This article is ideal for undergraduate college students attending public university and are looking to lower tuition costs.
As detailed in the article A Guide to Gaining In-State Residency Status, you can literally save tens of thousands for going from an out-of-state stateus to an in-state status when attending a public university. This list is a supplement to the article with residency requirements for each state. You can also help contribute to the this knowledge pool with updated information via the forums. The forum thread containing this information is: State Residency Requirements.
Continuous physical presence: 1 year prior to time of class registration.
Evidence of domicile: rent receipts, checks written to local merchants throughout the year, statements from Alaskan employers, current military I.D., Alaskan high school or college transcripts, postal service verification of an Alaskan address, etc.
Continuous physical presence: An adult person (18 years or older) must physically reside in the state for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the term for which resident classification is requested.
Evidence of intent to establish a domicile: date of and state in which Motor Vehicle is registered, date of and state issuing driver’s license, employment history, including assured future permanent employment in Arizona, transfer of major banking services to Arizona, date and state in which registered to vote, change in permanent address on all pertinent records, military records, etc.
Continuous physical presence: continuous residence in domicile in Arkansas for at least 6 consecutive months prior to the beginning of the term.
Evidence of domicile: copies of Federal and state income tax returns using an Arkansas address, military home of record, assessment of real and/or personal property, maintenance of a state driver's license and vehicle registration, voter's registration, active bank accounts, permanent employment, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 1 year prior to residence determination date (first day of classes).
Adult students (18 and older) cannot satisfy the 1-year residency requirement as adults until they reach 19.
Physical presence in California must be coupled with objective evidence of intent to make California a permanent home.
Evidence of domicile: registering to vote and voting in California elections, designating California as a permanent address on Federal income tax returns and all school and employment records, including current military records and Selective Service registration, obtaining a CA driver's license or CA Identification Card within ten days of settling in California, filing CA resident income tax, establishing bank accounts in CA banks, remaining in-state when school is not in session (with proof of lease or rental agreement), obtaining CA vehicle registration, showing pay receipts and W-2 forms from permanent employment, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 1 year of domicile in Colorado preceding the first day of class.
Students whose parents do not live in Colorado must be 22 years old (21 years for students who first attended college in Colorado prior to September 1, 1996), emancipated from their parents, married, or a graduate student, to begin the 1-year domicile period.
Evidence of domicile: filing Colorado resident state income, CO state tax withholding from wages, CO driver's license, CO vehicle registration, CO voter registration, permanent, full-time, off-campus employment, continued residence in Colorado while not enrolled as a student, etc.
Continuous physical presence: reside in Connecticut for at least 12 months.
Evidence of domicile: employment in the state, copies of federal and state income tax returns using Connecticut as a permanent address, state driver's license, automobile registration and voter registration, proof of home ownership/rental receipts and payment of property taxes in the state, military record, payroll record, etc.
Continuous physical presence: domiciled in the state of Delaware for 12 consecutive months as of the first day of classes in the semester/session for which the classification is sought (exception for active members of U.S. Armed Forces).
Evidence of domicile: place of residence, the person’s purpose in establishing residence in Delaware, full-time employment in Delaware, filing of DE resident income tax returns, payment of property or income tax in Delaware, ownership of real property in Delaware, registration to vote in Delaware, possession of a DE driver's license or motor vehicle registration, continued presence in Delaware during periods when the University is not in session, etc.
Financial independence (must be entirely self-supporting).
Continuous physical presence: establish legal residence in Florida and maintain such for at least 12 months (must be supported by documentation.
The applicant for Florida residency for tuition purposes must establish that his/her presence in Florida is not incidental to enrollment in an institution of higher education.
Evidence of domicile: Florida voter registration, FL driver's license, FL automobile registration, FL bank accounts, FL home ownership, military records or Leave and Earnings statement, etc.
Continuous physical presence: An independent student must reside in Georgia at least 12 months during which time there is no full-time enrollment in an institution of higher education and there is proof that the primary purpose for being in Georgia is other than for an education.
Evidence of legal residence: Georgia income tax return, voter registration card, motor vehicle driver's license, motor vehicle registration showing ad valorem tax paid, employment information, military home of record and earnings report, deed or lease for home property, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 12 consecutive months prior to the first official day of instruction at a particular University of Hawaii campus.
