Planning SB in two years

Hello, I just finished my sophomore year in highschool and am a rising junior. I know that Stony Brook has one of the better Computer Science programs in my area so I’d like to apply and attend. My issue is that my dad will not be able to afford more than about 8k out of pocket while the rest will be in loans. I have been thinking of a way to get that cost way down.

@sbuadmissions As a New Jersey resident, is there a way to meet the in-state requirements for tuition cost by legally changing my state of residency now and continue to attend my NJ highschool? I realize that in order to get in-state tuition costs I have to live in NY for ‘some’ time period (not sure how long), but what is the required amount of time, and is there a way around this? I have been thinking that perhaps I could move to an apartment the summer before college starts but I don’t know if 3 months is enough time.

Here’s the info you want: https://www.suny.edu/smarttrack/residency/

From that link: "
Domicile - A fixed permanent home to which an individual intends to return whenever absent.
DETERMINATION OF DOMICILE
To determine a student’s domicile, campuses use the following principles:

A person may have multiple residences but only one domicile.
A person retains a domicile until it is abandoned.
Physical presence alone does not establish domicile or residency.
PROOF OF DOMICILE
Campuses rely on documents and circumstances such as, but not limited to, the following to determine if an individual’s domicile is in New York State. For financially dependent students, the campus relies on documents relating to the parents or legal guardian.

Duration of physical presence in NY.
State of residency of the student’s family.
NY State voter registration.
NY State driver’s license.
NY State motor vehicle registration.
NY State real property ownership.
NY State residential rental lease.
NY State income tax returns.

So, short answer, no, you can’t have a summer apartment in NYC and pretend that it means you’re a NY resident.

And, to be honest, even if you could somehow prove residency, you’re not going to want to commute every day from NJ to StonyBrook. It would be a 45 minute commute for me, and I’m on Long Island!! Realistically, if you have $8000 a year, you’ll want the closest NJ state school or community college so you can live at home.

I think you may have misunderstood. I don’t plan to commute from NJ. I plan to dorm at Stony Brook or live off-campus near the school. I did not say I want to ‘pretend’ to be a NY resident, I asked what amount of time defines a NY resident. Basically, I am asking how long I must rent an apartment in NY before I qualify to be a NY resident and if a 3 month summer is enough. I don’t see anywhere in your write-up that indicates the period of time which is what I am asking.

It’s at least one full year – 12+ months – of physical in-state residency, not counting on-campus residency.

Chris

From the link above: 1.Generally, individuals who have maintained their domicile in New York for a period of fewer than twelve months prior to the end of registration are presumed to be out-of-state residents and are not eligible for the resident tuition rate.

Thank you Chris, I’ll still apply to see what the numbers will be since SBU is my first choice but honestly I think the price might be out of my range.
Thank you.