<p>I applied to Umich for fall '10 as a transfer and was accepted, but I have to fill out a residency application because I currently attend college out of state. Not a big deal. But, given the current MI economy, my dad has been working out of state for about six months now, living there during the week and coming home weekends to our house in MI. I recently found out that at the end of the summer he will take a permanent position in MA and our family will move out there. Does this mean no more in-state tuition? I've lived in Michigan my whole life--this timing couldn't be more inconvenient. Has anyone been in this situation or know how I could work around this? Thanks!</p>
<p>Idk how UMich handles residency verification but it sounds like your parent is still a MI resident and you, as a dependent student, likely derive residency from your parent. If you were living out of state solely to attend college that would not affect your MI residency as your domicile was still in the state. Many schools do not check residency on an annual basis once a student is matriculated. The issue may simply never come up. Search for “residency” on UM’s website and it will likely yield their policies and procedures.</p>
<p>[Residency</a> - Office of the Registrar](<a href=“http://ro.umich.edu/resreg.php]Residency”>Residency | Office of the Registrar)</p>
<p>According to the link above, you do have to complete a residency application since you attended an out of state school.</p>
<p>Since you are a dependent student, your residency is based on your parent’s residency – which, at this time, is Michigan (according to the requirements – they meet the requirements).</p>
<p>It also looks like you will remain a residence, even once your parents move, as long as you remain in school:</p>
<p>" Dependent Resident Student Who Remains in Michigan When Parents Leave the State. If you are a student living in Michigan with your parents and permanently domiciled in the state as defined by University Residency Classification Guidelines, you are presumed to retain resident status eligibility if your parents leave the state provided: (1) you have completed at least your junior year of high school prior to your parents’ departure, (2) you remain in Michigan, enrolled full-time in high school or an institution of higher education, and (3) you have not taken steps to establish a domicile outside Michigan or any other action inconsistent with maintaining a domicile in Michigan"</p>
<p>Thanks! I’m pretty sure I can get residency for the fall. I’m just worried about upcoming years, it would be awful to have to transfer again! I’ll definitely look into whether they check or not. Hopefully not!</p>
<p>You don’t have to worry about them “checking”… the rules allow for your parents to move, and you still keep residency as long as you continue your education.</p>
<p>*Dependent Resident Student Who Remains in Michigan When Parents Leave the State. If you are a student living in Michigan with your parents and permanently domiciled in the state as defined by University Residency Classification Guidelines, you are presumed to retain resident status eligibility if your parents leave the state provided: (1) you have completed at least your junior year of high school prior to your parents’ departure, (2) you remain in Michigan, enrolled full-time in high school or an institution of higher education, and (3) you have not taken steps to establish a domicile outside Michigan or any other action inconsistent with maintaining a domicile in Michigan" *</p>
<p>but what does “not taking steps to establish a domicile outside Michigan” mean? Could I go home for summers and breaks and still be technically “maintaining a domicile in Michigan”? That last condition worries me.</p>
<p>When they say taking steps to establish a domicile, they usually mean things like registering to vote, getting your car registered in another state, and all of the other stuff that people tend to do when they are planning to move permanently to another state. Simply leaving the state for a temporary visit is not the same thing.</p>
<p>Relax! You’re not expected to be a prisoner in the custody of the state of Michigan for the remainder of your college education. You are actually allowed to cross the state border for business or pleasure or what-have-you.</p>
<p>amy, domicile is a term that is used interchangeably with “permanent residence” so, no, visiting your folks in another state is not a step toward establishing residence in that state. You must both be present in that state and take steps toward becoming a resident (finding a job, voter registration, changing driver license, etc.) This may help explain better:</p>
<p>“Domicile” is the term used to describe the place where a person has chosen to make a permanent and fixed home. Domicile is made up of two components: physical presence and evidence of intent. Both physical presence and evidence of intent must be established to begin the domicile year.</p>
<p>Amy, don’t worry. You can visit your parents or anyone anytime you want. I spend a lot of time in the summer visiting my parents. That doesn’t hurt my residency in my state at all. You’ll still keep your Mich drivers license and everything. Besides, you’re allowed to have two homes (a perm home and a vacation home). Your permanent home will be Mich.</p>
<p>Besides, the college won’t know when you’re visiting other people. You don’t give the college your travel plans anyway. :)</p>
<p>I guess it depends about that. If you’re enrolled at Mind-Control U (Motto: “We Control You So You Don’t Have To”), then maybe they’d confine you to the state and refuse to allow you to see your family until you graduate, but even the strictest colleges in America aren’t that harsh.</p>
<p>Thanks, I guess I just figured that since the only ‘home’ I’d have would be in Massachusetts, I couldn’t possibly count as a MI resident. I suppose there really would be no way for them to know, though.</p>
<p>Just be sure that the address on file for the school is a MI address. Your bill, report card…any correspondances from the university really need to be sent to a MI address…at least that is my guess. If your family’s permanent address changes to another state, there “could” be an assumption that your domicile has changed as well. Undergrad student domicile is usually the domicile of the parents. </p>
<p>The big question is DO you continue instate status IF your parents relocate to another state while you are a student? The info posted above appears to say yes…but that “domicile” question is a question. To be honest, I think it’s about as clear as mud. Why not call and ask…you don’t have to tell them who you are…you can simply say…We are currently residents of Michigan. My parents, however, may be relocating sometime during my schooling for job purposes. Will I keep my instate resident status after they relocate?"</p>
<p>That’s probably a good idea, but there’s always a risk that if you notify them they might think that you are gaming the system and audit you. Unless you have genuine questions, I would not bother the people at the office of financial aid; you don’t want their scrutiny at such a critical point in your education.</p>
<p>Bedouin…ANYONE can call and ask the question…I didn’t tell the OP she should give her name. Heavens…she could say she is considering applying there next year or whatever. Bottom line is…she needs to know the answer…and needs to find a way to figure it out. It would do her no good to “think” she will continue to have instate tuition status if, in fact, she won’t. BUT she might…the website info was not clear. Honesty, calling and asking for a clarification of the policy does not mean the caller has to IDENTIFY themselves.</p>
<p>Good point. Perhaps, the student’s parent should call, prospectively. Many colleges are especially helpful to the parents of students or prospective applicants becuase they know where the money comes from in most cases. If you get an unsatisfactory answer, call higher up on the food chain since often the people working at the call center are newer employees, volunteers, or (most commonly) people who aren’t experienced with the nuances of every single possible case and often you might need someone who has been at that college for a while to have seen everyhting before to help you.</p>