Must show an intent to make Hawaii one’s domicile (12-month residency period commences to run only when the first overt action of intent has been taken).
Evidence of domicile: Hawaii voter registration and filing HI resident personal income tax forms are primary indicators of intent to make Hawaii a bona fide residence; secondary indicators include ownership of residential property or continuous rental of a dwelling on a lease basis in Hawaii, business/employment in Hawaii and the presence of a spouse, dependent children, or close relatives in Hawaii.
Continuous physical presence: resident of Illinois for 1 calendar year immediately preceding the first scheduled day of classes for the term for which residency is sought at University of Illinois (minimum requirement of 6 consecutive months at Western Illinois University).
Evidence of domicile: voter registration in Illinois, filing federal and IL resident income taxes, registration of motor vehicles in Illinois, possession of an IL driver's license, income and gainful employment in Illinois, evidence that parents have not claimed the person as a dependent for tax purposes during the period of establishment of residency, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 12 continuous months prior to the first day of classes (an individual's presence in Indiana for the main purpose of attending a college/university may not be counted in the 12-month period).
Evidence of domicile: the residence of a student's parent or guardian, the source of the student's income, the state where taxes are paid, the state where the student's automobile is registered, the state issuing a student's driver's license, the state where a student is registered to vote, marriage of a student to an Indiana resident, property ownership in Indiana, the place of summer employment, the student's future plans including committed place of future employment or studies, home of record or Leave and Earnings statement for military personnel, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 12 consecutive months prior to enrollment (6 months at certain institutions).
Evidence of residence: continuous presence in Kansas when not enrolled as a student, employment in Kansas, payment of KS state resident income taxes, reliance on KS sources of financial support, commitment to an education program which indicates an intent to remain permanently in Kansas, acceptance of an offer of permanent employment in Kansas, voting /registration for voting in Kansas, lease of living quarters in Kansas, a statement of intention to acquire residence in Kansas, KS vehicle registration, acquisition of a KS driver's license, payment of KS personal property taxes, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 12 months immediately preceding the academic term for which residency is sought (as a non-student).
Evidence of domicile: acceptance of full-time employment in Kentucky (including job transfer), filing of KY resident income tax return for the year preceding date of application for residency, full-time employment of at least one year while living in Kentucky, abandonment of former domicile and establishing domicile and residency in Kentucky prior to, and incidental to, attendance at an institution of higher education, professional licensing or certification in Kentucky, payment of KY real property taxes, ownership of real property in Kentucky if used by student as a residence immediately preceding application for residency, long-term lease of non-collegiate housing, KY automobile registration, KY driver’s license, KY voter registration, continued presence in Kentucky during academic breaks, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 1 full year preceding the first day of classes of the term for which resident classification is sought.
Physical presence within Louisiana for educational purposes alone is not sufficient to establish domicile, regardless of the length of time spent there.
Evidence of domicile: reliance on LA sources of financial support, voter registration in Louisiana for one year and voting in Louisiana, a LA permanent address on all school, military and employment records; continuous presence in Louisiana when not enrolled as a student, possession of a LA driver's license and/or vehicle registration for one year, commitments indicating an intent to stay in Louisiana permanently, payment of LA resident income taxes (including income earned outside the state), etc.
Continuous physical presence: 1 year prior to registration or application to a U Maine System campus for purposes other than education (residence established for the purpose of attending a U Maine System campus shall not by itself constitute domicile).
Evidence of domicile: filing of Maine resident state income tax, Maine address on latest federal income tax return, home ownership and payment of property taxes in Maine, military home of record in Maine, etc.
Continuous physical presence: domicile in Maryland for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the last day for late registration for the semester for which in-state status is sought.
Evidence of domicile: student must demonstrate that he/she is not residing in Maryland primarily to attend an educational institution, ownership/ rental and occupation of real property in Maryland as a year-round residence continuous presence in Maryland including months when the University is not in regular session, maintenance of all personal property within Maryland, payment of MD income tax, even on income earned outside the state, MD voter registration, MD automobile registration and driver's license, etc.
