS is an online "interview"-style form that asks questions one by one to determine whether you qualify as an in-state resident for tuition purposes.
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For most students, your residency status is based on the residency of your parents/guardians - you will need help from your parent/guardian to fill out RDS.
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At the end of the form, you will be given a residency certification number (RCN). Enter this number into your college applications when they ask for it. That is all you need to do to indicate your residency status to your colleges!
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For NC Community Colleges, you MUST do RDS before submitting your application.
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For NC Public Colleges and Universities, you should do RDS before submitting your application, but you can do it after.
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Information you might need to complete RDS:
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Student personal identifying information (SSN, ARN, USCIS, or TIN)​
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Parent personal identifying information (SSN, ARN, USCIS, or TIN)​
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Student-filed Federal and State Taxes
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Parent/Legal Guardian-filed Federal and State Taxes
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Address of Permanent Residence
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Parent Driver's License or Vehicle Information
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Military Information
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US Citizenship and Immigration Services Documentation
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RDS Tips
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Log into RDS using your existing CFNC username and password, or make a new CFNC account if you don't have one yet. When you apply to colleges via CFNC, your residency determination will link to your college applications.
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Since the form asks questions one by one, do not skip questions. You may not be able to go back to previous questions. If you do not know the answer to a question, save the form and logout. Come back to it when you know the answer.
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Once you start the form, you have 25 calendar days to complete it.
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If you are classified as a non-resident but believe you should be considered in-state, you can go through the processes for reconsideration or appeal. Do reconsideration if you made a mistake on your form or have new information to provide. Do an appeal if you nothing new to add to your form, but still think you should be in-state. I can help with this!
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Once you complete RDS, you will not have to do it again unless you transfer to another college more than 15 months after completing RDS
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Check out the RDS webpage for guidelines on completing the form and FAQs