CA Residency
How the University of California Establishes Residence:
California Residency for Tuition Purposes
Criteria to Establish Residence for Tuition Purposes
Financial Independence
Residence Determination Dates
Temporary Absences
Exemptions and Waivers from Nonresident Tuition
Residence Rules for Minors/Guardians
Residence Information for Noncitizens
California Domestic Partner
Continuing Students: Changing your Residence Classification
How to change your Nonresident Status to Resident
Application to change your Nonresident Status
Additional Information
UC Merced Residency Deputy
Angelica Guillen
Email: aguillen3@ucmerced.edu
Phone: (209) 228-2734
Fax: (209) 228-4694
California Residency for Tuition Purposes
The law governing the establishment of California residence for tuition purposes is contained in the Standing Orders of The Regents of the University of California. The information provided here is a summation of the law governing residence and not a complete explanation. Read all the information contained here before making any assumptions about residence for tuition purposes.
Prospective and admitted students: If you are not sure you qualify as a California resident, read Criteria to Establish Residence for Tuition Purposes.
Continuing nonresident students: If you plan to be a resident in the future, read about How to Change Your Nonresident Status to Resident.
Tuition fees for nonresident students: Students who are not considered California residents must pay out-of-state tuition as well as UC and campus fees. See Registration Fees.
Incorrect classification: If you were incorrectly classified as a resident, you are subject to a nonresident classification and must pay all unpaid nonresident tuition fees. If you concealed information or furnished false information and were classified incorrectly as a result, you are also subject to University discipline. Resident students who become nonresidents must immediately notify the residence deputy.
Inquiries and appeals: Direct inquiries regarding residence requirements, determinations, and/ or recognized exceptions to the University of California, Merced, Residence Deputy, Registrar's Office, 5200 N. Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343. To appeal a decision, write to the Residence Specialist, Office of the General Counsel, University of California, 1111 Franklin Street, 8th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607-5200.
The student is responsible for submitting all relevant information, requested documentation, written explanations, and clarifications to support an in-state residency request by the deadline.
All relevant information, requested documentation, written explanations, and clarifications that you do not make available prior to deadline will not be considered or reviewed by the Residence Specialist if you chose to appeal the final determination.
Any student, following a final decision on residence classification by the residence deputy, may appeal in writing to the Residence Specialist within 30 calendar days of notification of the residence deputy's decision.
Criteria to Establish Residence for Tuition Purposes
Who is a California resident?
If you are an adult student (at least 18 years old), you can establish residence for tuition purposes in California if:
- You are a U.S. citizen
- You are a permanent resident or other immigrant, or
- You are a nonimmigrant who is not precluded from establishing a domicile in the United States. Nonimmigrants who are not precluded from establishing domicile in the U.S. include those who hold valid visas of the following types: A, E, G, H1, H4, I, K, L, O1, O3, R, or V
To establish residence for tuition purposes, you must satisfy 3 conditions:
1. Physical presence: You must be physically present in California for more than one year (366 days) immediately prior to the residence determination date of the term for which resident classification is requested. You must have come here with the intent to make California your home as opposed to coming to this state to go to school.
Physical presence within the state solely for educational purposes doesn't constitute the establishment of California residence, regardless of the length of your stay. Continuous physical presence isn't mandatory, but a student who leaves California after establishing residence must demonstrate that he/she intended to remain a California resident, and that his/her principal place of residence has been in California. It's the burden of the student to clearly demonstrate retention of California residence during periods of absence from the state.
The physical presence requirement will be extended until the student can demonstrate a concurrence of both physical presence and intent for one full year.
2. Intent to become a California resident: 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.
You must demonstrate your intention to make California your home by severing your residential ties with your former state of residence and establishing those ties with California. If these steps are delayed, the one-year duration period will be extended until you have demonstrated both presence and intent for one full year.
Indications of your intent to make California your permanent residence include:
- California driver's license or a California ID Card
- Voter registration card or affidavit from Registrar of Voters
- California-based bank accounts or CA branches based in other states
- California car registration and car insurance card
- Paying California income taxes as a resident, including taxes on income earned outside California
- Housing contracts, monthly rental agreements, lease or proof of property ownership
- Credit and memberships with California merchants, religious affiliations, clubs, gyms
- Proof of your belongings moved into California such as moving van, bill of lading
- Proof of utilities established in your name such as phone, gas, electric, and cable TV
- Designating California as your permanent address on all school, employment, and/or military record.
