<p>I was wondering if theres anyway for an out of state student like this to become a resident of Michigan to get in state tuition...</p>
<p>I live with my single dad in Maryland, but he only makes about $20,000 a year and I have another sister. I enrolled as a freshman to uMich with a $35,000 aid package, 6K of which is loans. </p>
<p>I wanted to ask if theres anyway to become an independent and become a resident of michigan to get in state tuition?</p>
<p>Unless you become independent and show that you are independent by working and paying federal income tax in michigan for 2 years, i don’t think its possible to become an instate resident.</p>
<p>6K of loans is not too bad. Graduating with $20,000 of loans is about the norm these days. Even if you managed to get in-state status, you would probably be left with a similar contribution and loan. however, from what I have seen, it is very rare for OOS students to get in-state status at the University of Michigan.</p>
<p>Oh, I see what you’re saying Alexandre, Id end up with a similar aid package even as an instate student. As long as I’m not more than $40,000 in debt I’m ok.</p>
<p>But I’m worried that in my later years at Michigan, the budget won’t allow as much aid to students, so I would be stuck with less aid and more debt…</p>
<p>Alexandre, the employment situation isn’t too bad here. While it’s really high in the state of Michigan as a whole (like 12% unemployment), Ann Arbor is only 7.3% (still not good, but probably not as bad as you were thinking).</p>
<p>That is not what I meant. I realize that Ann Arbor is doing fine. It always will. I meant to say that there are many of us who would love to work and live in Ann Arbor. It is my favorite place on Earth…after Paris of course. I was merely responding to Shaymen who said that he would “even be willing to work in Ann Arbor” over the summer. Who would? Ann Arbor is perfect in the summer.</p>
<p>I was thinking the same thing. My parents are willing to drop 50k a year for me at U of M as opposed to the 20k they’re paying for me at MSU right now. </p>
<p>I don’t want them to drop 200k over 4 years though, that’s just too much.</p>
<p>Is it possible to get in-state if you rent an apartment, buy a car, get a michigan license, show them michigan bank statements?</p>
<p>Just so you know, OP, there’s not much chance of being categorized as Michigan resident at UoM because your purpose for being in Michigan is to ATTEND U of M, which it DOES NOT COUNT, no matter how long you pay taxes here. Even though my son and I have lived here as legal residents since 2003 and s. attended middle and high school and we pay both business and personal taxes and hold no assets or ties to our former country, Michigan initially did not even consider us residents because s’s dad lives in Canada. After a 10-week certification process, we were rightly granted residency. But during that time I became very familiar with U of M’s residency policy for students.
There are adults today who are STILL not eligible for instate tuition because they originally came here to do their undergrad as OOS. With OOS tuition being what it is, if U of M used staying and working through the summer as eligibility, you can imagine that 30% of its population would never go home.
Sorry to be the messenger on this one, but “that dog don’t hunt : )”
Cheers,
K</p>
<p>And BeeJay, NO, not a single one of those things you mentioned will in any way qualify you for in-state tuition. There is actually a family that met at U of M, married, had a kid, husband went to work and wife attempted to go back to school. They owned a house, etc. Paid taxes. Drove MI car. Husband worked in MI. SHE DID NOT GET INSTATE. Just so you know!</p>
<p>Beejay, those criterion are only good for a MI driver’s license :)</p>
<p>They are seriously strict here because otherwise more OOS kids would apply and try to get in-state and that wouldn’t be good for UM’s and Michigan’s budget. That’s probably why CA is such a disaster now.</p>
<p>kmccrindle: I’m planning on living in Michigan forever… i absolutely hate maryland, for whatever its worth.</p>
<p>And alexandre, what I meant by “i even willing to work in Ann Arbor” was that I’m willing to not go home in the summer and work in Ann Arbor, actually anywhere in Michigan.</p>
<p>Shayman, the unfortunate reality about the residency policy is that it can’t really account for your future intent…it is only applied based on the residence history of not only you, but your family as well. Many OTHER schools in Michigan will consider you a resident after a year if you live, work, pay taxes etc. (Eg. Michigan State’s is more along that line.) But with the volume of OOS applicants UM has, it is just not viable for the school to use those criteria.
In your case, though, from a financial perspective, you actually have a preferential state-like package. (My S. won a scholarship, etc., is in state, and will still have an equivalent debt load to you…more actually, since he’s doing 5 years.) So I think Alexandre’s point is color yourself LUCKY, take the money and run : ) (To Michigan.)
Your package really can’t be beat…not even instate at U of M.
SO, it’s all good!
Cheers,
K</p>