We have lived in one state our entire lives, but would like to move once the kids are in college. Our kids want to go to a state school in the state which we live in currently. My question is if we get them registered and enrolled before we leave the state do they only check for residency at that time or every year?
Varies by school. Check the requirements of you school/state.
I suspect it would also depend on whether or not you’re applying for financial aid or in-state scholarships/grants (such as Florida’s Bright Futures).
Always check with the school but it often is consistent across the state. The general rule of thumb is that the more highly regarded/ranked the state’s schools are the more likely they are to be strict on residency. For example, in Virginia if parents move at any point in the 4 years the student loses residency. Also these same states will likely make it very very hard for students to gain residency on their own so don’t plan on that. But some states only worry about residency for the first year and once you are in as instate you are fine.
Agree with all of the above. Depends on the state. Call the university or universities that your children have in mind and be very specific with your question. Ask them to show where where on the website the policy is stated in writing. Also ask if there are any plans to change the policy within the timeframe that your children will be in school and, if so, how you would find out.
Also, do you live in California? If you do, don’t worry about it. People who do 3 or more years of high school here and graduate but lack residency still get in state tuition and state financial aid, so losing residency has no real effect. I lacked residency when I was in community college, and that never impacted my finances. Got residency when I transfered to university, and it’s impacted nothing. Other states might have similar laws, so I’d look into that.
What state? This varies by state.
In some places, if your kids enroll as instate residents, they will continue tombe so UNLESS they take time off from college.
In some places, if you move, your kids will lose their instate status for the following year.
States vary on this policy.
Each university varies on policy. For example, in the state of Michigan, MSU gives you full time residency if you graduate from a Michigan HS and attended for 3 years as a HS student, regardless of parental residency or citizenship. UMichigan considers the parental residence regardless of which HS you graduated from.
You are also a resident if you live and work in Michigan for a year+ and you are independent, you are married to a Michigan resident, are serving in the National Guard, Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, or reserves (regardless of where you are) , US Public Health services- of if your spouse is, or your parent
There are all sorts of exceptions for military absences from the state too.
Vets get in-state tuition. Some vets get reduced tuition (or free) at private schools too.
There is just no way to know without consulting the residency office of the universities that you are interested in. The policies become convoluted and are inconsistent between universities within a state.