How difficult/easy is it to secure in-state tuition?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>I'm from out-of-state, and my mother is planning to move to California to get in-state tuition.</p>

<p>I know that we have to be in-state for at least 366 days to get residency, and we need to get a California driver's license, cut off all ties to other states, pay taxes to the state of California, etc., but I was told by a Cal representative that even so, it's almost impossible to get in-state tuition if you're OOS. On the Statement of Legal Residence, there was a notice in bold letters saying that it is extremely difficult to get residency for tuition purposes.</p>

<p>My parents are prepared to cut all ties to the state of Illinois (where my mother, brother, and I currently live) and start forming the necessary ties to the state of California, but my father lives and works in Texas as our only source of income. He can pay California state taxes (Texas has no state income tax, so at least he won't have to pay two state income taxes), but he won't be physically present in California.</p>

<p>My parents say that there will be no problem: we'll pay taxes to CA, my mom will get a driver's license in CA, we don't have any real estate anchoring us to any state (my family and I live in apartments); it'll be golden, and we can have in-state tuition starting sophomore year. But I'm not convinced.</p>

<p>Is it really that difficult to get in-state tuition, or is the UC system deliberately making it look that way to dissuade OOS people from moving in to exploit in-state tuition?</p>

<p>By the way, I get the feeling that some people might think of me as a slimeball for wanting to move to CA to get in-state tuition. But my mother, brother, and I plan to move to CA permanently. It's my mom's DREAM to live in CA (she's obsessed with the weather, like so many other people).</p>

2

<p>How do u pay CA tax when neither of your parents works in CA and won’t get a CA W-2 form from work?</p>

3

<p>I don’t think your parents have a clue about what they are doing. </p>

4

<p>I question if they know what they’re doing, too (but not to their faces; things never end well when I do that.) They always act like they know everything and I know nothing. But for my sake (and theirs), I hope they can figure this out.</p>

<p>But my question still remains unanswered.</p>

5

<p>U should look at the tax code and see how working OOS can file CA taxes as CA resident. </p>

6

<p>Well u lose nothing by moving and can potentially become CA in-state. Otherwise still OOS. So just go ahead and try!</p>

7

<p><a href=“http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Residency/establish.html”>http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Residency/establish.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Won’t Work. According to this the length of stay required to establish residency would be 1 year of intent and a year of physical presence. They state that you cannot do this if you are out of state and want this for strictly educational purposes.</p>