Obtaining WA State Residency

<p>So I got my waitlist letter from UW. If I don't get in through the waitlist, I was thinking about transferring in from a community college. What I was wondering is, if I go to community college in WA, by the time I transfer into UW can I be considered a state resident? (I currently live in California now)</p>

<p>The UW site has a section on what you need to do to get residence. If you go to school for more than 12 credits/semester, you must work 30 hours a week at an off-campus job, among other rules. The idea is that you’re supposed to prove you are not there specifically for school.</p>

<p>Establishing A Bona Fide Domicile (Residency Requirements)</p>

<p>The advice from the Office of the Attorney General, Education Division concerning presumption is that before domicile is established, an individual must do everything a resident of Washington is required to do (please see numbers 1-4 below).</p>

<p>To establish domicile in the state of Washington, students must provide documentation showing they meet the following guidelines:</p>

<ol>
<li>Students must prove conclusively that they have not come to Washington State primarily for educational purposes. Current guidelines require students who are enrolled for 7 credits or more a quarter must be employed at least 30 hours per week at a non-student job to overcome the presumption of educational purposes.</li>
<li>Live in the state for at least 12 consecutive months as legal residents. A legal resident is an individual who has relinquished all valid legal ties (e.g., driver’s license, voter registration, etc.) with their former state of residence and established such ties in Washington in accordance with state and local legislation.</li>
<li>Establish legal ties:
* Employment (if taking more than 6 credits a quarter during the first year of being present in Washington State).
* Driver’s license/state ID. Students must obtain a Washington State Driver’s License within 30 days of arrival if they have a current out-of-state driver’s license. Students who do not possess a driver’s license from any state, must obtain a Washington State Identification Card.
* Vehicle registration. Students who own or drive a vehicle in Washington must be registered in Washington within 30 days of arrival.
* Voter registration. Students who have a current out-of-state voter’s registration must register to vote in Washington within 30 days of arrival. If an individual has previously registered to vote in another state, they must register to vote in Washington. If the student does not register to vote in Washington, this means that s/he may still vote absentee in the prior state of residency
* Establish a bank account in Washington.</li>
<li>Be financially independent for the current and prior calendar years. (Students who are not 25 years of age or older must submit their parents’ most recent tax returns).</li>
</ol>

<p>Once the individual is in full compliance with all of Washington’s requirements for residency, then s/he, as of that final date of compliance, has established domicile. Once domicile is established, the student is eligible for in-state tuition 12 months from the date of arrival if all legal ties were in place within 30 days. This is because the Washington statute says that domicile must be in existence for one year immediately prior to the first day of the quarter for which the student wants to be classified as a resident.</p>

<p>Examples of other factors that may help students establish proof of domicile include: disposition of property in the former state of residence, relocation of household members, participation in local community organizations, and generally becoming involved in activities that will help prove their intent to make Washington their official place of residence.
[UW</a> Residency - Establishing A Bona Fide Domicile](<a href=“Residency Requirements (Non-affidavit) - Office of the University Registrar”>Residency Requirements (Non-affidavit) - Office of the University Registrar)</p>

<p>What travelgirl says is true, but the easiest way is to simply spend a few months out of school. If you don’t need financial aid, then it should be relatively easy. If not, and your parents still live in California you’ll constantly need to provide their information on your FAFSA and that is what flags you.</p>

<p>Move here, get a drivers’ license and register to vote, register your car, etc. Have nothing on you that says anything about CA. Work at a job. Then enroll in a community college. As long as you have a drivers license from WA they won’t blink, they’ll just take you as a resident, no biggie. Then you can apply to UW as a resident.</p>

<p>If you do need financial aid, there is not a whole lot you can do beyond what travelgirl said.</p>

<p>The following is for community college residence requirements as to whether to charge you for instate or out of state. (Has nothing to do with financial aid). However. community college is much cheaper (and just as good) as UW when you go to seattle central for fresh/soph more classes.</p>

<p>[Seattle</a> Central Registration/Policies](<a href=“http://www.seattlecentral.edu/~dev/registration/policies.php]Seattle”>http://www.seattlecentral.edu/~dev/registration/policies.php)
Residency Status/Tuition:
NOTE: Resident tuition applies to active duty military, Washington state Reservists/Guard members and refugees. Effective July 1, 2003, Washington state law made certain students who are not permanent residents of the United States eligible for resident tuition. Students meeting the above criteria who were previously classified as non-residents are responsible for requesting a change in their residency status. Forms and information are available online and in the Registrar’s Office.</p>

<p>For state-supported class tuition purposes, a state resident is one who is a U.S. citizen or who has permanent resident immigrant status, refugee-parolee status, or conditional entrant status, and</p>

<p>1.</p>

<pre><code> Has established a domicile (residence) in the state of Washington primarily for purposes other than educational for the period of one year immediately prior to the first day of the quarter and was financially independent from parents or legally appointed guardians for the calendar year during which college enrollment begins, OR
</code></pre>

<p>2.</p>

<pre><code> Is a financially dependent student, one or both of whose parents or legal guardians have maintained a domicile in the state of Washington for at least one year immediately prior to the first day of the quarter.
</code></pre>

<p>NOTE: Typically, state residents document their legal residence in Washington by showing that for the entire 12 months immediately preceding the beginning of the quarter, they have done all of the following:</p>

<ol>
<li>Held a Washington driver’s license or identification card</li>
<li>Had their vehicle registered in Washington</li>
<li>Have registered to vote in Washington, AND</li>
<li>Can provide proof of residence in the state. </li>
</ol>

<p>Students wishing to change their non-resident classification should petition the college prior to their registration day, by completing a Residency Questionnaire available in the Registration Office (Rm 1104). Or you can visit the “forms” section of this website.</p>

<p>Although you are right, travelgirl, I was advising the OP in how to not get flagged as someone to double check. If she walks in and announces she moved from California, of course they will put her through those procedures. If she walks in, signs up and presents a WA drivers license and has a local address, no one will question it.</p>

<p>thanks both of you for the useful info. i’m a guy buy the way haha</p>

<p>True. If they found out later they could at the very least demand repayment for the difference.</p>

<p>The odds are probally low of getting caught, but I wouldn’t want to risk it.community college is pretty cheap</p>

<p>So what about both of my parents are moving to Washington State and I am financially dependent on my parents? Is it right that if my parents become Washington resident, I will become the resident and have in-state-tuition?</p>