LMGTFY:
Both from http://www.umaine.edu/graduate/prospectivestudents/residencyrules
To my mind, the question is, are you living in Maine, but came to the aid of your parent for a family crisis, and are returning once the crisis has passed; or did you move (permanently) with your parent? If the former, how do you show that? It sounds like, for the online classes, they are satisfied that it is the former. Why question that?
They OP says he or she plans to move back to Maine eventually…to take in person rather than online classes.
To the OP…please check to see if this will work. In my opinion, the longer you do NOT live in Maine, the less likely they will grant you instate status. PLUS, if you are returning for college purposes only…or it appears that you are, your ability to gain instate residency for tuition purposes will more difficult to gain.
At this time, you don’t seem to satisfy the residency requirements for Maine…unless Maine grants instate residency to students of separated parents, even if the student doesn’t reside there. Check that. But you will need the Maine parent’s address to show that paren’s residency in Maine if they allow that.
http://umaine.edu/bursar/residency-guidelines/
“A non-matriculated (non-degree) student is classified as eligible, or not eligible, for in-state tuition at the time of registration. The decision, made by the Chief Financial Officer, or other officials designated by the campus, shall be made based on information and documentation furnished by the student and other information available to the University.”
“The burden will be on the student to prove that he or she has established a Maine domicile for other than educational purposes. An individual who has lived in the State of Maine, for other than educational purposes, one year prior to registration or application to a campus is considered an in-state student.”
“A student, spouse, or domestic partner of a student, who currently has continuous, permanent full-time employment in Maine before the student decides to apply for degree status at the University will be considered in-state for tuition purposes. A student who is dependent on his/her parent(s) and/or legally appointed guardian (or to whom custody has been granted by court order) is considered to have a domicile with the parent(s) for tuition purposes.”
I guess the important takeaway is that the CFO makes the determination based on the information and documentation you provide. If your documentation shows that you established and/or maintained your Maine residency, even while working out of state, you should be fine. Also, you would have to be dependent on your Maine parent to inherit his or her residency.