ACM Certification Procedures for Delaware Resident

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.

*Florida and Texas offer graduate-level programs only in the ACM

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

  1. a Delaware resident and U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen (see enclosed Delaware Residency and Eligible Noncitizen 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.

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. Eligible programs and participating colleges can be found online.

For the fall 2024 semester submit a complete ACM application to the Delaware Higher Education Office by June 30, 2024.

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.

Before you begin this application, verify that you are able to 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

Students applying for state-sponsored financial assistance from the state of Delaware must be legal residents of Delaware and U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens. 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. Whether a student is considered independent or dependent is determined on the basis of the federal government’s definition of an independent student. For the 2023-24 academic year, you are an independent student if at least one of the following applies to you:

  • You were born before Jan 1,1999.
  • 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 2023-24 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.

Verifying Delaware Residency:

If requested, you must provide verification of your legal residency in Delaware to the Delaware Higher Education Office. Independent students must verify their state of legal residence. Dependent students must verify the legal residency of their parent/guardian. In addition to submitting a copy of the Federal and Delaware Resident Individual Tax Return for the prior year, you must provide copies of two (2) of the following: Delaware driver’s license or Delaware state identification card, Delaware vehicle registration, or Delaware voter registration card.

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

Eligibility for financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education is restricted to U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens. The state of Delaware also requires U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen status for state-sponsored financial aid.

For both federal and state of Delaware financial aid purposes, an eligible noncitizen is one of the following:

  • A U.S. permanent resident who has a Permanent Resident Card (I-551 or I-151) (also known as a green card)
  • A conditional permanent resident with a conditional Green Card (I-551C)
  • A noncitizen with an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (specifically, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) showing any one of the following designations: “Refugee,” “Asylum Granted,” “Paroled” (the I-94 must confirm ‘paroled for a minimum of 1-year and status’ has not expired), “Conditional Entrant” (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980) or “Cuban-Haitian Entrant, status pending”
  • A student also may qualify as an eligible noncitizen if he or she holds a T-visa (for victims of human trafficking) or if his or her parent holds a T-1 visa.

If you are neither a U.S. citizen nor an eligible noncitizen, you are not eligible for federal student aid or state of Delaware financial assistance; for example, you are not eligible if you are in the U.S. on one of the following:

  • An F-1, F-2 or M-1 student visa
  • A J-1 or J-2 exchange visitor visa
  • A B-1 or B-2 visitor visa
  • A G series visa (pertaining to international organizations)
  • An H series or L series visa (allowing temporary employment in the U.S.)
  • A “Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence” (I-171 or I-464)
  • An I-94 stamped “Temporary Protected Status”

Eligible Noncitizen Definition last updated 7.16.12

Academic Common Market Place Application

Enrollment Information

I am requesting certification effective:

Applicant Information

Residency Information

I am: *
See Delaware Residency Definition
Are you a U.S. Citizen?
See Eligible Non-citizen 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):