<p>i looked at the registrar's website about changing my residency for the next school year so i can pay in-state tuition and it looks really complicated (yes, i'm part of the 5% who are out-of-staters =] ). there were a lot of questions about being out of california for more than 6 weeks and i was thinking if they count summer break for that. i also heard that they make it really hard to change your residency. is that true?</p>
<p>It is extremely difficult to establish residency as an undergraduate -- especially due to the financial independence clause. This is not unintentional on the part of the University of California. The tax payers of California would get a little upset if they found they were paying for the education of non-residents --and I believe the tax payers in your home state be reluctant to pay for my child's. </p>
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<p>In order to be classified as a resident for tuition purposes, a student must demonstrate the following immediately prior to the residence determination date (the day that instruction begins at the last of the University of California campuses to open for the term. For Berekely, it is the day instruction begins at the Berkeley campus):</p>
<p>Physical Presence: Establish a physical presence in California more than one year (366 days) immediately prior to the residence determination date of the term for which classification as a resident is requested. Continuous physical presence is not mandatory, but a student who leaves California after establishing residence has the burden of demonstrating that he/she intended to remain a California resident, and that his/her principal place of residence has been in California. It is the burden of the student to clearly demonstrate retention of California residence during periods of absence from the state.</p>
<p>Intent: Demonstrate through objective documentation that your physical presence was coupled with the intent to make California your permanent home. Intent is evaluated as an independent element of residence, separate from physical presence, and is demonstrated by establishing residential ties in California, and relinquishing ties to the former place of residence. Physical presence within California solely for educational purposes does not constitute the establishment of California residence regardless of the length of stay. The physical presence requirement (above) will be extended until the student can demonstrate a concurrence of both physical presence and intent for one full year.</p>
<p>Financial Independence: Students under the age of 24 who did not attend the University prior to fall 1993 and do not have a California resident parent upon whom they are dependent will be required to meet the University's financial independence requirement in addition to the 366 day physical presence and intent requirements. It should be noted that this requirement makes it extremely difficult for most undergraduates who do not have a parent living in California, including transfer students from community colleges and other post-secondary institutions within California, to qualify for classification as a resident at a University of California campus.</p>