Residency Requirements and Inter-District Agreements

Revised May 2025

Illinois Central College adheres to current residency requirements set forth by the Illinois Community College Board and the State Board of Education. For students under the age of 24, please note that changing your address does not automatically change your residency. Students who are legal residents within District 514 are afforded the current in-district tuition rate. Please refer to the map and the zip code listing to determine your residency status. If your legal residence is within a split district zip code, your residency will be out-of-district at the time you apply to Illinois Central College. Please provide a copy of your most recent property tax bill to Enrollment Services so a final determination can be made for your residency status.

Residency Statuses

In-District Resident:

To qualify as in-district students, individuals must occupy a dwelling within District 514 for at least 30 days immediately prior to the date classes begin.

Students occupying a dwelling in District 514 who fail to meet the 30-day residency requirement may not become a resident simply by attending classes at a community college for 30 days or more.

A student who graduated from a high school within District 514 and has legal residency within District 514 at the time of application to Illinois Central College or is a dependent of a person who has legal permanent residence within District 514 at the time of the student’s application to ICC, will be classified as an in-district student. Students aged 24 years or older may also be classified as in-district students by establishing residency within District 514 regardless of the high school from which they graduated.

Students who are on active duty or entitled to assistance described in 38 U.S.C. 3679 shall be given in-district tuition and be waived the 30-day residency requirement.

Students who move from outside the state, who obtain residency for other than going to college and demonstrate verifiable interest in permanent residency shall be exempt form the 30-day requirement.

Students shall not be classified as resident of the district even though they may have met the general 30-day residency provision if they are:

• Federal job corps workers stationed in the district

• Inmates of State or federal correctional/rehabilitation institutions located in the district

• Full-time students attending a postsecondary educational institution in the district who have not demonstrated through documentation a verifiable interest in establishing permanent residency

• Students attending under a chargeback or contractual agreement with another community college

Out-of-District Resident:

To qualify as out-of-district students, individuals must occupy a dwelling within the state of Illinois for at least 30 days immediately prior to the date classes begin.

Students occupying a dwelling in the state of Illinois who fail to meet the 30-day residency requirement may not become a resident simply by attending classes at a community college for 30 days or more.

Students who move from outside the state, who obtain residency for other than going to college and demonstrate verifiable interest in permanent residency shall be exempt form the 30-day requirement.

A student who graduated from a high school outside of District 514 or has legal residency outside of District 514 at the time of application to Illinois Central College will be classified as an out-of-district student. Students dependent upon a person whose permanent residence is outside of District 514 but within the state of Illinois are considered to be out-of-district. However, the out-of-district tuition rate may be adjusted based on the employment status of the student or the individual claiming the student.

Students shall be classified as residents of the State without meeting the general 30-day residency provision if they are:

• Federal job corps workers stationed in Illinois

• Inmates of State or federal correctional/rehabilitation institutions located in the Illinois

• Employed full time in Illinois

Please contact Enrollment Services at Student Records or stop in Room L211 to discuss your situation.

Out-of-State Resident:

A student who graduated from a high school outside the state of Illinois or has legal residency outside the state of Illinois at the time of application to Illinois Central College will be classified as an out-of-state student. However, the out-of-state tuition rate may be adjusted based on the employment status of the student or the individual claiming the student. Please contact Enrollment Services at Student Records or in Room L211 to discuss your situation.

Out-of-Country Resident:

A student who is not a legal, permanent resident of the United States as defined by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) will be classified as an out-of-country student. Dependents of foreign employees working full-time within District 514 will be classified as out-of-country students. However, the out-of-country tuition rate may be adjusted based on the employment status of the individual claiming the student. Please contact Enrollment Services at Student Records or stop in Room L211 to discuss your situation.