The absence of these indicia in other states during any period for which you claim residence can also serve as an indication of your intent. Your intent will be questioned if you return to your former state of residence when the university is not in session. Documentary evidence is required and all relevant indications will be considered in determining your classification.
3. Financial independence: Students under age 24 who didn't attend the university prior to fall 1993 and are not dependent on a California resident parent who meets the university's requirements for residence for tuition purposes (one year physical presence with intent to remain in the state), also must meet the university's financial independence requirement in addition to the 366-day physical presence and intent requirements.
Note: This requirement makes it extremely difficult for most undergraduates who do not have a parent living in California to qualify for classification as a resident at a UC campus. This includes transfer students from community colleges and other post-secondary schools in California.
You are considered financially independent if you meet all of the following criteria. You:
- Are unmarried, and
- Were not claimed as a dependent for tax purposes by either parent or any other individual for the current and two tax years immediately preceding the quarter for which classification as a resident is requested, and
- Can demonstrate self-sufficiency for the current and two preceding tax or calendar years.
- To verify financial independence (self-sufficiency/ self-support), the student must document his or her income and verify that he or she was not claimed as an exemption by parents or anyone else for the two years prior to the request for residence.
- The student is also required to present a budget showing how he or she is able to be supported by the funds claimed.
- Self-support is defined as money which can be officially documented that the student has earned through his or her own employment, commercial loans, financial aid, savings and/ or other loans obtained with the student's own credit, without a cosigner. Parent PLUS loans cannot be considered self-support.
- Loans or gifts from relatives, associates, or friends, regardless of the terms, are considered financial assistance and cannot be included as student income when determining self-support. Non-institutional loans or funds that are “gifted” to the student by a relative, associate, or friend, through a “college fund,” savings, trust, or other financial vehicle, will not be considered if the funds were established after the student’s 14th birthday.
- If the student's income is a trust account established prior to the student’s 14th birthday, the student must also verify that he or she has complete control of the trust, that the funds available at the time of origination were sufficient to allow the student to be entirely self-supporting, and that the trust has been in use to support the student. Copies of yearly beginning balances, withdrawals, deposits, and ending balances of the trust account(s) will be required. Non-verifiable income cannot be considered.
- Residing in California with an aunt, uncle, grandparent, or friend who provides the student with room and board cannot be considered self-support, even if that person meets the UC residence requirement. "Bartering" for free room and board or other services or necessities will be considered financial assistance.
The financial independence requirement will not be a factor in residence determination if you are a student who is financially dependent upon a California resident parent who meets the university's requirements for residence for tuition purposes (one year physical presence with intent to remain in the state). Financial independence will be implied for residence determination if you meet one of the following criteria. You:
- Have natural or adoptive parent(s), upon whom you are financially dependent, who meet the requirements for California residence for purposes of tuition and fees, or
- Are at least 24 years of age by Dec. 31 of the calendar year of the term for which classification is requested, or
- Are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, or
- Are a ward of the court or both parents are deceased, or
- Have a legal dependent other than a spouse or registered domestic partner, or
- Are a married student, or a registered domestic partner, or a graduate student or professional student, AND you were not claimed as an income tax deduction by any individual for the one tax year immediately preceding the term for which resident classification is requested, or
- Are a graduate or professional school student who was not claimed as an income tax deduction by either parent or any other individual for the tax year immediately preceding the term for which classification as a resident is requested, or
- Are a graduate or professional student who is employed at UC 49% or more time (or awarded the equivalent in university-administered funds, e.g., grants, stipends, fellowships) in the term for which resident classification is requested, or
- You reached the age of majority (18 years) in California while your parents were residents (for tuition purposes) of this state AND California resident parents leave the state to establish a residence elsewhere, AND you continue to reside in the state of California after the parents' departure. If you are an adult when you enter the state, you must live with the California-resident parent(s) for 366 days and you and parent(s) both must have established residence prior to the time the parents leave the state.
Residence Determination Dates
The residence determination date is the day instruction begins at the last of the University of California campuses to open for the semester.
To be considered a resident of California, you must establish your physical presence at least 366 days prior to the dates below:
- Fall 2009: August 25, 2009
- Spring 2010: January 19, 2010
- Fall 2010: August 24, 2010
- Spring 2011: Januare 18, 2011
There are no exceptions to determination dates.