Continuous physical presence: residence in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 12 months immediately preceding the student's entry/reentry as a student (physical presence for this entire 12-month period is not required as long as the conduct of the individuals, taken in total, manifests an intention to make Massachusetts their permanent dwelling place).
Evidence of domicile: certified copies of federal and state income tax returns, permanent employment in Massachusetts in a position not normally filled by a student, reliance on Massachusetts sources for financial support, continuous physical presence in Massachusetts during periods when not an enrolled student, military Home of Record, etc.
Evidence of domicile: continuous presence in Michigan during periods when not enrolled as a student, reliance upon Michigan sources for financial support, domicile in Michigan of family, guardian or other relatives or persons legally responsible for the student, former domicile in the State and maintenance of significant connections therein while absent, ownership of property/home in Michigan, military assignment in Michigan, possession of a Michigan driver’s license or voter’s registration, payment of Michigan income/property taxes, student’s statement of intent to be domiciled in Michigan.
Continuous physical presence: 1 calendar year prior to the first day of class attendance at a University in the MnSCU system.
Evidence of domicile: maintaining a permanent MN address, listing Minnesota as the military Home of Record, registering to vote or voting by absentee ballot in Minnesota, maintaining MN automobile registration, owning property in Minnesota and paying state property tax, filing a MN tax return, remaining in Minnesota during the summer, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 12 months prior to admission.
Adult students (21 or over) must show that they are living in Mississippi with the intention of abandoning any former domicile and remaining in Mississippi permanently.
Evidence of domicile: filing of Mississippi resident income tax returns, becoming eligible to vote in Mississippi, possession of a MS operator's license and vehicle registration, employment in Mississippi, military Home of Record or leave and earnings statement (rent receipts and utility bills are not acceptable proof).
Continuous physical presence: 12 consecutive months with sufficient proof of intent to make Missouri a permanent home for an indefinite period.
Evidence of domicile: continuous presence in Missouri when not enrolled as a student, marriage to a MO resident and maintenance of a common domicile with the resident spouse, substantial reliance on MO sources of financial support, former domicile in Missouri and maintenance of significant contacts while absent, home ownership in Missouri, voting or registration for voting in Missouri, lease of living quarters in Missouri, statement of intention to establish a MO domicile, MO automobile registration or operator's license, payment of MO income, personal, and property taxes, etc.
The 12-month period does not begin to run until an act indicative of intent to become a Montana resident is taken (during that time, individuals cannot enroll for more than 6 credits per term).
Evidence of domicile: registering to vote in Montana, obtaining a MT driver's license within 90 days of the start of the 12-month period, registering a motor vehicle in Montana, purchasing a home in Montana, filing a MT resident tax return, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 12 consecutive months and can verify by documentation an intention to make Nebraska their permanent residence.
Evidence of domicile: proof of home ownership, apartment leases or canceled rent checks, Nebraska driver's license, NE voter registration, NE vehicle registration, accounts with NE financial institutions, military Home of Record, NE employment and withholding of state income taxes, state income tax return indicating Nebraska tax-payer status, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 12 months prior to registration for purposes other than obtaining an education.
Evidence of domicile: payment/non-payment of any tax levied by the state on its residents, residence reported on any Federal/state tax returns, state of automobile registration, state issuing driver's license, state of voter registration, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 12-consecutive-month presence immediately prior to the term for which the petition for resident classification is being filed.
Written declaration of intent to relinquish residency in any other state and to establish it in New Mexico.
Evidence of domicile: securing a New Mexico driver's license, securing a NM vehicle registration, registering to vote in New Mexico, filing a NM state tax return for the previous year, securing employment in the state, purchasing residential/ business property in the state, having a long-established bank account in the state, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 1 year prior to registration.
Students who do not meet this requirement may be reclassified as residents for tuition purposes if they can prove they have established a new domicile in New York notwithstanding the 12-month durational requirement.
Evidence of domicile: proof of domicile is based primarily upon the intention to make New York a permanent home (mere physical presence in New York State is not sufficient); other relative factors include the residence of one's parents/spouse/children, the state of voter registration and driver’s license, one's residence for income tax purposes, employment and income sources in New York, motor vehicle and personal property registration, the site of real and personal property and bank accounts, etc.