International Student:

A student who has obtained permission from their home country to study at a college or university within the United States will be classified as an international student. These students will hold either an F-1 Visa (for degree-seeking students) or an M-1 Visa (for certificate-seeking students). Proof of the ability to pay the out-of-country tuition rate and all additional fees and costs related to studying in the United States must be provided before a student is accepted as an international student. For more information regarding study opportunities at ICC, please contact the International Education Department at (309) 694-8817 or International Students.

If you are an out-of-district or out-of-state student under the age of 24 and would like consideration for in-district residency status, please complete the residency questionnaire and submit the form along with the acceptable supporting documentation as outlined on the form to Enrollment Services in Room L211 on the East Peoria Campus. The addresses that appear on your supporting documentation must match and must be the same as the address on your student record at Illinois Central College. The residency questionnaire can be found online at Student Records.

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Dependents:

Effective 1/1/2017 any student who is (i) currently under legal guardianship of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, or has recently been emancipated from the department and (ii) has previously met the 30-day residency requirement of the district but had a placement change into a new community college district will be classified as a resident of the district they are currently residing in.

These students will not be required to meet the 30-day residency requirement and will receive in-district tuition. Proof of current in-district residency from the student, caseworker, other personnel of the department, student’s attorney, or guardian ad litem appointed under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 is required. Please contact Enrollment Services at Student Records or stop in Room 211 on the East Peoria Campus to discuss your situation.

Homeless Student:

If you are a homeless student, please provide us with documentation from the homeless shelter in which you are residing. New documentation will be required each semester until the residency questionnaire can be completed and you are able to provide the necessary documentation to establish permanent in-district residency status. Please contact Enrollment Services at Student Records or stop in Room L211 on the East Peoria campus to discuss your situation.

Employed Full-Time (35+ Hours) In District:

Students whose legal residence is outside Community College District 514, but are employed for a minimum of 35 scheduled hours per week within District 514 or are the dependent of someone 35 hours or more per week in District 514, may be entitled to receive the in-district tuition rate.  Written proof from the employer is required each semester. Please contact Enrollment Services at Student Records or stop in Room 211 on the East Peoria Campus to discuss your situation.

Verifying Residency

To verify that you are able to be classified as an In-District student, you will be asked to provide one (1) document showing your College District 514 address from each of the categories listed below. Each category must be represented for the residency appeal to be approved. The documents must be dated 30 days prior to the start of the semester and must match your in-district address on your student record at Illinois Central College.

Illinois Central College #514 District Map

ICC District – city/town plus zip code

 * cities split between two districts

Cooperative Educational Agreements (CAREER)

Working cooperatively with other Illinois two-year colleges, Illinois Central College participates in the Comprehensive Agreement Regarding the Expansion of Education Resources (CAREER Agreement). The intent of this agreement is to expand the career and technical educational programs that are provided to students within District 514, as well as offering our programs to Illinois students from outside District 514. The Comprehensive Agreement Regarding the Expansion of Education Resources (CAREER Agreement) reduces the student's tuition obligation to the current in-district rate of the receiving institution.  All Illinois community colleges participate in this agreement.

The agreement works in two ways:

1. A District 514 student can enroll in any career and technical education curriculum (program) that is not offered by Illinois Central College but is offered by any two-year college in Illinois.  A form can be submitted online: Student Records. This form must be completed each academic year.

2. A non-District 514 student can enroll at ICC in any career and technical education curriculum (program) that is not offered by their home community college district. Students should contact their home district for more information.

High School Inter-District Agreements

ICC has agreed to partner with our bordering community colleges to develop the High School Inter-District Agreement.

This agreement works to provide in-district tuition for taxpayers to high school districts within District 514 that educate students from both District 514 and bordering community college districts.

If you are a taxpayer to any of the above high school districts and are classified as an out-of-district resident at Illinois Central College, please provide a copy of your most recent property tax bill to Enrollment Services, so a final determination can be made for your residency status. If you have any questions, please contact Enrollment Services, Room 211, (309) 694-5466.