<p>Let's say I attend an out-of-state public university.</p>
<p>What are the steps required to become a resident, and thus, pay resident tuition?</p>
<p>have your parents be residents of the state i.e work there, pay taxes etc.
move there one year before you register for college- dont attend college during that year- work instead. You can't move to the state with the intention of attending school, at least you can't make it so obvious</p>
<p>Most states have made it difficult for those still claimed as dependents. As E4 said you basically have to take a year and move before you start school.</p>
<p>I am also interested in this, especially how it works for California. I mean UCs are really good deal, so there got to be a lot of people doing this.</p>
<p>Most states make it pretty darn hard to qualify for residency status after you have already started attending a school. Let's use Calif. as an example - you have to have lived here for one year before applying as a resident, during that time you have to prove that you have been working, made plans to stay permanently, etc....but there's another catch:you also have to be financially independent from your parents for TWO years - that means if they have listed you as a dependent on your tax records in the past two years, you are out of luck. Most state systems have very similiar requirements. Every state system lists them on their web site. Here's the UC requirements in detail: <a href="http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/ca_residency.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/ca_residency.html</a></p>
<p>The only other way is to have at least 1 parent move to that state - establish an abode, have a job, pay taxes to that state and claim you as their dependant.</p>
<p>So, when people say "I'll just pay the out-of-state tuition for the first year and then become a resident and pay in-state," they are misinformed?</p>
<p>I guess the question shoud really be - how many of these people have actually done that?????</p>
<p>Fabrizio, I have yet to find a state school system that will allow people to qualify for in-state tuition once they have actually enrolled at the school as a full time student from out of state - and I've looked at the rules at a lot of public universities. If you find one, let me know.</p>
<p>It's very hard to claim residency for Michigan. My family has owned a summer home there for 18 years, but U of M built in that you must spend 9 months of the year living there to qualify as a resident.</p>
<p>If you know someone in the state, use their address, and say that's your permanent address.</p>
<p>if moving to the state 6 months before you register for school, getting a job, and then applying to school won't work liek, why do you think claiming to have a permanent address, of anyone that isn't your parent will work?</p>
<p>You need to look at the requirement for each state. For many states, if you are a dependent, and college students are dependents unless they meet federal guidelines for being independent, there has to be a state tax return filed and tax paid as a resident, and a state residency claimed to be a resident. Many people I know who legitimately move when their kids go to college have to pay out of state tuition for the first year even though they are physically in the state, have a primary or even only residence in the state, are working in the state and having taxes withheld. They have not yet filed a tax return for the state, so their kids are considered out of state for that year. The following year would make them in state.</p>
<p>emerald kity, i say that will work because my sister did it and it worked for her. she had a friend who lived in the state where she went to school, and on her college application she put she lived in her friend's address and all the mail the school sent her went over to her friend's house and she got in, paying resident tuition. however just like jamimom sugested, it varies by state.</p>
<p>That's cheating and it sounds like a pretty nasty thing to do. I know that sounds self-righteous, but I find it pretty offensive. It is analogous to people who give fake addresses so their kids can attend public elementary or high school in "better" districts than the ones they live in. It is great to aspire to the best education possible but it is wrong to get it by pretending to live somewhere that you don't live and using other people's tax money to finance your falsehood.</p>
<p>I agree mattmom. It doesn't seem ethical.</p>
<p>When my daughter was looking at a school in Ohio, someone suggested that she use her grandparent's address to claim in-state tuition. All I could think was "Wouldn't the college notice that she graduated from a high school in Michigan???"</p>
<p>Needless to say, we didn't try it.</p>
<p>Peg</p>
<p>The general tone of this thread is a very poor reflection on the ethics and values of the posters. I am surprised and disappointed. Claiming residency in a state you don't live in is basically lying; there is no polite way to put it.</p>
<p>It's easy in South Carolina... or that's what I've heard. I know numerous students who have gained the instate title.</p>
<p>Claiming residency in a state that you don't live in is a possibility for some people. I have a friend who owns a house, has banking, driver's license, voting record in a state although she works overseas. She was born in the state. Her daughters were given state residency when they returned there for college from attending high school overseas. There was nothing under the table about the girls' acceptance as residents. The forms were filled out properly etc. Facts were on the table. Many Americans live overseas for business, jobs etc. and have state residency in their last home of record before they left the country. Sometimes, it doesn't work out and many Americans have no residency at all. If you are from France, your children can go to school in France as a resident. Most countries operate that way. Americans sometimes are in a situation with no legal residency in their own country. The best way to discover residency requirements in a state is to write to the proper authorities and find out. But, I agree with Mattmom: to try to get something that is not yours is totally unfair.</p>