<p>Has any one had to deal with grad schools and state residency yet? If the student is a resident of their "home" state and mom & dad move to another state after DD or DS begins undergrad work, how does that work for graduate residency.</p>
<p>In reading some forms, it seems like you could be a resident of neither state, depending on their attitude. I am seeing requirements for kids under 21 to prove financial independence both by not being claimed on their parents tax returns for the prior two years and by proving they earned or had access to $4000 a year more than education costs, not including gifts from any family members!</p>
<p>If that is the case, then DS/DD who just received their bachelors is probably not independent and also not 24 or older. </p>
<p>If the school therefore accords residency by the parents new home, DS/DD is not a resident in the home state. but, if the new state bases it on the residence of the student for the past many years, then the student is also not a resident of the new state! Any one seen this situation?</p>
<p>When we began looking at moving out of state, we did see that a student already considered a resident, undergrad, would remain one until graduation, I do not see where that applies to graduate school at the same institution.</p>
<p>Also, does any one know much about the best palces to research all that needs to be known about PhD programs?</p>
<p>So, for a masters your residency matters, but for a PhD it is not critical? This is probably a very obvious question/answer series, once you know, but we are only just embarking on a move and not wanting to foul up the works on residency issues.</p>
<p>I have been through this at the undergrad level for one state U, and the grad level at another state U (but this latter was way too many moons ago, for my own graduate work).</p>
<p>I do believe the criteria vary substantially from one state to another. Some are very, very rigid. Some quite easy. I believe you really need to speak to someone (or read the residency guidelines) for the particular state which concerns you.</p>
<p>There have been other threads on this topic, but my recollection is that the rules posted by different individuals varied greatly by state.</p>
<p>Since PhD programs are for several years, it should only matter for the first year -- in the second and subsequent years of the program, the student will be considered a resident of the state.</p>
<p>I applied to several UCs for grad school last year, and their policy (at least in the programs to which I was applying) was to cover the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition for the first year. It almost certainly varies by school and program, but I don't think it would be unusual for this policy to be widespread.</p>
<p>For some states, even after you've lived there for a year, you are not a resident. You need to demonstrate an intent to stay, financial independence (i.e. no parental support from OOS), and a year of residency. </p>
<p>Depending on how things look, you can opt to not take your child as a dependent during a senior year. Then have your child live in the state, work, file tax returns there, etc. When in doubt, buy a house (you live in it while in school) - that's intent to stay in almost every state. Clock ticks when you sign the papers.</p>
<p>it depends entirely on the state, and the university. from watching friends and family members navigate this, and from dealing with it in my own grad school plans, some notes:</p>
<ul>
<li>phd programs will fund you fully, so it doesn't really matter...but departments have limited amounts of money and if it comes down to the person who costs $10k/yr to fund and the person who costs $30k/yr, they might go with the cheaper one. If they really want you though, they'll find a way to make it happen.</li>
<li>Even if your parents don't claim you on their tax return, a lot of places will ask "were you ELIGIBLE to be claimed as a dependant?"<br></li>
<li>Not being a minor matters a lot less than you might think--many professional schools consider parental income and residency until the kid is 25 or 30! And if you're under 30 when you apply, they don't necessarily change your classification once you turn 30...so you could be a 34-year-old med student and have an expected parental contribution!</li>
<li>It's a lot easier to become a Texas resident if you buy property there.</li>
<li>If you go to school in California, you can become a resident after your first year as long as you change driver's license, voting records, etc. My friend who went to Berkeley for grad school had a confusing time getting residency for her first year, because her parents shared custody, and one was a CA resident and the other wasn't.<br></li>
<li>In Minnesota, you can't count a year of school as a year of residency--you'd have to take a year off and live and work in state, then go to school.</li>
<li>Michigan is one of the hardest places to get residency: a friend of mine moved here and worked for 2 years while her significant other started grad school. She has a MI driver's license, votes here, and pays taxes to the state. But she's not considered a MI resident.<br></li>
</ul>
<p>So, basically, it's incredibly complicated and the best thing to do is contact the registrars at the universities you're thinking about attending.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Since PhD programs are for several years, it should only matter for the first year -- in the second and subsequent years of the program, the student will be considered a resident of the state.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Oh how I wish I could say this were true! I had a few years where I took out loans (and yes, I went to a good PhD program--ranked #1 in my field) and those would be a lot less now if this were true.</p>
<p>Also: PhD programs may generally support students well, but many professional programs offer marginal support. Residency matters.</p>
<p>
[quote]
* Not being a minor matters a lot less than you might think--many professional schools consider parental income and residency until the kid is 25 or 30! And if you're under 30 when you apply, they don't necessarily change your classification once you turn 30...so you could be a 34-year-old med student and have an expected parental contribution!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Well, that is wild! Never heard of that one! That is like really going against the fin aid rules there. Shucks, that is wild.</p>
<p>I really think, after having heard most everything on this site about residency, that is would be best to just plainly contact the gosh darned school and have that be it. Make that list of schools and start calling and e mailing around.</p>