Temporary Absences
If you are a nonresident student who is in the process of establishing a residence for tuition purposes and you return to your former home during non-instructional periods, your presence in the state will be presumed to be solely for educational purposes, and only convincing evidence to the contrary will rebut this presumption. (A student who is in the state solely for educational purposes will not be classified as a resident for tuition purposes regardless of the length of stay.)
If you are a student who has been classified as a resident for tuition purposes and you leave the state temporarily, your absence could result in the loss of your California residence. The burden will be on you (or your parents if you are a minor) to verify that you did nothing inconsistent with your claim of a continuing California residence during your absence.
Steps that you (or your parents) should take to retain a California residence include:
- Continue to claim California residence and address on all records such as educational, employment, or military.
- Retain your California voter's registration and absentee ballot.
- Maintain a California driver's license and car registration, or change them back within the time prescribed by law.
- Return to California during all your breaks, vacations, holidays, etc.
- Continue to satisfy California tax obligations. ( Note: if you are claiming California residence, you are liable for payment of income taxes on your total income from the date you establish residence in the state, including income earned in another state or country.)
Exemptions and Waivers from Nonresident Tutition
1. Members of Members of the U.S. Armed Force
- Member of the U.S. Armed Forces Stationed in California on Active Duty*
- An undergraduate student is entitled to a resident classification for as long as the student maintains the eligibility requirements.
- A graduate or professional student will be eligible for a resident classification for two years, by which time he or she must fulfill the UC residence requirements in order to maintain his or her residence status.
Students assigned for educational purposes to a state-supported institution of higher education are not eligible for this provision. You must provide the residence deputy on campus with a statement from your commanding officer or personnel officer stating that your assignment to active duty in California is not for educational purposes. The letter must include the dates of your assignment to the state.
- Former Member of the U.S. Armed Forces Stationed in California on Active Duty*
- An undergraduate or graduate student who is a former member of the Armed Forces of the United States stationed in California who was on active duty for more than one year immediately prior to being discharged from the Armed Forces may be eligible for a resident classification for the length of time he or she lives in this state after being discharged up to the minimum time necessary to become a resident (366 days).
2. Dependents of Members of the U.S. Armed Force
Dependent of Member of the U.S. Armed Forces Stationed in California on Active Duty*
- An undergraduate student who is the spouse, registered domestic partner, or dependent child of a member of the military is entitled to a resident classification for as long as the student maintains the eligibility requirements.
- A graduate or professional student who is the spouse, registered domestic partner, or dependent child of a member of the military will be eligible for a resident classification for one year, by which time he or she must fulfill the UC residence regulations in order to maintain his or her resident status.
Those who may qualify for an exemption from nonresident tuition and fees* (based on federal law: The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008): An undergraduate or graduate student who is a member of the Armed Forces of the United States on active duty for a period of more than 30 days and whose domicile or permanent duty station is in California, or the spouse, registered domestic partner, or dependent child of such member of the Armed Forces, is entitled to an exemption from nonresident tuition. Student must be continuously enrolled at the University, notwithstanding a subsequent change in the permanent duty station to a location outside of California. *As of the residence determination date for the term.
3. Child, spouse, or registered domestic partner of a faculty member
To the extent funds are available, if you are an unmarried dependent child under age 21, spouse, or registered domestic partner of a member of the University faculty who is a member of the Academic Senate, you may be eligible for a waiver of the nonresident tuition fee. Confirmation of the faculty member's membership on the Academic Senate must be secured each term this waiver is granted.
4. Child, spouse, or registered domestic partner of a University employee
You may be entitled to resident classification if you are a full-time University employee, or the unmarried dependent child, spouse, or registered domestic partner of a full-time University employee who is assigned to work outside of California (e.g., Los Alamos National Laboratory, UC Center in Washington, D.C.). A review will be conducted each term to verify continuation of the applicable status.
5. Child, spouse, or registered domestic partner of a deceased public law enforcement or fire suppression employee
You may be entitled to a waiver of the nonresident tuition fee if you are the child, spouse, or registered domestic partner of a deceased public law enforcement or fire suppression employee who was a California resident at the time of his or her death and who was killed in the course of fire suppression or law enforcement duties.
6. Dependent child of a California resident (divorced/ separated parents)
A student who has not been an adult resident of California for more than one year, and who is the dependent child of a California resident who has been a resident for more than one year immediately prior to the residence determination date, may be entitled to a waiver of the nonresident tuition until the student has lived in California for the minimum time necessary to become a resident so long as continuous attendance is maintained at an institution. (See also Residence Rules for Minors/ Guardians.)
