In-State residency after first year of medical school for married students?

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MD-PhD-NonTrad

M2 MD/PhD, In Clerkships
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Looking at different OOS schools for tuition purposes, “You cannot establish residency simply by enrolling in school” is a common theme I am finding, indicating that an OOS resident will pay OOS tuition all four years because they are there just for school.

However, what about those with SOs and kids? If your spouse is employed and your kids are enrolled in school (thus making them residents after a year) could one argue that their primary purpose being in the state is their SOs employment/child in school? Would this make that student a resident after the first year (varying by state)?

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Looking at different OOS schools for tuition purposes, “You cannot establish residency simply by enrolling in school” is a common theme I am finding, indicating that an OOS resident will pay OOS tuition all four years because they are there just for school.

However, what about those with SOs and kids? If your spouse is employed and your kids are enrolled in school (thus making them residents after a year) could one argue that their primary purpose being in the state is their SOs employment/child in school? Would this make that student a resident after the first year (varying by state)?
Great question. I have never seen this asked or answered before. What you have found is correct -- if it wasn't, OOS tuition really wouldn't be a thing, because EVERYONE would be IS after one year.

In your case, are you there because you followed your spouse, or is your spouse there because they followed you? (I think we all know the answer! :)) I could see this going against you, because you were OOS when you started, and they want their money. On the other hand, I have seen states allow residence to be established by marrying a resident, but your spouse won't be a resident when you start school.

As you have noted, the issue is going to be whether the state allows changes midstream, which will vary by state. Maybe if you name the state someone here will know the answer.

The cleanest way to resolve this, if it's that important, is to lose a year and establish residence BEFORE you matriculate. Of course, this requires you to pick a state before you know where you are going to be accepted, which is kind of the point, as opposed to allowing us to game the system after we have our As. I wonder whether a school would allow you to defer for this reason? :) Remember, the idea is for IS tuition to be a taxpayer subsidized benefit for existing residents, not a free-for-all for anyone motivated enough to navigate the system.
 
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This is variable by state, but it is possible in many states to establish residency through marriage to a resident. Your spouse would still have to fulfill residency requirements (typically 12 months of FT employment within the state) so I wouldn't count on it immediately. Contact schools for specific instruction.
 
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This is variable by state, but it is possible in many states to establish residency through marriage to a resident. Your spouse would still have to fulfill residency requirements (typically 12 months of FT employment within the state) so I wouldn't count on it immediately. Contact schools for specific instruction.
This is mildly encouraging if laborious.

Time to copy-paste a very specific question that is predicated on admission into a specific institution a year from now and subsequent enrollment 2 years from now. They will hate me before they even know me.
 
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On the other hand there are a few state medical schools specifically say your initial matriculation residency status remains throughout your four years. Marriage/children wouldnt change your residency
I would expect THIS^^^^^ to be the case almost everywhere.

@2021-2022-NonTrad -- how many different states can we possibly be talking about here? Why not just reach out to a school in each of those states and see how they react? When I was doing something similar for UG (no spouse involved, but parents! :)), answers were all over the place, but, in general, they made it pretty difficult to change a status once established. Keep in mind, schools don't really care, because money they lose from IS tuition is made up by the state in most cases. It's the states that set the criteria, and schools have to follow it in order to get their reimbursements.

JMHO -- you are thinking outside the box in overtime, and I am pretty impressed. That said, the odds are high this is not going to be an issue for you. Getting any A at all is hard enough. Getting an A OOS at a public school is an order of magnitude more difficult.

If you end up being good enough to do it, you will probably have good IS options, or maybe even private options with scholarships. I'd shoot the question to the OOS publics you are considering (it's a waste to do more than one in each state, because the answer will be state specific, not school specific), but I wouldn't spend a lot of energy thinking about it until this time next year, when you'll have a better idea whether or not it's an issue.

Keep the following in mind -- there is less than a 40% chance you are even going to be successful, based on this year's numbers. Once you meet that hurdle, there is a 50% chance you'll have choices (i.e., more than one A). The odds that one of them is going to be an OOS public school is far less than that, given the relative disadvantage every OOS applicant is at at every public school. It's far from impossible, but it's also far from highly likely, so probably not worth sweating a year in advance.
 
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This is mildly encouraging if laborious.

Time to copy-paste a very specific question that is predicated on admission into a specific institution a year from now and subsequent enrollment 2 years from now. They will hate me before they even know me.
I was kidding about asking about a deferment in order to establish eligibility for IS tuition. I have never heard of any school using it for that purpose. If you are successful, you should definitely plan on enrolling next year, whether or not an OOS school allows you to become IS after one year based on your marital status and your spouse's employment status.

