<p>I'm 21 years old living on my own resources (employment, financial aid) transferring from SMC to Berkeley.
I got classified as a non-resident because I have failed to sign a lease for the address that I lived for the two and a half years prior to enrollment in Berkeley. My father is a California resident but his domicile is questionable since he went to another country for six months. He's disabled and therefore, cannot support me financially. </p>
<p>I've already tried to appeal and I have yet to hear from them. I told the Appeal office that depending heavily on a single factor (rent or lease agreement) against all the documents that I have proven (employment, tax reports, W-2 forms) doesn't really reflect on the UC Residency Policy.</p>
<p>I have no money to pay that extra payment and even if I did, I wouldn't spend $55,000 on a public school.</p>
<p>Am I a lost cause? Is there no way for me to get that covered?</p>
<p>If you have no written lease, do you have cancelled checks paid to the owner? Is the address listed on your tax return the leased address? Utility bills? All those should show rental without a written lease.</p>
<p>It might matter. The student is 21 years old and is trying to get instate residency in her own right…if the school uses parent residency, and the parent is not a resident, she could actually have issues.</p>
<p>OP…is your father international green card holder? If so, leaving the country is an issue. If not, and he continued to have a home in CA, perhaps his residency would not be questioned.</p>
<p>Are you attempting to gain independent student status for instate tuition purposes? This is a tough thing to do!</p>
<p>@thumper1
I have a few questions about establishing independent status for instate tuition purposes, but in a different state. Would you mind if I PMed you?</p>
<p>California seems to allow the student to establish residency for tuition classification purposes by showing that the student lives in California, pays his own expenses like rent, utilities, etc. and has done so for 1 year plus 1 day. However, that doesn’t get the FAFSA filed (and the student will not be independent for that) so it is a lot easier if the father is a California resident. That’s just an easier way to prove it and a lot of California financial aid is based off the FAFSA.</p>
<p>I think the OP is just filing for in-state tuition rates; there’s no mention of financial aid in the post.</p>
<p>OP: I’m not aware of any requirement that all renters have a lease agreement. Copies of your rent checks (available from your bank) ought to be adequate evidence to support your assertion that you lived at a certain address.</p>
<p>My father is a California resident. However, since he went back to visit another country for six months, the Residency office requires me to how proofs that he came back using bank accounts or documentations IF I decided to use his Residency status. My father doesn’t have a bank account anymore and he’s disabled and no means of supporting me financially. He’s basically useless. </p>
<p>I thought I was a CA resident, but they decided that I’m not financially independent because I cannot show proof of rental agreement, check or something. I rented-at-will, meaning it was more of an oral agreement with the actual person who signed the lease. I just don’t get the logic behind it.</p>
<p>It would be very difficult for me to find coverage for non-resident tuition fees. Am I to believe that there are no available financial aid for a need-based non-resident student? Because that is what I am now.</p>
<p>It is legal to have an oral lease agreement, but the University just needs you to prove you really rented IN California. You can show that by a lease (no), rent checks, a consistent withdrawal on the 1st of every month for 12+ months that would be the rent, a letter from your landlord.</p>
<p>Why is your word not good enough? Because then everyone would say ‘oh, I paid Sam’ You want a benefit and you have to prove you qualify for it. If you did pay your rent yourself, how did you earn the money for it? Do you have pay stubs? A tax return showing you earned at least that amount? If you worked under the table and paid rent in cash, then you are going to have trouble showing you are a legitimate California independent resident. Do you have other items that show residency, like a driver’s license or ID, or did you register a car?</p>
<p>@twoinanddone I did ask them if the lease person can verify that I lived there in the apartment with her through writing a letter or having them call her. But they said that that won’t work. They wanted an agreement. I told them it was rent-at-will yet they still didn’t consider that. They’re not interested with me showing a driver’s license, I filed my tax return with that address. It’s so absurd.</p>
<p>How did you pay the rent? Did you use checks? Did you get receipts for payment? There are many other ways to prove that you really paid to rent. What else do you have that proves you really resided there for the year? Utility bills, your drivers license with that address? Auto insurance with that address (that would have a start date over a year ago)…what else do you have?</p>
<p>If you don’t have any documentation that you actually paid rent or something to live in CA, then you just might have to accept that you are considered OOS.</p>
<p>I am kinda confused here, are you looking for aid? ( independence from your parents only matters for that, not for your state residency) They can;t say you need to pay rent, if you are over 18 and received no support. You are “homeless” meaning that you were living day to day ( at will you ca live in a motel or shelter_ you can still get in state rates). If you paid state taxes, declared yourself as CA resident, paid US taxes and were not used as a dependent on anyone else’s taxes you are independent. </p>
<p>Go to legal aid and get someone to write you a letter or go to your local state representatives’ office and see if they can help</p>
<p>Jssaab1…This poster is NOT homeless. She has a home. Her parents do not live in this country…but she does. That does NOT make her homeless.</p>
<p>And she doesn’t live in California. She is inquiring about TEXAS.</p>
<p>And also…you can be declared independent for instate tuition purposes, but NOT for financial aid purposes. Just because she is declared instate for tuition doesn’t mean she won’t have to get parent info for financial aid purposes.</p>
<p>And she could be independent for financial aid purposes, and NOT be an instate resident for tuition purposes for any number of reasons.</p>
<p>OOPS! Sorry…I got two threads mixed up! Yes…this poster is in CA. But where did she mention that she was homeless? That is a leap, from what I’m reading.</p>
<p>Please just ignore that one line of post 14. The poster IS from CA! </p>
<p>But the rest of my post stands…not homeless. And CAN be independent for instate status, but not for financial aid. And can be independent for financial,aid, but have OOS status. Two completely different things.</p>
<p>Mom2: Exactly! Because California is so expensive, so many people share rents that landlords often have to write letters indicating rental agreements. If this landlord didn’t agree to write proof, then something isn’t right so the university is suspicious.</p>
<p>To establish independence for in-state residency,
the OP needs to work (with a legitimate job),
PAY local RENT,
FILE California taxes with our FRANCHISE STATE BOARD, as well as Federal taxes.
Have state documentation like a Drivers license.</p>
<p>To establish financial independence,
the OP cannot rely on Daddy’s dollars to live off of for FA.
Work,
Pay rent
Be over 24 or married, with kids</p>