I currently attend a University in Virginia but am seeking to transfer to UMCP. My parents currently reside in an apartment in VA but are willing to move to MD in order for me to get in-state tuition. I know that it is generally quite difficult for in-state eligibility in my situation, but I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on what to do. :-S I would LOVE to attend my dream school and I also plan to continue living in MD after college.
Another thing is that my dad currently owns a small business building in MD with 3 stories- one of which has been renovated for accommodation. In other words, my family and I live in both MD and VA but primarily in Virginia as I do not think anyone actually considers the building to be a normal residency… Regardless, my dad still pays his taxes in the state of MD so I assume it would make sense to use this building address and continue living here for in-state tuition.
I am also considering getting my own apartment, job and driver’s license in MD so I could prove my desire to continue living in Maryland permanently.
Your’s is more complicated than most trying to get in-state residency and you may have a chance but this is a question for UMCP, not here. Perhaps also a tax professional to help support your claim. Questions that you need to know the answers to: How many days did your family live in each state? Is he paying proportional personal income taxes to MD or just business taxes?
I know tax wise, there are some reciprocal agreements between MD, DC, and Northern VA, maybe even WV given the overlapping residences/work places of folks in the DC metro. I’m not sure any of that matters to UMCP.
It sounds like your family actually resides in VA…and you are trying very hard to find a way to make that accommodation above the business in MD your residence. It’s not.
Your family’s actual primary residence would need to be in MD for you to get instate resdicency status. Your family lives in VA, and I think you know that that is your primary residence but you are looking for a loophole.
You say your dad pays taxes in MD? What taxes would those be? He would absolutely pay some taxes to MD as a non-resident who works there. That does not make you a resident of the state.
What address was used on you IRS tax return? What address have YOU been using as your primary address? I’m betting it’s the VA address.
Anyway…yes, you can get instate residency. Your whole family needs to move to MD and reside in those accommodations greater than 50% of the time. Do this for a year before you enroll. That is how you get instate residency.
As an example…my husband worked in a different stat which borders ours. Our kids were NOT entitled to instate tuition in that other state’s public universities…because our actual residence was not in that state. And yes, we paid a ton of taxes to that other state. So what? We didn’t live there.
Your parents would have to physically MOVE to Maryland a year before you transferred. So if you’re planning to transfer there next year, your parents would have to move NOW. And live there.
When do you plan to transfer…and why? UVA is an outstanding university and you get instate status there. In addition, if you have any financial need, UVA guarantees to meet that.
UMCP does not meet full need…plus you have the OOS cost issue to deal,with.
What county is the property in? Would you be willing to transfer to a CC for a year and then to UMCP? In the past, Montgomery College awarded in-county rates after only three months of residence in MoCo. MC also has some guaranteed admissions transfer programs for UM-CP. Check their website for details: http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/EDU/