The Academic Common Market (ACM) is a tuition-savings agreement between 15 states that are members of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). If your degree program is not offered by a public college in Delaware, you may be eligible for the in-state tuition rate of a participating public college in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida*, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas*, Virginia, and West Virginia.

*All institutions in Florida and Texas offer graduate-level programs only in the ACM.  As of Spring 2025, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus will only offer graduate-level programs in the ACM. 

Students who wish to apply for the Academic Common Market should review each of the sections below. Once students have reviewed and gathered all application materials, they can complete the ACM Application by completing the online form below.

To be certified for participation in the ACM, you must be:

  1. A Delaware resident (see Delaware Residency Definitions) whose baccalaureate or graduate-level degree program is not offered at the University of Delaware or Delaware State University, and
  2. Accepted into or enrolled in an eligible degree program that has been selected for the ACM by a participating public institution. Eligible programs and participating colleges can be found online.
    • Not all public colleges in SREB states participate in the ACM.
    • Participating institutions select the degree programs they will make available, may add or withdraw programs, and may set restrictions on eligibility.
    • First professional degree programs—such as dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, optometry, theology, and law—are not offered in the ACM.

Delaware Residency:

  • Students applying for state-sponsored financial assistance from the state of Delaware must be legal residents of Delaware. Applicants must have resided in Delaware for at least one year (12 consecutive months) immediately prior to the application deadline for the financial assistance program to which they are applying.
  • If you are a dependent student, your state of legal residency is determined by that of your parent/guardian.
  • If you are an independent student, your state of legal residency will be verified.

Understanding Dependent vs. Independent Students

Whether a student is considered independent or dependent is determined based on the federal government’s definition of an independent student.  A student is considered a dependent student unless they meet the federal government’s definition of an independent student. For the 2025-26 academic year, you are an independent student if at least one of the following applies to you:

  • You were born before Jan 1, 2002.
  • You are married on the day you apply (even if you are separated but not divorced).
  • You are or will be enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree program (beyond a bachelor’s degree) at the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year.
  • You are currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training. *
  • You are a veteran of the U.S. armed forces. *
  • You have children who will receive more than half their support from you. *
  • You have legal dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half their support from you. *
  • At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents were deceased, were you in foster care or you were a dependent or ward of the court. *
  • You are or were an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence. *
  • You are or were in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence. *
  • You are an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless. *

*See the explanatory notes on the FAFSA form or go to FAFSA.

If none of the criteria above apply to you, you are a dependent student.

Before you begin this application, verify that you can provide the following documents for upload:

  • Verification of acceptance into or enrollment in an ACM-eligible baccalaureate or graduate-level program.
    • Do not send your letter of acceptance from the college if it does not specify your degree program. Ask the admissions office, your advisor, or a member of your college department to provide a letter of verification for you.
  • A copy of the Federal and Delaware Resident Individual Income Tax Return filed for the prior year by your parent/guardian (if you are a dependent student) or by yourself (if you are an independent student)
  • Copies of two (2) of the following documents (your parent/guardian’s documents if you are a dependent student or your documents if you are an independent student).
    • Delaware driver’s license or Delaware state identification,
    • Delaware vehicle registration, or
    • Delaware voter registration

The Delaware Higher Education Office may require additional information to verify your residency in Delaware. Failure to provide the necessary documentation will invalidate your application for state-sponsored student assistance. An out-of-state student who comes to Delaware for the principal purpose of enrollment in a postsecondary program does not establish Delaware residency during the period of enrollment.

Delaware Residency Definition last updated 9.19.12

  • You may submit your ACM application to the Delaware Higher Education Office after you have been accepted to an eligible degree program. The participating institutions set their own deadlines to accept ACM certifications.  Please ensure you submit your application 4-6 weeks prior to the institution’s deadline.
  • For the fall 2025 semester, students are advised to submit a complete ACM application to the Delaware Higher Education Office by June 30, 2025.  ACM applications will be accepted year-round.

Academic Common Market Application

Enrollment Information

I am requesting certification effective:

Applicant Information

Residency Information

I am: *
See Delaware Residency Definition

Supporting Documentation

The following supporting documentation is required in order to submit this application:

  • Verification of acceptance or enrollment in an ACM-eligible baccalaureate or graduate-level program. (Do not send your letter of acceptance from the college if it does not specify your degree program. Ask the admissions office, your advisor, or a member of your college department to provide a letter of verification for you.)
  • A copy of the Federal and Delaware Resident Individual Income Tax returns filed for the prior year by your parent/guardian (if you are a dependent student) or by yourself (if you are an independent student)
  • Copies of two (2) of the following documents (your parent/guardian’s documents if you are a dependent student or your documents if you are an independent student).
    • Delaware driver’s license or Delaware state identification,
    • Delaware vehicle registration, or
    • Delaware voter registration
    • Please note, file upload size limit  is 2MB.

Please be sure to upload PDF documents. Unacceptable files types include .jpg and .png.

Certification and Submission

I certify that I have read the enclosed Delaware Residency Definition and that I have been a legal resident of the State of Delaware for at least twelve (12) consecutive months prior to the date of application. I understand that the Delaware Higher Education Office may require additional information to verify my state residency and/or program eligibility and that failure to provide the necessary documentation will invalidate my application.

Student digital signature:

Parent/guardian digital signature (dependent students only):