Residency Determination Service

The Residency Determination Service (RDS) was established to streamline the process of assessing whether students are residents of North Carolina and thus eligible to pay in-state tuition at public universities and community colleges. All students applying to any college or university in North Carolina must complete the RDS. Upon completion, students will receive a Residency Certification Number (RCN), which they must enter on all of their college applications.

Students applying to private colleges in North Carolina can become eligible for state aid through RDS completion, so it is imperative that they not opt out just because costs are the same at private schools for in-state and out-of-state students.

Parents/guardians will need to provide certain information in order for RDS to be completed correctly.