7. Native American graduate of a Bureau of Indian Affairs high school
If you are a graduate of a California high school operated by the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, you may be eligible for an exemption from the nonresident fee.
8. Employee of a California public school district
Any person holding a valid credential authorizing service in the public schools of the state of California who is employed by a school district in a full-time certificate position may be eligible for a nonresident tuition waiver.
9. Student athlete in training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center
Any amateur student athlete in training at the United States Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista may be eligible for a waiver of nonresident tuition until he or she has lived in the state the minimum time necessary to become a resident.
10. Graduate of a California high school (AB540)
California Assembly Bill 540 (AB540) provides that students meeting certain requirements will qualify to pay in-state fees. To inquire about whether you qualify for this exemption, click here. To print and submit the AB 540 form to UC Merced's Residency Deputy, click here. Submitting the AB 540 does not mean automatic qualification. A Statement of Legal Residence must also be submitted.
11. Surviving dependent of a California resident killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack
A student who was a dependent of a California resident who was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon Building, or the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 may be eligible. (Eligible students must meet the financial need requirements for the Cal Grant A program.)
12. Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor
Any undergraduate student who is a recipient of a Congressional Medal of Honor or who is the child of a recipient may be eligible. The recipient must be a California resident and the student may not be older than 27, and must have an annual income that does not exceed the national poverty level. If the medal recipient was a parent who died, the parent must have been a California resident at the time of his or her death.
Residence Rules for Minors/ Guardians
General rules applying to minors:
- If you are an unmarried minor (under age 18), the residence of the parent(s) with whom you live is considered to be your residence. If you have a living parent, you cannot change your residence by your own act, by the appointment of a legal guardian, or by the relinquishment of your parent's right of control.
- If you lived with neither parent, your residence is that of the parent with whom you last lived. Unless you are a minor alien present in the U.S. under the terms of a nonimmigrant visa which precludes you from establishing domicile in the U.S., you may establish your own residence when your parents are deceased and a legal guardian has not been appointed. If you derive California residence from a parent, that parent must satisfy the one-year duration residence requirement.
Specific rules applying to minors:
Divorced/ separated parents: You may be able to derive California residence status from a California resident parent if you move to California to live with that parent on or before your 18th birthday. If you begin residing with your California parent after your 18th birthday, you will be treated like any other adult student coming to California to establish residence.
Parent of minor moves from California: You may be entitled to resident status if you are a minor U.S. citizen or eligible alien whose parent(s) was a resident of California who left the state within one year of the residence determination date if:
- You remained in California after your parent(s) departed
- You enroll in a California public postsecondary institution within one year of the departure of your parent(s) and
- Once enrolled, you maintain continuous attendance in that institution. Financial independence will not be required in this case.
Two-year care and control: You may be entitled to resident status if you are a U.S. citizen or eligible alien and you have lived continuously with an adult who is not your parent for at least two years prior to the residence determination date. The adult with whom you are living must have been responsible for your care and control for the entire two-year period and must have been residing in California during the one year immediately preceding the residence determination date.
Self-supporting minor: If you are a minor (under the age of 18 by the residence determination date) who is entirely self-supporting and have lived in California for more than one year immediately prior to the residence determination, you may be eligible for classification as a resident for tuition purposes.
Residence Information for Noncitizens
If you are not a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident alien, note the following information for:
Adult Aliens
An adult alien is classified as a California resident for tuition purposes if he or she has lived in California for more than one year immediately prior to the residence determination date, and during that time he or she has demonstrated the intent to remain permanently in California. Starting in fall 1993, students must also prove financial independence.
Resident status is not available to aliens whose presence in California is solely for educational purposes, or to those aliens who hold the following types of visas:
- B-1, B-2 Visitors for business or pleasure
- C Aliens in transit
- D-1, D-2 Alien crew member
- F-1, F-2 Academic students and their spouse and children
- H-2, H-3 Temporary workers and trainees and their spouse and children
- J-1, J-2 Exchange visitors and their spouse and children
- M-1, M-2 Nonacademic or vocational students and their spouse and children
- O-2 Alien accompanying and assisting an O-1; spouse and children of an O-1 or O-2
- P Internationally recognized athlete, artist or entertainer, and their spouse and children
- Q International cultural exchange program
- TN,TD NAFTA professionals and their spouse and children
Adult aliens who entered the United States with one of the above visa types who are in the process of adjusting their status to either permanent resident or to a nonimmigrant category other than one of the above shall not be precluded from establishing residence in California if, more than one year prior to the residence determination date, the adult alien has submitted an application for a change of status (he/she must remain on a current valid immigration visa status while waiting for a decision on his/her permanent residence application), and has received one of the following:
- An approved Petition to Classify Status of Alien Relative
- An approved preference petition
- An approved labor certification
- An approved application for an A, E, G, H-1 & H-4, I, K, L, O-1 & O-3, or R visa status
- An approved Request for Asylum in the U.S. (I-589)
Adult aliens who received their permanent resident status via the immigration lottery program may be eligible for resident status one year from the date that they are notified of their interview date, as long as they remained on a current valid immigration visa status for the year in question and fulfilled all the other residence requirements.
