I am still considered a dependent and I still have to list my parent’s home adress as my permanent residency. I’ve lived in VA for about 12 years and I graduated high school here. I attend a college, also in VA, and I would be graduating in spring 2020, or maybe fall 2020, depending on requirements for my minor
The problem is that my parents just bought a house in WV. So, they’ll be moving there, which means my permanent residence address is moving with them. Would this make me an out of state student, even though I previously had an In state tuition rate?
I tried looking for this information online on my school’s website but I couldn’t find anything. I also went to my school’s financial aid office and they told me that I should just file my fafsa as normal and I don’t have to answer any questions that the school doesn’t ask, like what state I live in. This made it sound like I could still get by with In-State tuition, but the people working at financial aid have proven to often not know what they are talking about on many other topics, so I do not find them a trustworthy source of information. I realize that every school or state might have a different policy about this. I came across a post where people were saying that in CA, as long as the student graduated from high school in the state, they can retain in state tuition rate. So, I was wondering if anyone else has gone through this, and what did you do about it?
Financial aid won’t necessarily know this, but the bursar’s office or the registrar’s office would.
It is true that the answer to this varies by state. In my state, for example, they check residency by semester. In some other states, once you’re determined to be in state, you’re in state for the duration of your degree. You can usually get guidance if you google things like “in state tuition residency Virginia”.
For VA, it looks like financial aid is a tiny bit correct. If your parents move out of VA, and they end up living more than 30 miles away from a university in the state of VA, then you will be considered an out of state student for the purposes of tuition. However, it is the school’s task to see/notice if you’ve moved out of state. If they notice, then they will change you to out of state. If, however, your parents move within 30 miles of a public college in the state of VA, you may still be able to get the in state rate at your school.
So an option could be to just not bring this up for now. That if your uni does reclassify you, you simply apologize for the oversight. Just know that if they do notice, they may charge you out of state tuition retroactively to when your parents moved (or if they move in the middle of the term, retroactively to the term after that.)
But you certainly can ask the bursar’s/registrar’s office without risk. Just tell them your parents are thinking of moving.
Oh, man. The wording for VA is a lot less straightforward than other states. I find some bullets contradictory.
Print this out and mark it up with the various points that may apply to you. It looks like you’re good for the term in whch your parents move. (Some states determine at admission and it holds.)
http://www.schev.edu/index/tuition-aid/in-state-residency/financial-aid-policy-and-procedures
(You can google Virginia and “residency requirements.”)
This isn’t a queston for FA folks. I’d run this up the ladder, maybe talk to the registrar or ask the president’s office who on campus determines residency. Or call SCHEV.
http://www.schev.edu/index/agency-info/contact-us
Adding: I’d phrase this as your parents “may” move (or may get an OOS job offer) and before decising wonder if it affects your residency. Not that it’s a done deal.
I would think if you grew up in a state, graduated high school in that state, and started college with the intention to graduate, you SHOULD be considered in state. In college you are 18, so just because your parents move, I can’t imagine the college could say you are out of state if you can say your intention is to stay in your home state. I’d at least argue that angle if it were brought into question