<p>My kids were born and raised abroad. How do they establish residency for reduced tuition at a state university? Or are we just out of luck?</p>
<p>Unusual situation, but I’m not aware of a way to establish any state residency without living there. The whole justification behind lower state tuition is the contribution to the tax base.</p>
<p>I believe you are out of luck. To establish residency, you would need to MOVE to one of the states a year before your child plans to enroll there.</p>
<p>Many states require a year of residence before you get state rates for college tuition. They want your tax money before giving you the break. However, states vary in requirements. I would look into the situation and see if you cannot get residency in some state. ARe you prepared to pay the state taxes when you do so?</p>
<p>Do the parents have state residency?</p>
<p>We are in the same boat. We pay Fed taxes but no state…hence have to pay OOS fees.</p>
<p>Admissions too are looked at from an international perspective since transcripts coming from abroad. Only difference here is that you would not require a students visa. </p>
<p>A real bummer!</p>
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<p>Not true. For college admissions purposes, the kid will be considered a US citizen, and eligible for all benefits therein, i.e., will be considered in the resident’s pile. One big difference is that many colleges are need-aware for internationals, i.e., they take ability to pay into account prior to making a decision. Correct about the transcript, however, but that is somewhat mitigated by the international culture/experiences that such a kid brings to the class.</p>
<p>Public colleges will consider him/her like an out-of-stater, i.e., non-resident of the state.</p>
<p>Do you vote?</p>
<p>If there’s no way to avoid paying OOS tuition, the next best thing is to pay less OOS tuition. States vary widely in how much OOS tuition costs. This is because many states charge OOS students tuition which significantly exceeds the actual cost of their education. New York State (the SUNY system) and Minnesota are notable for their relatively low OOS tuition.</p>
<p>Some state universities waive OOS tuition for good students. As a result, even if the student is considered OOS, they get to pay in-state tuition.</p>
<p>If your kids are high achievers, they may also qualify for merit aid. This may bring the cost of a private university or an OOS public university down to a reasonable level. Actually, merit aid is more common at private universities than public universities. So private universities may actually be cheaper for you in the end in your situation.</p>
<p>It’s worth noting that higher tuition is not the only problem for OOS students. Some states have higher admissions standards for OOS students than for in-state students. In fact, many states place an absolute cap on the percentage of OOS students. Fortunately, some state universities consider in-state and OOS students equally for admissions purposes.</p>
<p>Canadian universities may also be worth considering. Your children would be considered International there. But even International tuition in Canada is less than OOS tuition at most flagship universities in the US. Notably, Canadian universities tend not to discriminate against International applicants in admissions. Of the Canadian universities, at least McGill, the University of Toronto, Queen’s University and the University of British Columbia are comparable to top US universities.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Our family also holds U.S. citizenship without state residency. Thus our kid is not eligible for instate tuition anywhere. Dependent students can’t establish state residency independent of their parents.</p>
<p>US citizens living abroad can register to vote in the state of their last residence. US citizens born abroad can register to vote in their citizen parent’s last state of residence. Some states may give you a break based on this kind of pseudo-residence.</p>
<p>If you own property in a state (even though you don’t live there), some states will award in-state tuition.</p>
<p>If your child is a minor, you may be able to transfer legal guardianship to someone in the US in order to get in-state tuition. This used to be much easier to pull off than it is now-a-days, and you need to consider all of the legal ramifications.</p>
<p>You can send your child to the US on his/her own to get a job and establish in-state residence. In Maryland, he/she would qualify for in-state tuition and fees at the community colleges after three months living and working here. 12 months residence are required for in-state tuition and fees at the public universities.</p>
<p>If Happydad’s one-year sabbatical hadn’t turned into a permanent job, our family would be in your situation. We wish you all the best as you look for the best educational options for your child!</p>