<p>I'm currently a resident in Atlanta, GA and I really want to attend college in Seattle at UW. I have been debating my two options.</p>
<p>1) Attend a local community college in Georgia my first two years, and possibly transfer to UGA for my seond two years majoring in Computer Science, and maybe stay a couple more years as well. </p>
<p>2) Straight out of high school, move to Seattle, WA and find a job somewhere in the area. Pay for rent etc. and attend a college such as Tacoma's CC for two years, get my residency established while attending TCC, and transfer to UW majoring in CS. I recently went to Washington back in September 2013, and I decided it's where im going to end up in my life either way because it's where I want to live. Any suggestions? Is it worth going out of state? From what I've been told, my dad makes around $105,000 annually, and my mother makes around $30,000 annually. Is there anything im missing that could potentially help me out? I will answer anything I left out if you guys need me to. Thanks!</p>
<p>Some states establish your status as IS or OOS when you first start school in any school in the state. Be sure you understand establishing IS status if you decide to attend community college in Washington. You may be better off just working for a year or 18 months, then just starting at UW</p>
<p>In my area, to take a few courses at the local state college or community college, one needs little more than a state/county address to use on the form to get the favorable rates. Not so if you want to become a “matriculating student”. At that point, they check you out much more carefully as to where you live, and if you fall under the definition of dependent, then where your parent live is what counts. So, it might not be so difficult to get state residency for community college, but UW, may be a whole other story. So do check out what it takes to get IS status there. </p>
<p>What you are missing is that your parents are instate GA, so you will be considered a Georgia resident for college purpose in most situations. That is where you are likely to get the best sticker prices for college. Certainly not for some OOS publics. IF you are a good student, I believe GA has merit incentives for in -staters as welll. </p>
<p>It’s tough enough doing a CS major even when things are all lined up as perfectly as they can be. You are going cross country, to an OOS program and trying to set up a whole other life and independently pay for college? UW is also no easy admit, be aware, especially for the CS program. Few kids right out of high school can become truly independent, so what you are proposing is quite the stretch.</p>
<p>So you’re saying as soon as I start attending any sort of college in a state, I’m considered a resident? Also, wouldn’t it be cheaper just to get my core classes out of the way at a Community college first, and easier? Thanks for the reply.</p>
<p>Gotcha. I’m an OKAY student I guess. Nothing spectacular. I understand though. I was hoping someone could share their story with me if it was similar at all.</p>
<p>Residency is NOT always based on where your parents live. In most states, an 18 year old can get a job, sign contracts, get a license, become a resident, so if you move to a different state after high school, you can become a resident and do the things other residents do.</p>
<p>However, schools have different rules for tuition purposes and there is often a presumption that you are a resident of the state your parents live in. You can rebut the presumption with facts - that you have a job, vote, own and register a car - that you are an independent adult. You are still going to be dependent for FAFSA purposes until you are 24, but you can be an independent person for other purposes, like tuition. The burden of proof is on you.</p>
<p>Why not just move after college?
You will change a lot in 4 yrs.
Computer science at UW is incredibly competitive.
UW likes out of state students for a reason, because they pay more tuition.
To get in state status, you cannot attend classes for a year, and you must be financially independent.
If you are not 25 or older, you must submit parents tax returns.</p>