Am I still a CA resident?

[nadiasp980]

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Hey friends, I know this has been asked a few times here and there but I just wanted a more updated answer that's specific to my situation. I lived in CA my entire life but I attended a private college out of state where I do not qualify in-state for. I'm currently living and working in said state, but my parents still live in CA and I still hold a CA driver's license and registered to vote in CA. Basically, I still consider CA to be my home state and really want to return for the next chapter of my life. It seems like I don't quite qualify for the CA residency requirement for UC's, but I'm a little unsure if that's just for tuition purposes or both admission and tuition. Do you guys think I can claim CA residency, even just for admission?

 

[drstranger]

Resdiency is diffrent for each state. How long have you been living and working not as a student in your current state? Also, you might still be considered CA resident but just so you know CA is one of the hardest states to get accepted to medical school

 

[SavoirFaire87]

How long have you lived in the other state?

If you have not been in CA for a while for work purposes, and if you did not pay CA taxes this past year, then you are not a CA resident.

You also would not qualify for in-state CA school admissions or in-state tuition.

If you want to become a CA resident, you must live in CA for over 365 consecutive days after you completed your college education.

 

[vinylradical]

I was in a similar situation and ended up calling a UC residency officer for advice (was thinking about working a gap year job in my college town). They told me the rule of thumb is that yes you should not remain OOS for reasons other than education. However, they said they do review each student's residency claim on a case-by-case basis and that they do their best to advocate for students who feel "in their hearts" that they are a CA resident (and help them file for appropriate exceptions). Things that help prove you are a CA resident by heart include: graduating from a CA high school, only being OOS for an exceptional opportunity (research fellowships, etc), having CA resident parents. I would recommend calling up the residency deputies at the schools you are planning on applying to and seeing if they feel the same about your situation. FWIW I ended up moving home to avoid any ambiguity as the job I had was not an "exceptional opportunity." But the impression I got was that they really try to work with you and aren't out to prove you wrong. The officer I spoke to was super nice and easygoing.

Also there is absolutely a distinction between admissions office residency classification and tuition purposes residency classification. The officer I spoke to told me point blank that admissions just takes your word for it. The harder part is proving residency for tuition purposes. I'm not sure if they've ever gone as far as to revoke an offer based on applying as an IS but being classified as OOS for tuition.