Continuous physical presence: at least 12 months immediately before the academic term for which classification is sought.
Evidence of domicile: student moves to North Carolina for a significant period of time prior to enrollment in a higher education institution, during which time the student is employed or engages in other substantive activity unrelated to educational pursuits; student comes to North Carolina with a spouse and/or children, either significantly before or immediately coincident with enrollment; student does some or all of the following acts in North Carolina: registers to vote, files income, personal property, or real property tax returns, registers or licenses a motor vehicle, owns real property, is employed, maintains a bank account, etc.
Continuous physical presence: not less than 12 consecutive months immediately prior to the term for which residence status is requested, during which time the individual is primarily engaged in activities other than those of being a college student.
Evidence of domicile: abandonment of prior out-of-state residence, history, duration, and nature of non-educational activities in Oregon, permanent employment in Oregon, location of family, ownership of one’s living quarters in Oregon, filing of Oregon resident income tax returns, state of vehicle and voter registration, etc.
Continuous physical presence: at least 12 months before initial enrollment, for other than educational purposes.
Students under the age of twenty-two (age 21 at Penn State U) are presumed to have the same residence as that of their parents or legal guardians.
Evidence of domicile: purchase of a permanent, independent residence in Pennsylvania, payment of applicable state and local taxes on income earned either inside or outside of Pennsylvania, registration to vote in Pennsylvania, transfer of financial assets to Pennsylvania from another state, PA driver’s license, PA motor vehicle registration, full-time permanent employment in Pennsylvania, a sworn statement by the student or his/her parents about their intention to make Pennsylvania their permanent residence, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 1 year immediately preceding the first class day of the first term of their registration.
Students from outside Rhode Island who are enrolled at RI public universities for more than 6 credits per semester are presumed to be in the state for educational purposes and will not be considered for resident status.
Evidence of primary residence: acquisition of real/ personal property in Rhode Island, payment of municipal and state taxes in Rhode Island, marriage to a RI resident, payment of Federal income tax using Rhode Island as a permanent address, military home of record, maintenance of state driver’s license, automobile and voter’s registration in the state, etc.
Continuous physical presence: no less than 12 months with an intention of making a permanent home in the state.
Evidence of domicile: registering to vote and voting in SC elections, obtaining a SC driver's license (if not a driver, a SC identification card), obtaining SC vehicle registration, paying SC income taxes as a state resident, including income earned outside South Carolina from the date residence is established, offer and acceptance of full-time employment in SC, designating SC as state of legal residence on military records, licensing for professional practice in SC, ownership of principal residence in South Carolina, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 12 consecutive months preceding the first scheduled day of classes of the semester or other session in which the individual registers.
Nonresident students may petition for resident status after satisfying the 12-month durational requirement if it is probable that they will remain in South Dakota beyond the completion of their education and that his/her presence in South Dakota is not for the purpose of attending a public higher education institution.
Evidence of domicile: source of the student’s income, auto registration, voter registration, state issuing driver’s license, property ownership in and outside South Dakota, payment of taxes, residence address used on legal documents, admission to licensed profession in the state, marriage of the student to a South Dakota resident (the fact that a person pays taxes and votes in the state does not in itself establish residence).
Continuous physical presence: Tennessee is the only state without a durational residency requirement, so that no set time period is determinative in establishing residence.
The student must provide supportive documentation to substantiate a domicile claim.
It is presumed that emancipated students do not acquire domicile while enrolled as full-time students at any public or private higher education institution in Tennessee without clear and convincing evidence to the contrary.
Evidence of legal residence: copies of the most recent federal income tax using the state as a permanent address, home ownership and payment of property taxes in Tennessee, maintenance of a Tennessee state driver's license, automobile registration, voter's registration and other official documents, proof of employment in Tennessee, military Home of Record, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 12 months before registration in a public institution of higher learning (must be gainfully employed in Texas and not enrolled in school during those 12 months).
An Oath of Residency may be required before registering.
Evidence of domicile: full-time employment in Texas and the nature of such employment while a student, purchase of a TX homestead with a substantial down payment.
Military members who entered service from another state are presumed to maintain legal domicile there unless they show abandonment of the previous domicile and establishment of a new TX domicile during the term of active service, along with clear and unequivocal proof of such intent.
