Wis. Stat. § 38.22 — WI Code / Chapter 38 / Section 38.22
Admission requirements.
Status: in_force

(1) Except as provided in subs. (1m) and (1s) and s. 38.12 (14) , every person who is at least the age specified in s. 118.15 (1) (b) is eligible to attend a technical college if the person is:

(a) A resident of this state.

(d) A nonresident of this state, and if the district board of attendance approves the enrollment.

(1m) Notwithstanding sub. (1) (intro.) , a person who is at least 15 years and 6 months of age, who satisfies the other requirements for admission under sub. (1) and who obtains a letter from his or her high school principal recommending that the person be permitted to attend the schools of a district in order to take a course in motorcycle safety is eligible to attend the schools of a district for the purpose of taking a course in motorcycle safety. A person under the age of 16 years who takes a course in motorcycle safety under this subsection may not use in the course a motorcycle other than a motorcycle provided by the school of the district for the course.

(1s) Notwithstanding sub. (1) (intro.) , an individual under the age of 16 is eligible to attend the schools of a district if all of the following apply:

(a) The district board agrees to admit the individual.

(b) The individual satisfies the other requirements for admission under sub. (1) .

(c) The individual has the written permission of his or her parent or guardian.

(d) The individual will not be attending the district school during the hours of the normal school day established under s. 119.18 (7) or 120.12 (15) . This paragraph does not apply to an individual enrolled in a home-based private educational program, as defined in s. 115.001 (3g) .

(3) Nonresident students shall be subject to the same rules and regulations as resident students.

(4)

(a) Subject to par. (b) , the board shall establish procedures to determine the residence of students attending district schools. In the case of any disagreement as to the residence of any student, the board shall make the final determination.

(b)

1. In this paragraph, “relocated service member” means an active duty member of the U.S. armed forces who has been relocated from Wisconsin and stationed on active duty in another state.

2. For purposes of sub. (6) and the procedures established under par. (a) , a relocated service member and the service member’s spouse and dependents are considered residents of this state during the period in which the service member is relocated on active duty if they demonstrate, under the procedures established under par. (a) , that they are bona fide residents during this period.

3. Except as provided in subd. 4. , subd. 2. does not apply after the relocated service member’s period of relocation on active duty in another state has ended.

4. A relocated service member’s dependent who is considered a resident of this state under subd. 2. continues to be considered a resident of this state after the relocated service member’s period of relocation on active duty in another state has ended.

(5) The board shall promulgate rules establishing the priority to be given by a district board in admitting students who are residents of the district, students who are not residents of the district but are residents of this state and students who are not residents of this state.

(6) The following persons are residents of this state for the purposes of this section and s. 38.24 :

(a) Any person who has been employed as a migrant worker for at least 2 months each year for 3 of the 5 years next preceding the beginning of the semester or session for which the person wishes to enroll at a district school, or for at least 3 months each year for 2 of the 5 years next preceding the beginning of the semester or session for which the person wishes to enroll at a district school, any adult whose parent or legal guardian has been so employed while the adult was a minor, and any minor whose parent or legal guardian has been so employed. In this paragraph, “migrant worker” has the meaning specified in s. 103.90 (5) .

(b) Any minor, or adult who is a dependent of his or her parents or guardian under 26 USC 152 (a), whose natural parents are divorced or legally separated, if one or both of the person’s parents have been bona fide residents of this state for at least 12 months next preceding the beginning of the semester or session for which the person wishes to enroll at a district school.

(c) Any person continuously employed full time in this state, who was relocated to this state by his or her current employer or who moved to this state for employment purposes and accepted his or her current employment before applying for admission to a district school and before moving, and the spouse and dependents of any such person, if the student demonstrates an intent to establish and maintain a permanent home in Wisconsin. In this paragraph, “dependents” has the meaning given in 26 USC 152 (a).

(d) Any person who is a refugee, as defined under 8 USC 1101 (a) (42), who moved to this state immediately upon arrival in the United States and who has resided in this state continuously since then, if he or she demonstrates an intent to establish and maintain a permanent home in Wisconsin.

(f) Any person verified by the department of veterans affairs as being a resident of this state under s. 38.24 (8) (a) 1r.

History: 1971 c. 154 ; 1977 c. 29 ss. 494 , 494m , 501m ; 1977 c. 273 ; 1985 a. 29 ; 1985 a. 332 s. 251 (1) ; 1987 a. 122 ; 1989 a. 24 , 31 , 336 ; 1991 a. 39 , 184 ; 1997 a. 27 ; 2005 a. 25 ; 2009 a. 28 ; 2011 a. 32 ; 2015 a. 55 ; 2017 a. 59 ; 2021 a. 159 .