Minor Aliens
A minor alien can be classified as a California resident for tuition purposes if the parent with whom he/she lives has lived in California for more than one year immediately prior to the residence determination date, and during that time the parent with whom the minor lives has demonstrated the intent to remain permanently in California.
Resident status is not available to a minor alien if the parent with whom the minor resides holds one of the following types of visas:
- B-1, B-2 Visitors for business or pleasure
- C Aliens in transit
- D-1, D-2 Alien crew member
- F-1, F-2 Academic students and their spouse and children
- H-2, H-3 Temporary workers and trainees and their spouse and children
- J-1, J-2 Exchange visitors and their spouse and children
- M-1, M-2 Nonacademic or vocational students and their spouse and children
- O-2 Alien accompanying and assisting an O-1; spouse and children of an O-1 or O-2
- P Internationally recognized athlete, artist or entertainer, and their spouse and children
- Q International cultural exchange program
- TN,TD NAFTA professionals and their spouse and children
A minor whose custodial parent entered the United States with one of the visa types listed above may be eligible for residence if more than one year prior to the residence determination date, the minor's parent applied for a change of status to either permanent resident or to an eligible visa type for residence purposes (the student and the parent must remain on a current valid immigration visa status while waiting for a decision on his/her permanent residence application), and if the parent has received one of the following:
- An approved Petition to Classify Status of Alien Relative
- An approved preference petition
- An approved labor certification
- An approved application for an A, E, G, H-1 & H-4, I, K, L, O-1 & O-3, or R visa status
- An approved Request for Asylum in the U.S. (I-589)
California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities (AB 205)
AB 205 currently provides certain benefits in terms of fees, fee waivers, and exemptions based on domestic partnership rights. To see whether AB 205 applies to you, please view the information by clicking here.
How to Change Your Nonresident Status to Resident
1. At least a year before you start your first quarter of classes, begin the process of becoming a California resident.
Establish a physical presence by living in California for 366 days prior to the first day of instruction you wish to be a resident.
Establish your intent to become a California resident by changing your ties immediately from your previous residence to this state.
Meet one of the financial independence requirements.
2. Determine your eligibility.
You will not be eligible for a change of classification until:
- You are an adult over age 18 and a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or eligible visa holder, and
- You have established all your ties to California at least one year prior to your first quarter at UCSD, and
- You can meet one of the financial independence requirements, and
- As a continuing student, you are enrolled for the quarter in which you are seeking the change of classification
3. Decide which semester you will file your Change of Classification petition and documentation.
Note: Each semester has a specific filing period. Students are urged to apply early enough to avoid paying late registration fees and to apply as soon as the filing period begins. Students are responsible for payment of all fees by the applicable fee payment deadline. If a student is denied residence and appeals the campus decision, a response from the Residence Specialist takes six to eight weeks.
Fall Semester: January 1 - July 31
Spring Semester: August 1 - December 31
4. Complete the petition to change your classification to resident status.
- Print the Change of Classification petition (PDF).
- Complete all applicable information.
- Sign and date the bottom of the form.
5. Make copies of all 12 applicable documents and write an explanation for all missing or late dated documents.
Note: Attach a written statement as to the circumstances of any missing or late dated documents. Make copies of all documentation to keep for your records.
Verify your physical presence, intent, and financial independence for the past year by providing:
- California driver's license or a California ID card within 10 days. Contact DMV for all inquiries regarding 10 day requirement. Operating a vehicle in California which is not owned by you still requires you to obtain a California driver’s license and proof of California car insurance.
- Voter registration card or affidavit from Registrar of Voters.
