Residency Requirements
All curriculum students, for tuition purposes, are classified as either in-state or out-of-state upon entering Tri-County Community College (TCCC). This classification, also known as your residence status, is determined by the Residency Determination Service (RDS).

www.NCresidency.org
Contact RDS: 844-319-3640
rdsinfo@ncresidency.org
Submission of RDS data to TCCC for the first time
- All TCCC applicants regardless of residency status must complete the RDS interview and submit their active Residency Certification Number (RCN) on their admissions application before they can submit their admissions application.
- All CURRENT TCCC students who have completed an initial classification, reclassification or appeal must submit their active Residency Certification Number (RCN) to Admissions by sending an email to admissions@tricountycc.edu with a subject of RCN Submission, your RCN, and your TCCC student ID number.
- At this time currently enrolled students (9/2017) do not need to complete residency due to being grandfathered in as in state residency.
Submission of updated RDS data to TCCC
All students whose residency status has changed from what is on file with TCCC will need to let the admissions office know by sending an email to admissions@tricountycc.edu with a subject of RCN update, and the body of your email should include your RCN, your TCCC student ID number, and a note indicating that a change has been made.
RDS Validation Results or Status Changes
- If your determination changed from an IN to OUT residency status before the 10% point of the semester, you can pay out-of-state tuition or request a 100% refund. Your balance must be paid within five business days from the date of this notification. If a balance remains unpaid, no college transcripts or diplomas will be released.
- If your determination changed from an IN to OUT residency status after the 10% point of the semester, you will be allowed to continue to attend the current semester at the IN state rate. This means that your next semester will be at the OUT of state rates unless you successfully complete a reconsideration or appeal via RDS.
- If your determination changed from Out to IN, you might be eligible for a refund.
Notices
- Students without an active residency status nor an active continuous enrollment expiration date will not be eligible to register for curriculum courses. Complete the online residency interview through RDS to obtain or to update your RCN.
- It is the student’s responsibility to notify TCCC if North Carolina residency is lost or abandoned while enrolled. Contact Admissions or Registration Services at TCCC.
- Students registered solely for non-credit continuing education courses do not need to establish tuition residency.
- Residency Determination Service (RDS) was established by the N.C. General Assembly to ensure consistency in determining residency across all 58 community colleges and 16 state universities. Individual institutions no longer make residency determinations. If you have questions, please contact RDS.
Helpful RDS Information