Which tuition exchange program you can use depends entirely on your home state. Each of the four regional exchanges only works at participating schools in other states that belong to the same program -- so a Colorado student can use WUE at the University of Idaho, but not at a Midwest school. Eight places belong to no exchange at all.
All memberships below come from each program's own site, checked October 2026. For how the programs work, see tuition exchange programs explained.
Tuition exchange programs by home state
| Home state | Exchange you can use | What it gets you |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| Alaska | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| Arizona | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| Arkansas | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| California | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| Colorado | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| Connecticut | Tuition Break | Reduced rate in approved majors in New England |
| Delaware | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| District of Columbia | None | (See DC Tuition Assistance Grant) |
| Florida | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| Georgia | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| Hawaii | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| Idaho | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| Illinois | None | -- |
| Indiana | MSEP | No more than 150% of in-state tuition in selected programs |
| Iowa | None | -- |
| Kansas | MSEP | No more than 150% of in-state tuition in selected programs |
| Kentucky | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| Louisiana | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| Maine | Tuition Break | Reduced rate in approved majors in New England |
| Maryland | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| Massachusetts | Tuition Break | Reduced rate in approved majors in New England |
| Michigan | None | -- |
| Minnesota | MSEP | No more than 150% of in-state tuition in selected programs |
| Mississippi | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| Missouri | MSEP | No more than 150% of in-state tuition in selected programs |
| Montana | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| Nebraska | MSEP | No more than 150% of in-state tuition in selected programs |
| Nevada | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| New Hampshire | Tuition Break | Reduced rate in approved majors in New England |
| New Jersey | None | -- |
| New Mexico | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| New York | None | -- |
| North Carolina | None (left the ACM in 2011) | -- |
| North Dakota | WUE and MSEP | Both |
| Ohio | MSEP | No more than 150% of in-state tuition in selected programs |
| Oklahoma | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| Oregon | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| Pennsylvania | None | -- |
| Rhode Island | Tuition Break | Reduced rate in approved majors in New England |
| South Carolina | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| South Dakota | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| Tennessee | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| Texas | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| Utah | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| Vermont | Tuition Break | Reduced rate in approved majors in New England |
| Virginia | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| Washington | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
| West Virginia | Academic Common Market | In-state tuition for a major your state lacks |
| Wisconsin | MSEP | No more than 150% of in-state tuition in selected programs |
| Wyoming | WUE | No more than 150% of in-state tuition at WUE schools |
Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are also WUE members. Private MSEP schools take 10% off tuition instead of the 150% cap.
If your state isn't in any exchange
Residents of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. can't use a regional exchange, but there are still ways to pay less than full out-of-state tuition:
- Schools that open their in-state rate to you. The University of South Dakota charges its in-state rate to new students from Illinois and Iowa, among 11 states.
- Scholarship waivers. USC Columbia bills out-of-state students with a qualifying university scholarship at the resident rate, and Texas publics like Texas A&M can waive out-of-state tuition for competitive-scholarship winners.
- D.C. residents can use the DC Tuition Assistance Grant toward public colleges in other states -- see what DCTAG pays at 25 public colleges.
See public universities that charge out-of-state students in-state tuition for the details.