in state tuition based on having a vacation home in the state

Parents Forum
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<p>Has anyone ever secured in state tuition based on owning a vacation home in that state? I know that each school has individual residency requirements for instate/out of state tuition rates. Once of the schools that my son is interested in, excludes the vacation home, in state tuition possibility. They do however offer an residency exception application that we could try for- although I do not know how successful an attempt at this could be. I'm looking for any advice that anyone may have on this topic. Thanks.</p>

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<p>I don't think asking it on a different thread will get you different answers- we are the same experts ;)</p>

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<p>If a school offers different rates for In-State and Out-State residents, then it's a good chance that they are a state funded school. Either partially or fully. Therefor, their "Residency" requirements are based off of the same requirements that the state tax code bases theirs on. And most states don't allow you to be a resident of their state if you are a resident of another state. One reason is because most states describe a "Resident" as someone who lives the majority of the year in that state. It's not possible to live the MAJORITY of the year in more than 1 state. Now, if a particular state doesn't base residency on how long you live there, then maybe you can work around it.</p>

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<p>Basically, if you own property and pay property tax in the home state you can usually gain in-state tuition. Sometimes it's necessary to "establish domicile" i believe it was called with one particular school, which means show that you intend to live there indefinitely. This usually means you will need to transfer your license plates, get a new driver's license, register to vote, and get a job in the state with the home in question. For most of the schools that I looked at, this was all that was necessary.</p>

<p>Residency requirements vary by state, which I presume you have already discovered. If your son has his heart set on a particular out of state school that won't allow your vacation home to count, ask the school how they go about granting out of state students in state residency. Typically, he will not be able to gain residency during his freshman year. Sophomore year, however, he will most likely live off campus and may have a job. Usually if you live off campus and make money (ie, pay income taxes to the school) for a certain period of time, you will be granted in state tuition rates. So, this could just be a matter of waiting a year or so for him to gain residency.</p>

<p>At my school, our orientation for new students (see the campus, meet some kids in your class, finalize your schedule, tour dorms one last time, etc) is called Summer Welcome. Many students apply to be Summer Welcome Leaders. The job of Summer Welcome Leader is structured just so you make enough money and live in Missouri for enough time to be granted in state rates for the following year, which means that even though you only collect $2000 in paychecks, you save $15,000 for the following year and all the years after that! Interesting.</p>

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<p>But, kristin, a parent would also have to give up claiming that under-21 child on his or her income tax, which also has financial ramifications.</p>

<p>As to the original question -- it is not enough to own and pay property taxes on a vacation home. There is always more to establishing residency. All of us here in Illinois with second homes in Wisconsin certainly wish we could claim in-state tuition at UW-Madison!</p>

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<p>Thank you very much for the information. I appreciate it.</p>

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<p>Only IF it is your primary residence. In most cases, having a vacation home does not count in the residency mix because it is not the parent's primary address. You are only permitted to list one permanent address on all of your forms...this is supposed to be where the family lives and works...not where they vacation. I suppose if you vacation at the vacation home more than 1/2 of the year, this would be the exception...but....</p>

<p>Please understand...there are few exceptions to the residency for instate tuition requirements. The requirement usually is that the student's FAMILY resides and has resided in the state for more than one year. The student (unless at boarding school) graduates from a high school within that state. The parents pay taxes and work in the state. </p>

<p>Each year, students and their families try to seek ways to gain instate tuition when they know they are not residents for it. </p>

<p>I think the OP knows his/her state of residence...and it is not in the college where she/he is trying to get instate tuition.</p>

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<p>The above poster is right about Wisconsin- vacation homes do not count for residency. Now, if everyone wanted to pay our tax rate...</p>

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<p>You can't do it in MI with a vacation residence, either. You can't easily claim that your vacation residence is your primary residence, either ... our tax assessment on residences other than primary is 38 mills. Many would love to circumvent paying that, but it just doesn't work.</p>

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<p>Some senior citizens (I mean elderly senior adults, not high school seniors!) live 51% of the calendar year in Florida and 49% of the year in NYState, in order to pay lower Florida taxes and fees. They have an old residence in NY and have purchased a retirement place in Florida. </p>

<p>They come back north every April with nice suntans and Florida license plates on their cars. They go south as the Thanksgiving dinner plates are being cleared from the table. </p>

<p>They are our "snowbirds" and I miss their presence every winter. They add a lot to the community up here, just can't stand the cold on their bones.</p>

<p>Maybe they can get in-state tuition rates for the Elderhostels (on-campus adult education courses) in Florida ;)</p>

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<p>When I attended UVa decades back, it was extremely difficult to get in-state rates once you started there as an out-of-state student, even in a fairly clear cut case. My parents retired and moved from Philadelphia to Virginia the summer before I started there. They expected to pay the higher rates the first year while they established domicile and then get the in-state rates for my second year and beyond.</p>

<p>It took a small mountain of paperwork, a preliminary hearing, two appeals and the hiring of a lawyer to represent our case before the school and state relented and granted the change in status. State-funded schools are very sensitive to the lengths to which people will go to qualify for in-state rates and make it very hard indeed to jump through all the hoops if there is the slightest bit of doubt on eligibility. If they get one shred of evidence that you have lived in another state in the years leading up to attendance, expect that you will have to fight tooth and nail to get them to see things your way. For example, if the high school transcript does not come from within the state, you are going to have a hard time indeed.</p>

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<p>There was a case in one of our state schools this year in which a college student whose parents were moved out of state by the military was not allowed to continue paying in-state tuition. There was a huge public outcry when it made the papers (because the family did not have a choice ... govt. moved them). From this, I would gather that it is not only difficult to establish "residency," but it is also difficult to maintain it!</p>

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<p>It is also important if you buy any sort of tuition contract with the state to check the residency requirements. We were some of the few lucky ones to purchase it with our state before they realized that they had REALLY under-estimated how much it would cost to fund the program and closed it to new applicants.( Nothing like a 100+% return on your investment). We had to have our chicks graduate from in-state high schools, and we had to be residents of the state on the day they enrolled in the State U. They will count the kids as state residents for tuition purposes now even if Mom and Dad move out of state. I believe that the same holds true for military dependents--graduate from a state high school, and have a primary residence in state on day of first enrollment, and then parents can be deployed elsewhere without jeopardizing the students status. If we would have deviated from the residency status, we would have been screwed on the amount that they would fund for out of state tuition.</p>