Rules and Regulations For Establishing Residency

The law governing residence for tuition purposes at the California State University is California Education Code sections 68000-68090, 68120-68134, and 89705-89707.5, and California Code of Regulations, Title 5, sections 41900-41916. This material can be viewed on the Internet by accessing the Legal Resources on California State University's website.

Residency status may be re-determined after any absence from the university.

Education Code section 68044 mandates that any student who has been claimed as a dependent on anyone’s income tax return within the past 3 years, who has accepted more than $750 in financial support in any form, or lived with a parent during the past 3 years shall not be considered financially independent. Therefore, this student cannot meet the core requirement of demonstrating financial independence necessary to qualify for reclassification from nonresident to resident. All students under 24 years of age are required to provide their parents IRS transcript (form 4506-T) from the past 3 years.

Students incorrectly classified as residents or incorrectly granted an exception from nonresident tuition are subject to reclassification as nonresidents and payment of nonresident tuition in arrears. If incorrect classification results from false or concealed facts, the student is subject to discipline pursuant to Section 41301 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations.

Not all circumstances can be addressed in this brief summary. If you wish to discuss your particular situation, contact the Residency Specialist at the university you plan to attend.