<p>I'm interested in maybe attending the University of Michigan in a couple years (I'm a junior), but what I hate most about the school (actually, probably the only thing I hate about U of M) is the exorbitant tuition for non-Michigan residents: $36,001 for out-of-state students and only $11,837 for Michigan residents (tuition alone, according to College Board)!</p>
<p>So, my main question is how fast can incoming out-of-state freshmen claim Michigan residency? Can they claim it fast enough to only have to pay out-of-state tuition for one year? What is the residency application process like? In my situation, I have family (Michigan residents) that live under 30 minutes away from Ann Arbor. Could that help me in some way?</p>
<p>I understand your desire to pay lower tuition for Michigan; I tried the same thing when I was a graduate student at Virginia.</p>
<p>I wasn’t successful, and I now believe that I shouldn’t have been. Michigan residents pay lower tuition for public colleges and universities in Michigan than non-residents do because they have been supporting those colleges for years with their tax dollars, and also because the primary mission of those schools is to educate residents of Michigan. Your family has been paying its tax dollars for years to support the public colleges and universities in the state where you live. It is an unfortunate (if, perhaps, understandable) circumstance that you’d rather attend the University of Michigan than your state’s public colleges, but, honestly, there’s no reason why residents of Michigan should have to subsidize that.</p>
<p>^Absolutely true. Also note that Michigan is MUCH stricter about this than many, many other schools, so don’t let stories about what worked elsewhere delude you into thinking you can make the same logic work at Michigan. You can’t. Period.</p>
<p>So re: your question:
The answer is not even for grad school, because if they believe your INTENT in moving to Michigan was to attend Michigan, you will never be granted in-state tuition as a student.</p>
<p>Plus, it’s Michigan, for goodness’ sake! That’s a state that REALLY needs money right now. They’ve got no business giving anybody questionable resident tuition.</p>
<p>Your best bet is to hope for a generous aid package or, if you have solid credentials (3.9 unweighed GPA + 2250+ SAT/34+ ACT), a potential merrit scholarship could come your way.</p>
<p>I agree with Sikorsky. Every student gets to pay in-state in her own state. Not in another state. Your only chance is to tell a bald-face lie and try to shore it up with pitiful little shreds of evidence here and there–though, with your high-school diploma from another state, that would be really tricky. Is that really how you want to start your career?</p>
<p>I would have loved to go to a state school in Oregon (where I was born but have not lived since the second grade). Too bad, that’s life. I went in Washington where I am a resident and it was great. My advice is, learn to deal.</p>
<p>what if my parents lived and worked (and paid taxes) in the detroit area for the first 30 years of their lives? does anyone know of a way for me to claim residency in mi knowing that and that i have plenty of family still up there?</p>
<p>If they live and pay taxes elsewhere at the time you’re going to college, no. You’re stuck.</p>
<p>Another way to look at this, I suppose, is that you get the benefit of residency in the state where your parents live, work and pay taxes now, even though they paid Michigan taxes for the first 30 years of their lives! But somehow, I get the sense that’s not the bright side you were hoping for…</p>
<p>OP, how long have your parents been gone from Michigan? Do they still own property that one of them could live in (with you, and immediately), or pay employment taxes in the state? That could have some, but not necessarily full bearing on your situation.</p>
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<p>^Actually, you truly can not tell a bald-face lie and meet the criteria. That’s what I mean. It is not possible. Many have tried it. You are treated as OOS until/unless you PROVE your residency if it’s in question. I wasn’t being mean when I said that. My son has been through the process – and we had lived in Michigan for 7 years prior, own property only in Michigan; pay payroll and property taxes only in Michigan, own a company, and are legal permanent residents awaiting permanent citizenship. My son had not attended school in Canada for 7 years nor did he maintain any financial or habitual ties to the country, nor did he or I leave any money in the country. We had to prove ALL of those things, even though all his recs, transcripts etc. SHOWED we’d been in Michigan all that time. We were (rightfully) granted in-state after 8 - 10 week review. So I know exactly what they ask for, and how very rigorous the process for determination is. </p>
<p>The ONLY way at this point the OP would be eligible for residency would be if HIS FAMILY transfers back to Michigan now and can prove it is for employment purposes. He would need to transfer to the Michigan high school. It would have to be NOW so that in terms of intent, it was NOT RELATED to attendance to UMich. </p>
<p>And before he asks, no, can’t just go live with his relatives and have them claim legal guardianship because as soon as his FAFSA was submitted, which requires a lot of details about the parents/or legal guardians (even if emancipated – you have to prove that too via court order – ), together with the CSS, I predict his app would STILL be flagged as OOS until he proved to their satisfaction that all the legal guardianship etc. wasn’t just to dodge the $80,000 - $90,000 difference in tuition over 4 years…(which, let’s face it, it would be!)</p>
<p>OP, don’t shoot the messenger, but select fiscal safeties as backup and aim for merit awards with stellar stats, recommendations and essays for UMich. Give it a try, but be ready to live with alternates ;)</p>
<p>Proving residency may include past tax returns. Did you parents pay Michigan state taxes as Michigan residents last year? If the answer is no, you are out of luck.</p>
<p>No. You have to be a resident for the years immediately prior to applying.</p>
<p>My cousins stayed in Washington to maintain residency here (oh the irony) when their mom went to Oregon. If you would have done that, lived with your relatives, you could have done it.</p>
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<p>Okay, you’d have to do some pretty amazing fabrications. Again, not really a great way to start out in your independent life.</p>
<p>What if one parent resides in Michigan (for the last year and a half) and another one in a different state? Parents are not divorced. Kid graduated form the high school in a different state, but wants to go to UofM - would he be considered as a resident of Michigan?
Thanks</p>
<p>I would say that child would not be considered a Michigan resident, Pellinen, since he must have spent most of his time in the other state in order to attended and graduate from high school there. You might be able to make a case for it, but considering the scrutiny UMich put me under after I, a native and lifelong Michigander, attended college out of state for a year (while my parents continued to reside in Michigan, as they had for twenty-three continuous years before that), I doubt you’d win. That’s just my gut instinct.</p>