If you are serious about needing IS tuition, you need to pick a state and move there NOW for next year. I can't believe any school is going to hold a seat for you for a year for this reason after you have been admitted.
 
This is variable by state, but it is possible in many states to establish residency through marriage to a resident. Your spouse would still have to fulfill residency requirements (typically 12 months of FT employment within the state) so I wouldn't count on it immediately. Contact schools for specific instruction.
THIS^^^^^. Definitely. I have seen it where you can instantly become a resident if you marry someone who already meets the residency requirements before school starts, even if you get married the day before orientation. What's less clear is whether any school will allow you to become IS once school starts, or whether they will allow you to become IS after a year if you are married and your spouse works, when they wouldn't otherwise allow it, because you were a full time student during that year, and your spouse didn't meet the requirements when you matriculated.
 
I was kidding about asking about a deferment in order to establish eligibility for IS tuition. I have never heard of any school using it for that purpose. If you are successful, you should definitely plan on enrolling next year, whether or not an OOS school allows you to become IS after one year based on your marital status and your spouse's employment status.

If you are serious about needing IS tuition, you need to pick a state and move there NOW for next year. I can't believe any school is going to hold a seat for you for a year for this reason after you have been admitted.
That comment was for enrollment a year after matriculation not for deferment lol I don’t want to delay any longer.
 
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I would expect THIS^^^^^ to be the case almost everywhere.

@2021-2022-NonTrad -- how many different states can we possibly be talking about here? Why not just reach out to a school in each of those states and see how they react? When I was doing something similar for UG (no spouse involved, but parents! :)), answers were all over the place, but, in general, they made it pretty difficult to change a status once established. Keep in mind, schools don't really care, because money they lose from IS tuition is made up by the state in most cases. It's the states that set the criteria, and schools have to follow it in order to get their reimbursements.

JMHO -- you are thinking outside the box in overtime, and I am pretty impressed. That said, the odds are high this is not going to be an issue for you. Getting any A at all is hard enough. Getting an A OOS at a public school is an order of magnitude more difficult.

If you end up being good enough to do it, you will probably have good IS options, or maybe even private options with scholarships. I'd shoot the question to the OOS publics you are considering (it's a waste to do more than one in each state, because the answer will be state specific, not school specific), but I wouldn't spend a lot of energy thinking about it until this time next year, when you'll have a better idea whether or not it's an issue.

Keep the following in mind -- there is less than a 40% chance you are even going to be successful, based on this year's numbers. Once you meet that hurdle, there is a 50% chance you'll have choices (i.e., more than one A). The odds that one of them is going to be an OOS public school is far less than that, given the relative disadvantage every OOS applicant is at at every public school. It's far from impossible, but it's also far from highly likely, so probably not worth sweating a year in advance.
I really only want to apply to schools which I would actually attend. If the location is good but the COA is not, I will not be applying there. If I do end up not having a choice, I want it to be somewhere where that lack of choice is good. There are maybe 5 or 6 schools (such as Colorado and Hawaii) where I like the location but OOS tuition is just far too high.
 
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I really only want to apply to schools which I would actually attend. If the location is good but the COA is not, I will not be applying there. If I do end up not having a choice, I want it to be somewhere where that lack of choice is good. There are maybe 5 or 6 schools (such as Colorado and Hawaii) where I like the location but OOS tuition is just far too high.
We haven't yet talked about it because you haven't asked, but, have you taken into account the significant IS admissions boost public schools give? If you have the job flexibility, your best bet to kill both birds with one stone would be to establish residence in a good state in which you'd be happy before the cycle opens. That way, you'd significantly enhance your odds of admission AND eliminate the tuition question if you are successful.

No guarantees, but if you pick a good state with multiple good schools, this is the best move you can make right now to address this issue. Lots of reasons it might not be practical, but something to consider.
 
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This is mildly encouraging if laborious.

Time to copy-paste a very specific question that is predicated on admission into a specific institution a year from now and subsequent enrollment 2 years from now. They will hate me before they even know me.

Just wait until you're asked to prove residency. IIRC, for my application I had to get a new driver's license, change vehicle registration, register to vote in a new state, submit all addresses I had lived for past ten years, submit my spouse's addresses and voter registration, submit paystubs (indicating state withholding), and get everything notarized. All in all, the application was 50+ pages and cost a few hundred dollars.

It was worth it though. As soon as I submitted/was approved, I received "in-state" interview invites.
 
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If anyone wanted an update on this, University of Colorado stated That once you register for out-of-state tuition you will have out of state for all four years, regardless of your spouse or child being state residents. University of Hawaii told me to call them… Will update if I do call
 
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