Establishing Residency in California?

[HardCoreAsian]

How hard is it for an OOS to establish residency in California in possibly their sophomore, junior or senior year?

[Corbett]

How hard is it for an OOS to establish residency in California in possibly their sophomore, junior or senior year?

This question is asked regularly. The answer is: nearly impossible.

If you’re a nonresident undergraduate student with nonresident parents, obtaining California residency for the purposes of tuition is extremely difficult … Virtually all nonresident undergraduates with nonresident parents remain nonresidents for the duration of their undergraduate career at UC.

http://www.ucop.edu/residency/establishing-residency.html

UC “follows the money”. If your UC tuition and living expenses are paid by an out-of-state family, then you won’t qualify as a California resident. Either (1) your family has to move to California, so they can pay for your tuition and living expenses with money earned in California, or else (2) you have to get a job in California, and earn enough money in California to pay for your tuition and living expenses all by yourself.

You could maybe try marrying a California resident from a wealthy family that would be willing to pay for an in-law’s college expenses (in other words, get a new in-state family). That might work.

[aunt_bea]

Very hard as noted above^^.
You would have to earn at least $55K, on your own, to pay for your tuition, while going to school. Receiving no help, from anyone. How can you do that, AND file state taxes in California?

[Corbett]

You would have to earn at least $55K, on your own, to pay for your tuition, while going to school. How can you do that, on your own, AND file state taxes in California?

And even if you did, you would have to be self-supporting for at least two years before qualifying for in-state tuition:

If you’re an unmarried undergraduate under the age of 24 and your parent(s) are not California residents, you must be able to document (for example, using tax returns, W-2 forms, bank statements) that you have been totally self-sufficient for two full years prior to the residence determination date, supporting yourself, for example, through jobs, financial aid, commercial/institutional loans in your name only, and documentable savings from your earnings. This also means you can’t have been claimed as an income tax dependent by any individual or have accepted gifts (cash or other support) that contributed to your subsistence for two tax years immediately preceding the term.

This requirement makes it extremely difficult for most undergraduates who are not financially dependent on a California-resident parent to qualify for classification as a California resident.

http://www.ucop.edu/residency/establishing-residency.html

[HardCoreAsian]

haha looks like I will have to marry into a wealthy family after I go California. Anyway thanks, I was just wondering. I applied to Berkeley to see if I could make it in their needs program and somehow I did. I know it’s near impossible for me to afford it, and am almost 99% sure that I won’t be gong there. I still have Georgia tech, Virginia Tech, UVA, and a waitlist or MIT, so I will have to wait for my decision after I obtain their financial aid report

[Corbett]

looks like I will have to marry into a wealthy family after I go California.

If marriage isn’t practical, you could try for legal adoption by a wealthy in-state family (possibly the Kardashians, for example) that would pay for your college expenses. However, this approach could potentially raise issues with your existing out-of-state family.

So the adoption route may not be practical either. However, it seems like it could be a great plot line on a reality TV show.

[UpMagic]

Having your parents (assuming they are paying for your tuition) move to California is the most realistic method.

[GWTWFan]

Cheaper to pay the out of state tuition than it is to move to California where houses near urban areas are a million plus and a hamburger is $15. Had a $8 cup of coffee in Oakland the other day!