Could I qualify for in-state at IU?

Paying for College
1

<p>Hi! Before I begin, I just want to say that I'm not sure if I'm in the right forum or not, but this seemed the most likely one to get some answers from. Please let me know if it should be moved!</p>

<p>I'm currently a junior in high school, and I'm thinking long and hard about what colleges I want to apply to in the fall. On paper there are quite a few, but in my head I'm already just torn between two. My home state is Connecticut, so of course UConn and the other state schools are contenders, but the school that has captivated me is IU Bloomington. I won't know whether I want to go for sure until I visit (probably this summer) but it does meet every single one of my requirements for a school (including Japanese courses, which UConn doesn't have), but there is one problem, and that is the massive out of state tuition bill. I really don't mind paying it if it comes down to it and I end up liking the school that much. </p>

<p>Now, my parents are on the way to a divorce, and my dad moved out a couple of years ago and settled in Indiana. Because of his disability rating, the Indiana Department of Veteran Affairs will completely cover my tuition at any Indiana public university if I qualify as in-state. This would be fantastic, if only I could qualify. I looked at the residency policy for IU, and it says that I will qualify as a resident student if either of my parents meets residence requirements, which my dad certainly does. But then the next line says essentially the opposite of that. It says: </p>

<p>"If an unemancipated person under 21 years of age who is lawfully present in the United States comes from another state or country for the predominant purpose of attending the University, he or she shall not be admitted to resident student status upon the basis of the residence of a guardian in fact, except upon appeal to the Standing Committee on Residence in each case."</p>

<p>I should note that my mom is my legal guardian. So since my dad's not my guardian, does the above not apply to me?</p>

<p>So my question is: Would I possibly be able to qualify for in-state tuition at IU? I can't tell. And when I do visit IU and speak to somebody there, should I mention this and ask them, or will that mess up my chances or something? I don't want to be all cloaks-and-daggers about it, and I know that that is kind of stupid to ask, but it is something that weighs on my thoughts a little. </p>

<p>Thank you very much for looking and/or answering!</p>

<p>-Jennifer</p>

2

<p>This is the statement that most pertains to you:

[quote]
In the case of divorce or separation, if either parent meets the residence requirements, such person will be considered a resident

[quote]
</p>

3

<p>Yes, you should be able to get residency through your father. My nephew was a resident of Colorado because his father lives there, even though his father provided no support and did not claim him as a dependent. </p>

<p>A small bonus for kids of divorce.</p>

4

<p>^ But you can’t extrapolate residency rules at one college to another. Just because CO accepts children of divorces as being in-state does not mean that will carry over to other states (or schools within the same state). It’s always best to check each school’s web site for clarifying information.</p>

5

<p>OP, I don’t think it will hurt your chances to inquire when you visit. You want to be sure about this. There may not be anyone available during your visit to answer definitively though. Shortly after your visit, assuming you still want to attend, you could email admissions and try to get a definitive answer. It looks like you will qualify but if you don’t and can’t afford it, then you have lost nothing, you can’t attend anyway. As for admission, almost all publics are need-blind, they will admit you on academic qualifications alone. They aren’t trying to manage their yield based on affordability the way some privates do.</p>