State aid when you study in another state

Grants that stay at home

Most state grants are paid only to colleges in the state that funds them. The legislature sets aside the money to support its own colleges and residents, and the agency's rules usually say so plainly.

A handful of states allow their grants to travel to colleges in certain neighboring states or under a written agreement. The agency lists any such arrangement, and it may cover only some colleges or some programs of study.

Regional tuition exchanges

Groups of states run exchanges that lower tuition for students crossing state lines. The Western Undergraduate Exchange, the Midwest Student Exchange Program, the Academic Common Market in the South and the New England Regional Student Program each work this way.

These exchanges reduce the tuition rate rather than handing you a grant. Each college chooses whether to take part and may limit the reduced rate to certain majors or a set number of students. Some exchanges ask you to apply through the college's admissions office early, and the reduced rate often comes with grade rules for renewal.

What the new state may offer

The state where your college sits usually reserves its grants for its own residents. Living there for school alone rarely changes that, since residency rules look for reasons other than education.

Colleges sometimes offer their own awards to out-of-state students, often based on admissions criteria. Those come from the college's budget, so the college's aid office, not the state, answers questions about them.

Comparing the costs

When you compare an out-of-state offer with one at home, count the state grant you would give up by leaving. An exchange rate or a campus award may close that gap, or it may not, and the aid offers side by side show the difference.