So I’m currently a high school senior who is either going to Texas A&M or UT Dallas. However, my father’s job is making him move the family to California. Now my question is, if I applied to these colleges as an in-state student but then enroll into a California high school for the rest of the year (4 months), will I have to pay out of state tuition when I get back?
Probably. Your parents will be living in CA, so that will be your presumed permanent residence.
You need to find out if you can have in state staus if you graduate from high school in TX. In that case, you need to figure out where to live so you can stay at your high school for this last four months.
In fact even if you weren’t planning to go to college in TX this fall you should stay put. Changing schools four months before high school graduation makes no sense at all.
Would you have the stats to get a good scholarship at UT Dallas?
Merit should be independent of state residency.
Really try to stay behind with a friend to finish HS. When i was a kid, we had other kids live with us to finish HS when parents moved at the end of the year. Speak to mom and dad about it. It will be very disruptive right now.
If you can stay in Texas until high school graduation, then you may be able to benefit from Texas allowing in state residency for graduates who have lived and attended high school for a minimum number of years before high school graduation.
https://admissions.utexas.edu/residency#fndtn-t143-requirements
If you move to California with your parents, you would have a year waiting period before being eligible for in state residency there.
Moving in the middle of senior year would be the worst of all worlds for state residency for college tuition, and be disruptive to completing high school in other ways.
Yes at both of those schools not only will you need to graduate from a Texas high school to qualify for in state tuition but you must also live in Texas for the 12 months prior to the end of the 1st week of college classes (student count day)
It would definetly benefit you to find someone to stay with for the remainder of the school year
You definitely wont qualify for California in state so you’ll need to stay in Texas.
Are there really 4 months of school left? If you really are A&M material, your parents would be nuts to move you. You should finish and make sure you qualify for instate. Once you matriculate instate you should make sure that your status stays that way (It does in my state if parents relocate after matriculation, but check yours). What does your dad do for work?
At this point…doesn’t school end in May? Moving schools three months before HS graduation makes no sense.
Is there anyone you can stay with for the remainder of the school year?
Any chance your mom would stay in Texas with you and any sibs for remainder of year? That would be your best bet. Savings in college cost over four years would more than offset even if had to rent or Airbnb for a few months
Thanks for the responses, we’ve decided that my mom and I will stay behind so I can finish highschool here, because I do not want to pay that out of state tuition.