<p>I have heard that after your first year at a college, if you establish residency you can then claim in-state tuition for the college. Would this work if you go and get an apartment or something on your own? What about if you have family that lives in the area? What are the loopholes/ways to get the in-state tuition rate because of obvious reasons, with how much money you could save.</p>
<p>If you live in an apartment while you are a student, I don't think it counts for residency requirement. If your family lives in the state and you have been living with the family, obviously you can claim in-state. Most schools require that your family must have lived for at least 1 year in the state to claim the residency status.
I think some states (MA for example) will give in-state tuition to the kid if one of the parents works in the state and pays income tax, even if the kid had lived outside prior to going to the university.</p>
<p>this subject has been covered ad nauseum in the past. the loopholes have been closed for many years (FA officers are no dummies).</p>
<p>Basically -- if you are a dependent (under the age of 24 with dependents of your own, no service in the military and at least one living parent) your residency is the same as your parents. some public California Universities have a provision if you personally establish residence -- but it is very specific and you need to read the information thoroughly.</p>
<p>so -- unless your parents are planning on moving, your residence will not change.</p>
<p>And the FA officers are very good at identifying kids who try to sneak in as a resident -- the first thing they look at is where you graduated high school. If it isn't in-state, you are going to have to do quite a bit to prove you are an in-state student.</p>
<p>There are schools that award merit scholarships equivalent to the out-of-state increase in tuition. You might look for some of those.</p>