Getting in-state tuition

I’m from Tennessee and I’m planning on transferring to Thomas Nelson CC to enroll in the co-enrollment program to transfer to W&M starting this fall. I read the requirements to establish domicile and it looks like you have to perform an act of congress to make it happen. Does someone here have some good advice for what I could do.

All you can do is pay the out of state tuition. You will not qualify for in state. Either that or go to University of Tennessee for in state tuition.

Well, I’m certainly not doing the second option. If I’m spending 2 years at cc before W&M, is there no way I can establish domicile and get in-state tuition before the transition into W&M?

No there is not. If your purpose of being in VA is to attend college it does not count for residency. Also it is residency that counts, not "domicile. You will need to either pay the out of state tuition or hope for financial aid.

Okay, well I guess they’ve got me pegged. Forget my asking.

What are the chances of getting any reasonable amount of financial aid there as an out of state student without loans? Is it financially feasible? I’m not well off financially. Pretty well everything regarding tuition and financial aid seems to cater to in-state students and us out of staters are just doomed. Is that a fair way of saying it? Or are there options for people like me to make W&M affordable?

No chance. W&M is a public university supported in part by Virginia taxpayers. So yes, it caters to Virginia residents – 2/3 of admitted students are from Virginia and they get full calculated need met (with loans, in my son’s case). There is no commitment to meet full need for OOS students. There are a few scholarships that will provide OOS students with an amount equivalent to in-state tuition, but I don’t think transfers are eligible for those.

So you are considering paying OOS tuition in Virginia for four years to attend W&M for two – when you could attend a college in your home state for 1/3 to 1/4 the cost? And then go on to grad school? That is unwise, to put it mildly.

I think you need to go back and read some of the advice given in your 1/4/2016 thread. At this point you just need to focus your efforts on a school where you can finish your degree in the most cost-effective manner. Prove to yourself and others that you are capable of finishing a course of study, instead of dreaming about improbabilities. You don’t need a “TOP college” (your words) right now, you need one where you can get a marketable degree. So do well and save the elite status for grad school.

Just my $0.02

Also, W&M does not have an engineering major; they have a combined degree program with the engineering school at Columbia University.

I’m not remaining an engineering major. I’m switching to comp. science. I’m aware they don’t have an eng dept. at W&M. I’m not going for engineering.

Elite schools won’t touch you if you come from run of the mill state schools like the University of TN. They want to grad students with undergrad degrees from other top schools. That’s why you see even people with degrees from ivies being relegated to lesser schools for their grad degrees.

I know I know, everything I want to do is stupid and unwise and idiotic and my intentions are wrong. People have made that very clear and I’m well aware. Thanks.

@Tampitump Don’t bother transferring to Vandy, then…it is obviously not “elite” enough for you. In a quick perusal I found half a dozen or so of their faculty in the EE&CS department who got their initial BA or BS from “run of the mill state schools” (including UT).

Your entire 2nd paragraph is bogus; however, it is apparently a waste of electrons trying to explain that to you. My work here is done… best wishes to you in your search.

Please explain why my 2nd paragraph is bogus. I really would like to be wrong on this.

Why would you think I deem Vandy to be not an elite school? Of course I think it is.

And here is a source supporting my position http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2014/11/regardless-of-an-elite-graduate-school-degree-undergraduate-prestige-greatly-impacts-salary/

More support http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/education/edlife/why-you-cant-catch-up.html?referer=

I hope @dscottvb is not giving me the silent treatment. They said their “work here is done”. They also put words in my mouth that I said something about Vandy being a non-prestigious school.

I would like to have a discussion here of they want to return.

Yes there may be a possibility - you take only 1-2classes per semester at your cc (summer session allowed) and you work full time until you’re considered a VA resident. Be aware that 1)depending on state rules, which you need to research, you may still be considered oos until age 24 or marriage if your parents live in TN and 2) it’ll push your date of college completion by at least one year.
As has been explained above, if you live to VA and enroll full time in college, you’ve moved foe educational purpose and won’t be considered a resident.

@Tampitump OK, I am going to take one more shot at this to address your last 4 posts and then I will REALLY be done. This is old ground and you have received similar advice from wiser CC members than me in your other threads. However, your mind is made up and no one is going to convince you otherwise (as you stated elsewhere). But to tie up loose strings for future readers, here we go…

  1. I did not write that you don’t think Vandy is an elite school. I said that Vandy was not elite enough for you given your supposition that “Elite schools won’t touch you if you come from run of the mill state schools like the University of TN” (your words). A quick review of the Vanderbilt EE&CS faculty bios from pages shows your statement to be false. No fewer than 14 (and probably more since I did not check all of them) got their initial degrees from what you would call “run of the mill state schools” including directionals and the dreaded UT. Many of them went on to earn advanced degrees from elite schools; others went to “lesser” schools but they all ended up on faculty at Vanderbilt. If Vandy does not show elitism in hiring their faculty, what basis do you have for claiming they would do so in their acceptance of grad students? Perhaps there is data showing where Vandy grad students are getting their undergrad degrees, but I don’t have time to search for it.

  2. Your links to recent research on the relative importance of elite undergrad programs is interesting; thanks for the links – essentially, two separate articles citing the same research study (done by a Vanderbilt prof, btw). I question some of the assumptions inherent in the approach, but need to review it further. Many rankings suggest the undergraduate teaching experience, faculty engagement, and research opportunities are better at Tier 2 institutions than at Tier 1 or 3. If true, how does that impact these findings? I don’t know.

There is plenty of ink on the other side too, such as this one: http://www.nber.org/digest/dec99/w7322.html. It suggests that there is virtually no difference in the career path and earnings potential between those who were accepted to and attended a selective college vs those who were accepted to a selective college but chose to enroll elsewhere. Thus, college choice was not the primary driver of success. Educational, economic, and sociological factors (all determined pre-college) played larger roles. College fit and environment were also important. I recommend the book “David and Goliath” by Malcolm Gladwell for further discussion of college environment’s role in future success.

Obviously, there is much debate on this topic here on CC and we are not going to resolve it definitively any time soon. Nor am I going to further the debate in this thread, since it is already pretty far afield. You are to be commended for your determination to succeed in college, and I hope you find success in your educational pursuits.

Over and out.

@dscottvb is being unnecessarily hostile to a student that is simply trying to make the best decisions for his future. This entire website is toxic and it’s usually perpetuated by the army of morally righteous parents.

HOWEVER, it is true that you will not get in-state at W&M through just enrolling at TNCC.

@dscottvb thank you. I’m not trying to be annoying here. I’m just trying to get good advice. I appreciate all the help that has been presented.

Tampitump, I am in the same boat with my daughter. Don’t feel bad & it’s smart of you to ask questions! W&M gives up to 25% aid to out of state students based on need. That, along with guaranteed student loans as well as literally thousands of scholarships from business that are fairly easily obtained are the best way to afford it. It is going to cost more than an in state school, and only you can decide if that’s worth it. UVA gives more out of state aid as does UNC at Chapel Hill, which is also a wonderful school.

My daughter has her heart set on W&M and it is a much better education than most places in SC. Also, she wants to get out of here, travel a bit and I think it’s rather uninteresting to go to college in the same state - more exciting and educational to travel, learn about new areas to explore, all that makes one a more well rounded, interesting individual so yes, to me, that is worth $. My income is quite low but there are tons of scholarships and outside aid, you just need to go and find it. This website has an amazing search tool for scholarships, please take a look and start applying! Good luck!