Financial independence.
18 years and older.
The following is considered: abandonment of domicile of original entry, as evidenced by establishment of TX domicile, proof that Texas has remained the person’s domicile when stationed outside of Texas after having established Texas as his/her domicile, filing of a State of Legal Residence Certificate with the military, declaring Texas as state of legal residence, and 4 of the following additional requirements: purchasing a residence and claiming it as a homestead, registering to vote and voting in local elections, registering automobiles in Texas and paying personal property taxes thereon, maintaining a TX driver's license, maintaining checking or savings accounts or safety deposit boxes in Texas, having wills or other legal documents indicating TX residence, having membership in professional or other state organizations, establishing a business in Texas.
Continuous physical presence: one continuous year (12 continuous months) prior to the registration period for which resident student status is sought as well as provide evidence of intent to remain permanently (an absence of more than 30 days during the one-year period may prove that the required year's residence has not been satisfied).
Evidence of domicile: purchase of property, acceptance of non-temporary employment, establishment of a banking relationship, Utah driver's license, registration of a motor vehicle, registration to vote, membership and participation in off-campus political, social, fraternal and civic associations, marriage to a Utah resident, family ties in the state, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 1 continuous year, prior to the beginning of the semester for which resident status is requested.
The 1-year period may not be met by presence in Vermont to attend an educational institution alone; those who become students within 1 year of first moving to Vermont create a rebuttable presumption of residence there merely to attend an educational institution.
Evidence of domicile: the filing of federal and state tax returns with Vermont as permanent address, voter registration, a copy of all wills, trusts, and support or custody decrees that affect the individual, a state driver's license and vehicle registration, military Home of Record or State of Legal Residence Certificate, property ownership, etc.
Continuous physical presence: at least 12 months prior to the first day of class for which the student is registering.
The one year of continuous domicile is not required for active-duty U.S. military personnel, their dependent spouses and children, residing in Virginia who choose to adopt Virginia as their legal domicile and who satisfy simultaneously all other conditions for establishing domicile. They must also file a new State of Legal Residence Certificate declaring Virginia as their domicile for income tax purposes.
Evidence of legal residence: payment or filing of Virginia resident income taxes, a VA driver's license and motor vehicle registration, employment, ownership of real property, voter registration and actual voting in Virginia, military records, sources of financial support, social and economic ties in Virginia, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 1 year prior to the term of enrollment.
These individuals must be domiciled in Washington for other than educational reasons (cannot be enrolled in more than 6 hours of school) and provide evidence of Washington domicile.
Evidence of domicile: payment of taxes or fees on property in Washington, a valid state driver's license, permanent full-time employment in Washington, a WA address on the previous year's Federal and state income tax returns, WA voter registration, purchase of a primary residence in Washington, lease agreement or monthly rental receipts on a WA home or apartment for the previous year, bank accounts in Washington, membership in professional, business, civic or other organizations in Washington, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 12 months prior to registration (establishment of West Virginia domicile with less than 12 months presence must be supported by evidence of positive and unequivocal action).
Evidence of domicile: ownership or lease of a permanently occupied home in West Virginia, full-time employment within the state, payment of West Virginia property taxes, filing WV income tax returns, registration of motor vehicles in West Virginia, possession of a valid WV driver's license, marriage to a West Virginia domiciliary, etc.
Continuous physical presence: at least 12 months preceding the beginning of any semester or session for which the student wishes to enroll.
Show intent to establish and maintain a permanent home in Wisconsin.
Evidence of domicile: filing of Wisconsin resident income tax, voter registration in Wisconsin, motor vehicle registration in Wisconsin, possession of a WI operator's license, employment in Wisconsin, involvement in community activities, etc.
Continuous physical presence: 1 year prior to the beginning of the term for which they wish to be classified as a resident.
Evidence of domicile: one year continuous full-time employment in Wyoming, ownership of a home or property in Wyoming, reliance upon Wyoming resources for significant financial support, former Wyoming residency and maintenance of ties while absent, WY vehicle registration, valid WY driver's license, WY voter registration, WY address on most recent Federal income tax form (residing in Wyoming primarily as a student will not support a claim for resident status).
