Do I make a Strong Case for In-State Tuition even though I live out of state.

Applying to College
1

<p>After doing a bit of research, it seems as if I may be able to shave off the thousands of extra dollars it costs to attend a public university out of state. In my case, I'm specifically referring to FSU or U of F. Here's my situation.</p>

<p>I don't live in Florida and never remember ever living there. My parents are divorced and both of them don't currently live in Florida. However, my dad is a legal Florida resident. He has a Florida License, he votes in Florida (mail) , Florida plates, but doesn't LIVE there. He lives on a Military base in another state. Since I am a "dependent", “Dependent child” means any person, whether or not living with his or her parent, who is eligible to be claimed by his or her parent as a dependent under the federal income tax code. (The 2010 Florida Statutes(including Special Session A) , would I be able to get in-state tuition if accepted? I'd like many opinions on this especially since mine is obviously heavily leaning towards one side. If you want to do some reading on more technicalities here's a link to the full residency statute all Florida schools use: <a href="http://archive.flsenate.gov/Statutes/Index.cfm?mode=View+Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=1009.21&URL=1000-1099%2f1009%2fSections%2f1009.21.html"&gt;http://archive.flsenate.gov/Statutes/Index.cfm?mode=View+Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=1009.21&URL=1000-1099%2f1009%2fSections%2f1009.21.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

2

<p>© The legal residence of a dependent child whose parents are divorced, separated, or otherwise living apart will be deemed to be this state if either parent is a legal resident of this state, regardless of which parent is entitled to claim, and does in fact claim, the minor as a dependent pursuant to federal individual income tax provisions.</p>

3

<p>(7) A person shall not lose his or her resident status for tuition purposes solely by reason of serving, or, if such person is a dependent child, by reason of his or her parent’s or parents’ serving, in the Armed Forces outside this state.</p>

4

<p>As I read it, I think you qualify for instate tuition.</p>

5

<p>Since most of the military establishes residency in the first no income tax state they are assigned to, and Florida has tons of military bases as well as being a no income tax state, this has surely come up before. Someone just needs to chime in with the official way Florida views it.</p>

6

<p>"Someone just needs to chime in with the official way Florida views it. " Like the person at the other end of the phone when @SimplyOverdone calls the bursar’s office at FSU and UoF?</p>

<p>Make the call. You want to know the solid answer for your planning purposes. Good luck</p>

7

<p>I’ll call tomorrow and see what they say… Do I call admissions? Anyway I’ll post what they say just in case someone else was wondering the same thing</p>

8

<p>Call the “bursar’s office”</p>

9

<p>I just got off the phone with FSU and they told me I WOULD be eligible for instate tuition as long as my dad sent in all the documentation needed to prove that he is indeed a Florida resident. Also, a popular misconception I found to be a huge lie when it comes to FSU is that in the admission process residency swayed in favor of Florid residents. According to both the UF and Florida State admission officers residency isn’t considered until granted admission. (For financial purposes) Therefore, if you are a Florida resident your chances of getting in are just as good as the next. </p>

10

<p>That’s interesting because it contradicts what is in the Common Data Set:<br>
<a href=“http://www.ir.fsu.edu/Common_Data_Set/2013-14/C.html”>http://www.ir.fsu.edu/Common_Data_Set/2013-14/C.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“University of Florida - Common Data Set”>http://www.ir.ufl.edu/OIRApps/commondataset/c_ftic_admission.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

11

<p>It seems many admission officers would say there is no difference or they are blinded for state residency during the admission process which is obvious a lie from any public universities. I have heard the same thing from a few schools too. They just want to encourage more oos students to apply. The admission stat does not lie.</p>

12

<p>I was going to say, most state schools have a publicly stated or even mandated duty to primarily educate citizens of their state - otherwise their student bodies would look more like private institutions, particularly the highly rated ones.</p>

13

<p>The admissions people know who is instate. The universities receive the information from state high schools electronically, in a block. There might be a few students attending high school in Florida who aren’t resident, and there may be a few who attend OOS high schools who are Florida residents, but for the majority, they know.</p>

<p>There are a few states that do have more OOS than instate students at their Universities. Vermont is only 35% instate.</p>

14

<p>On that note, will I be held to the OOS student standards of admission or Instate?</p>

15

<p>Caveat, No one really knows how UF admissions works…but from what I’ve seen…</p>

<p>UF’s holistic admissions is vague enough that the AO’s can claim there is “no difference”. However, it’s a bit more complicated than that. UF has to support different “Geographical” regions of the state. For example, they don’t want the south Florida area to be over-represented, or the west Florida area to be under-represented. They may admit a student with lower stats from an under-represented area, while denying a student with better stats from an over-represented area. This is one (of many) reason(s) UF admissions can seem so random.</p>

<p>Taking the above into account, an OOS student may have a better shot than a student in an over-represented area or a worse chance against a student from an under-represented area. So, in the AO’s mind, it’s “no difference”. However, in truth, your geographical location does matter, and being OOS plays a factor (good or bad).</p>

<p>FSU isn’t (to my knowledge) as driven by state geographical concerns, but it does take state residency into account, possibly more than UF.</p>

<p>UF is 88% in-state, while FSU is 89% in-state students (admitted freshmen). However, FSU has 8% OOS and UF has 6% (UF has more international students). </p>

<p>At the end of the day, it’s best to treat OOS as making “no difference”, and focus on what you can control, such as EC’s, GPA, class rigor, test scores and the essay (which matters at UF). All of these factors are more important than In-state/OOS. </p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>