Help me with Clemson Decision!

Yes, I am not trying to find a loophole. I want to establish myself as a resident of South Carolina. I plan on living in South Carolina in that apartment and being a resident of SC. As well as voting and establishing all my vehicles

@amxn15, she wouldn’t need to move her job to SC. I have a sister in Fort Mill, SC that works in Charlotte and she’s always been considered SC resident. Of course, all DL, car registration, and house are from SC too. Just remember though, your first year at Clemson will more than likely be an out-of-state status, but the remaining 3 years or more there could be reclassified as in-state. That’s because you will need to be an SC resident for 1 year before qualifying for in-state tuition.

@SweetFreedom, what you guys did there seems to be on a much shorter time frame (under 1 year). That’s awesome, but I don’t think it’ll work that fast for @amxn15. Which is why I stress the in-state tuition starting in the sophmore year as long as all the pieces fall in place. Having in-state tuition from your 2nd to 4th year at Clemson still makes a big difference. That comes close to a $60,000 saving over those 3 years.

I think it is extremely rude and inconsiderate of you to say “I’m not following rules” when I am literally aiming to live in South Carolina with my mom as a dependent by renting an apartment or house and fulfilling all the requirements. Sorry some of us don’t have $211k just sitting there waiting to be used on school.

@amxn15, I do want to point out that we are no expert. Clemson has a page just on switching to instate tuition, so I’d suggest you contact Clemson to clarify before setting things in motion. Remember, all you need to do is establish SC resident one year before the fall 2020 semester begins to qualify for in-state tuition in your sophmore year so you would have at least until the beginning of August 2019 to change your address and move into SC.

Claiming SC residency does not seem possible for OP. OP’s parents must move to SC and establish residency. While it seems like one parent is willing to do that, unless the parents are divorced, this will jeopardize the OP’s siblings who are receiving in-state tuition in NC. You can’t be a resident of two states for tuition purposes, only one.

i’ve never heard of that. why would you have to be divorced in order to get residency in another state? some people are still together but live in different places. that definitely happens. i know of a couple who one lives in charlotte one lives in virginia and they are still married but they just don’t live in the same place. i don’t think that is true, i’ve never seen that before @itsgettingreal17

@amxn15 A student can’t move for the purpose of establishing residency for tuition purpose. If the parents aren’t divorced/never married/legally separated, there is no custodial/non-custodial parent situation. So one married parent can’t just move to establish residency for one child and the other parent live in another state where other siblings are getting in-state tuition in the other state. This plan is very unlikely to be successful if the parents aren’t divorced/never married/legally separated.

I called Clemson’s financial aid office today and they said it was possible as long as there is a reasonable explanation as to why each parent is in a different state. I think it is possible @itsgettingreal17 as long as I can come up with a good reason such as proximity to her workplace or something. After all we have been paying property taxes to South Carolina for the past 10 years and we only live 5 minutes from the border. Also I read that your parents can be considered separated even if they are not legally separated/divorced from each other.

If you can’t afford Clemson without in-state tuition, commiting based on this plan of yours is very risky. Good luck.

@itsgettingreal17 I’m still going to confirm that this makes sense, in no way am I trying to commit fraud or do anything illegal. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll explore other options or find a way to pay the full fee for Clemson

@TheMetz would you be willing to share your spreadsheet with me?

How much will it cost to establish this other household in South Carolina? I suspect that with rent and utilities, you may not be saving much at all.

Not sure, I really appreciate your concern though… lol

@itsgettingreal17 After talking to the residency classification lady, I realized you’re right. There has to be some motive such as legal separation or divorce. Obviously for me, that isn’t the case. Not sure if I’ll be able to attend Clemson anymore which sucks as it is my dream school. I can’t attend other great schools I got into either in other states such as Virginia Tech. Paying for college is tough and heartbreaking after putting in so much work.

@amxn15 Sounds like you are in a tough spot, hope your situation clarifies for the best soon. When it does, dont forget to kindly decline your admission offers from the schools you are unable to go to. Many kids are waiting on wait lists, praying that a spot opens up.

What schools have you been admitted to that are affordable for your parents?
Have you received your financial aid packages and looked at net cost?
Any place you can visit or that you like (even if you don’t like them as much as Clemson?)
At worst, there’s typically a list of schools that miscalculated yield that is published around May 5 - there may be additional colleges you can apply to.

@MYOS1634 said it well…look at what options you do have and get excited about them! Paying for college is a huge part of the decision and if it’s not feasible then that’s a very credible reason not to attend. Everyone has colleges that are not affordable. We limited our kids to in state schools because the scholarships (and cheaper travel costs) were too good to pass up. Just like it’s not a dream school if they don’t have the major you were looking for, for example, it’s not a dream school if it puts you into massive debt or simply is not affordable.

Attending a community college and then transferring in is another great way to make it happen. We also know many kids that have worked their way through, even if it takes a few more semesters.

All the best to you. You can make your college experience a great one anywhere.

I was accepted to Virginia Tech and U of SC with a $40k scholarship. I have a lot of family that lives in Virginia so I’m going to see if there is any way I can become dependent of my uncle who lives in VA and get in state tuition my sophomore year. If not, I’ll probably end up going to University of South Carolina. That is unless I get off the deferred list from NC State. However, I am not very crazy about that school. @MYOS1634

@amxn15 Here you go with another plan that won’t work. You aren’t going to get in-state tuition in Va just because your uncle lives there. Go to USCar. Work hard. Make the most of the opportunities offered there and have a great 4 years.

@itsgettingreal17 You’re better off leaving my thread instead of replying with snarky comments and coming on here trying to act cute. If I get off the deferred list at NC State, I’ll probably have to go there or I’ll figure it out with VA Tech or U of SC. Thanks for your concern, but it really isn’t needed. Bye.