<p>Ok, so I'm going to another state for my masters degree. I plan on not coming back to my home state, since job opportunities aren't busting at the seem and there seems to be nothing to be gained by coming back. </p>
<p>Does it make sense to apply for residency in another state? Other than voting, what changes due to being a resident of another state(other than tuition being cheaper usually)? It seems to take 2 years to do, which is about how much time I plan spending on my masters(I'm planning on doin a co-op and taking alot of time so I can get good grades).</p>
<p>So has anyone here become a resident of the state they are doing their graduate work in? If so, tell me about the experience and if it was worth it. If not, why didn't you?</p>
<p>Often you are legally required to become a resident of another state when you move there and are no longer a dependent. If you have a car, there are rules regarding insurance, registration, driver's license that are governed by the MVA of the state. Also if you maintain your residence in one state and work in another, you can end up having to file 2 state tax returns which may not be to your advantage. Keep in mind that becoming a state resident for MVA or tax purposes or college tuition purposes may have different definitions. I know that it can vary from agency to agency. Many state colleges require a one year residence or filing or a state tax form to qualify for the state rates. Another advantage that may come up are loan, tuition, or other special programs that may be limited to state residents. You may not know about them right now, but if you are there, and the opportunities arise, you want to have that residency in place.</p>
<p>Ummm... you don't apply for state residency, you just sign a lease or buy a place, pay your utilities and taxes, work, and so forth. Every state has slightly different rules on things like voter registration, driver's licenses, income taxes and the like. The main things all states require will be to register your vehicle and get the local driver's license within a certain time frame. After that most states won't want to hear from you until April 15th.</p>
<p>When it comes to tuition, the rules can be different for graduate students (as opposed to undergrad). Since most grad students are supported by fellowships, TAships and such, there is often a presumption of residency hidden in the paperwork so that your tuition waivers (that come with the TAship for example) waive resident tuition. For example the University of Minnesota states:</p>
<p>"Nonresident students holding an assistantship of at least 25 percent for an entire term will be assessed tuition at the resident rates."</p>
<p>Other schools have simpler rules (e.g. All full time graduate students are assumed to be residents for the purpose of tuition), and some are more complex. One school I looked at assessed first year grad students at the resident rate but for subsequent years you had to show that you were an actual state resident by providing a copy of a calendar year lease or other documentation. Some even base your resident status on your academic status (e.g. UCLA charges non-resident PhD students resident tuition when they advance to candidacy).</p>
<p>Finally - be aware that many state universities have deals with adjacent states to treat each other's residents as their own. So if you're only moving one state over that may help with tuition.</p>
<p>Bottom line: Ask your school AND your department what the rules are for you.</p>
<p>And congratulations on getting in to a program!</p>
<p>I have had countless friends who left my home state of Michigan permanently for school get summoned back to the state for jury duty. At least Michigan only allows so many deferrals until they tell you you HAVE to come or they put a warrant out for you. This can all be avoided by changing residency...Could be different in other states, but after the upcoming fall elections I'll be changing my residency to wherever I end up in the DC area.</p>
<p>I think if it's a permanent move... change it. Tuition usually wont change as most states don't count being a student as a residency requirement tuition wise...But it saves the hassle of a frantic phone call from your parents about jury duty or some other odd thing.</p>
<p>While this piece of advice isn't necessarily for you, there is another way to gain another state's residency and pay their in-state tuition. If you move to the state where you plan to attend grad school and stay permanently, it helps if you have at least a year of full-time work experience in the state before you apply to graduate school. I say this because if the graduate school is a public institution, their out-of-state tuition and fees can be outrageous and expensive.</p>
<p>You guys are making this way too complicated...</p>
<p>Just register to vote in the new state as soon as you get settled. Most states allow you to do it online. Some states will ask for "proof" of residence - a copy of your lease will be all you need. At the same time, file one of those "forwarding" forms at your old local post office. You can mail it in if you don't yet have an exact address when you leave.</p>
<p>Then, if a jury duty summons gets forwarded to your new residence (some states do, some don't), just send it back with the "no longer resident" box checked (or write in a statement to that effect) add a photocopy of your voter registration or driver's license and you're permanently off the old roll. </p>
<p>And don't wait to register to vote. The election is in November and you'll be on campus by late August. Unless you have a compelling reason to vote in your previous state's state or local election, you can register for federal elections as close as 30 days prior - that would be about October 4 this time around. State and local registration rules vary, but most states have given in and aligned themselves with the federal rules (that's the case here in PA for example).</p>
<p>None of this has anything to do with tuition of course - the rules for that are unique to each school and even within a school will vary depending on your academic status, fellowships, TA/RA status, and so forth. If you have the flexibility to take tenisghs suggestion, AND, for some reason you're actually paying for grad school - its a good idea.</p>
<p>Just be glad that you're not moving to Michigan! Unfortunately, their in-state tuition for grad school is only $10K less than for OOS so it just didn't make sense trying to move there for employment for a year in hopes of saving money at all.</p>
<p>To clarify ticklemepink's point, it also depends on which program you are applying. If you are looking at the top-dollar professional schools like business and law, costs tend to be similar for in-state and out-of-state students at public universities. However, if you can save at least $15,000 by switching your residency in other programs, I think it's worth it.</p>
<p>^^ Um, then you'd have to consider all the moving expenses, the need to rent a place... Besides, with a top school like Michigan for grad school, it's hard to say.</p>
<p>Besides, on U-M's site, they made it very, very clear that the student must be depending on someone who's in Michigan because of employment, not for school. So which means if I want to pay in-state tuition for grad school, I'd have to get marry to a MI resident ASAP! :) And even if you came to work in Michigan alone and go to grad school, not quite sure if U-M would still tack OOS fees. Basically, employment is a priority and must be the only reason why you're in Michigan, not for U-M. Goodness gracious, are there more people wanting to go to U-M than say...a UC?</p>
<p>Ticklemepink: UofM is AWFUL with residency, trust me (i just finished undergrad there). They will search far and wide to find a way to disqualify you for in state tuition... It's not even worth trying most of the time. A fellow student here who has lived in MI for 5 years (moved here as a minor for highschool with his family) got disqualified because his parents didn't sell their old house in another state (they just rented it out). Things like that are common stories around campus...Appearing in the campus paper pretty often.
They've also made some truly awful decisions with financial aid for needy students...ugh.</p>
<p>I love UofM, but they can just be obnoxious sometimes with their rules. But as the state is giving them less and less money, they have some reasons for it. The economy here has just been killed over the last number of years.</p>
<p>Many states make it easier for grad students to become residents though... I'm at UW, and they've got a whole list of crap that you have to do to become a resident here, including proving that you're not primarily here for educational purposes. But they waive that one for grad students because they understand that it's a more long-term commitment. So you've really got to check the individual school you go to, but in general I'd say the tuition break is usually worth whatever amount of hassle they make you go through!</p>
<p>CM85- I already gave up :) My best hope is that U-M will let me in for a full-ride PhD to make up for being there as OOS paying in loans for their MA program!</p>