- The following bank account information:
- A copy of the first month’s statement with a California bank or
- A statement showing when address was changed to California and
- Summer statements for the June, July, and August prior to the quarter you are applying to change your classification and
- If there are names on the account in addition to the student’s, then credit card statements which are only under the student’s name are required for those summer months.
- California car registration and car insurance card within 20 days. Contact DMV for all inquiries regarding 20 day requirement.
- Federal and all state tax returns for the past year or W2s only if you did not file in any state. Your residency will be questioned if, during the period you are claiming to be a California resident, you file a full-year resident tax return in another state or file a full-year nonresident California state tax return.
- Evidence of financial independence (you must meet one requirement). You:
- Are single undergraduate under age 24 and were not claimed as a dependent for tax purposes by either nonresident parent or any other individual for the current and 2 tax years immediately preceding the quarter for which you request classification as a resident and you can demonstrate self-sufficiency for the current and 2 preceding tax calendar years. (Single undergraduates under 24 must contact the residence deputy for the additional budget verification form and must include their parents' prior 2 tax years of state and federal tax returns), or
- Are financially dependent on a California resident parent who meets the University's requirements for residence for tuition purposes (1 year physical presence with intent to remain in the state); student would submit the 12 items for 1 parent and self, or
- Will be at least 24 years old by Dec. 31 of the calendar year for which classification as a resident is requested (student would submit copy of driver's license), or
- Are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, or
- Are a ward of the court or both parents are deceased, or
- Have a legal dependent(s), or
- Are a married student who was not claimed as an income tax deduction by either parent or any other individual for the tax year immediately preceding the term for which classification as a resident is requested, or
- Are a graduate or professional school student who was not claimed as an income tax deduction by either parent or any other individual for the tax year immediately preceding the term for which classification as a resident is requested (submit copies of parents' federal and state tax returns for the prior tax year), or
- Are a graduate or professional school student who is employed at the University of California 49 percent or more time (or awarded the equivalent in University-administered funds) during the quarter for which classification as a resident is requested (submit letter from graduate department stating as such), or
- Reached the age of majority (18) in California while your parents were residents of California, and they left the state to establish a residence elsewhere, and you continue to live in California after their departure
- Copy of summer pay stubs, employment verification, documentation to verify physical presence in California for the summer, or airline tickets, out of state research appointment, or paper trail of summer physical presence immediately prior to the change of classification request. Do not submit store receipts as proof of your physical presence.
Summer actions count! A student's actions during the entire year, including the summer, affect the determination made regarding residence status for tuition purposes. A student who is in California solely for educational purposes is not eligible for California residence for tuition purposes regardless of the length of his or her stay.
If a student returns to his or her former place of residence (outside California), he or she will be presumed to be in California solely for educational purposes and only strong evidence to the contrary will rebut this presumption.
A student seeking to establish California residence who accepts employment or conducts research outside of California will be questioned regarding his or her attempts to find employment and/ or conduct research within California. Leaving the state for a unique research opportunity or for special circumstances (such as a medical emergency) may not preclude the student from being classified as a resident, but the burden will be on the student to provide convincing evidence that leaving the state was not inconsistent with his or her claim of permanent residence. See Residence for Tuition Purposes: Temporary Absences.
- Copies of all your housing contracts, monthly rental agreements, lease or proof of property ownership for the past year, or verification in writing from property owner of housing agreement.
- Proof of credit and memberships with CA merchants, e.g. stores, supermarkets, video clubs, fitness clubs, public library, magazine subscriptions, and religious affiliations.
- Proof of your belongings moved into California such as a moving van bill of lading, U-Haul moving van receipts, etc.
- Proof of utilities in your name, e.g. phone, gas, electric, TV, cable, Internet, water, etc. Submit the first and the latest statements only.
- If you are a permanent resident through the INS, copy of your alien registration card.
6. Submit your petition and documentation during the dates posted in step 3, and wait for a response.
Note: The student is responsible for submitting all relevant information, requested documentation, written explanations, and clarifications to support an in-state residency request by the deadline. All relevant information, requested documentation, written explanations, and clarifications that you have not submitted prior to the deadline will not be considered or reviewed by the legal analysts if you chose to appeal the final determination. Any student, following a denied change of classification, may appeal in writing to the Residence Specialist within 30 calendar days of notification of the residence deputy's decision.
Deliver or mail your petition and documentation:
- Drop off:
Students First Center - Mail in:
Office of the Registrar
5200 N. Lake Road
Merced, Ca 95343
Wait for an e-mail response from the change of classification deputy within 7 business days.
