Is it possible for an undergrad to establish TX residency for TMDSAS purposes?

[TXOWLCAVA]

I am currently finishing my senior year of high school and will be attending Rice University next year. I understand that 90% of public med school admits in Texas are from in-state residents, so being an in-state resident when applying to TX medical schools has obvious advantages. I really want to attend a TX med school because I want to live in TX after I graduate, so going to school in-state would greatly improve my regional alum network for work purposes after graduation.

I want to know how hard it is for a full time student to establish TX residency for TMDSAS purposes?

I have a lot of family in Houston and finding gainful employment will not be difficult. I already filed my taxes as independent. I have family in TX that is willing to transfer residential property into my name temporarily for this purpose. Even so, will I still be able to claim Texas residency? I have heard that non-resident full-time students are often denied residency even when all other criteria for establishing a domicile are met. Is this true?

I haven't even started college yet, but I understand that the process of gaining residency can be long, so I would rather start ASAP just in case. This is kind of stressing me out so I would love any advice 🙂

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[TXOWLCAVA]

Thanks gonnif for your reply! I did find that page earlier while I was researching the residency requirements, but I could not determine whether I would be able to convincingly establish a domicile while living on-campus at Rice. I feel that living on campus, at least for the first two years, is very important to the college experience, so I would prefer not to establish the domicile via this route. I understand that you must own and live at the residential property for it to be considered. I know that the employment route is an option, but I would need to work for at least 20 hours per week. I am completely fine with this, but I am not sure that it will convince the deciding party that I am eligible for residency status. A post I saw earlier on here stated that it was impossible for an undergrad to establish residency unless he/she graduated from a Texas high school. Does anyone know if this is true?

 

[TXOWLCAVA]

Will you be living off campus your last two years?

Yes. Will living off campus in my junior year give me enough time to establish a domicile in the eyes of Texas though? I am sorry I am not very knowledgeable about the subject. I have been searching the forums and cannot find a conclusive answer.

 

[TXOWLCAVA]

Thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-can-one-establish-texas-residency.9376/

Let me clear up one thing. Georgey was technically correct but left out one very important detail.

Not only must you live in Texas for 12 months prior and have a job, YOU CANNOT BE ATTENDING SCHOOL FULL TIME DURING THIS TIME PERIOD.

I've been attending college in TX for 5 years, and I'm an independent student with a job. However, I have been attending full time schooling every year so that means I'm not considered a TX resident.

Now, it turns out that these requirements are not state law. They are simply guidelines set down by the THECB (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board). The schools themselves are free to follow these guidelines or not. For admissions purposes, all of the schools follow them. However, for tuition purposes, several of these schools DO NOT follow the THECB guidelines.

For example, at UTMB and UTSW they will often give an out of stater who is admitted the same instate tuition as a TX resident, regardless of whether or not they have lived and worked in TX for 12 months prior to attending.

This was the comment that concerned me.

 

[Snakes]

A couple of things come to mind when glancing at your planning.

If you're not in college yet, how are you filing taxes as an independent?? Or are you a nontrad student?

I took a brief look at the comprehensive Texas residency questionnaire. I don't live in Texas and don't have any knowledge other than what I've read on these couple of websites. However, one of their lines of questions was how you came to be a Texas resident and what your "main purpose" is for being in Texas. Those are further broken down into "go to college" and "establish a home". Since the first precedes the latter, that may raise a question.
In addition, although you have filed taxes as an independent, who is supporting you? Do your parents provide more than half your support? Pay your tuition? Pay your dorm fees? There is another question in that form about whether your parents COULD claim you as a dependent even if they didn't, if they provide more than half your support. So these are the iffy things you are looking at. Most states say you cannot establish residency in the state your college is in if you move for undergrad.
If you are nontrad, older, and truly independent then these are less likely to be issues. An 18 year filing tax returns as an independent who still gets monthly checks from mom and dad for rent, groceries, and school fees isn't so believable.
A gap year after college in Texas with full-time employment would likely resolve all of these issues.

http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/index.cfm?ObjectID=6D1466D9-AEA5-DE00-C12F3F75E7367718

 

[DokterMom]

A couple of things come to mind when glancing at your planning.

If you're not in college yet, how are you filing taxes as an independent?? Or are you a nontrad student?

I took a brief look at the comprehensive Texas residency questionnaire. I don't live in Texas and don't have any knowledge other than what I've read on these couple of websites. However, one of their lines of questions was how you came to be a Texas resident and what your "main purpose" is for being in Texas. Those are further broken down into "go to college" and "establish a home". Since the first precedes the latter, that may raise a question.
In addition, although you have filed taxes as an independent, who is supporting you? Do your parents provide more than half your support? Pay your tuition? Pay your dorm fees? There is another question in that form about whether your parents COULD claim you as a dependent even if they didn't, if they provide more than half your support. So these are the iffy things you are looking at. Most states say you cannot establish residency in the state your college is in if you move for undergrad.
If you are nontrad, older, and truly independent then these are less likely to be issues. An 18 year filing tax returns as an independent who still gets monthly checks from mom and dad for rent, groceries, and school fees isn't so believable.
A gap year after college in Texas with full-time employment would likely resolve all of these issues.

http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/index.cfm?ObjectID=6D1466D9-AEA5-DE00-C12F3F75E7367718

Exactly. The intent is for your situation not to create residency, though you may be able to wiggle around it somehow. Gap year plans?

 

[Jagdev]

I am currently finishing my senior year of high school and will be attending Rice University next year. I understand that 90% of public med school admits in Texas are from in-state residents, so being an in-state resident when applying to TX medical schools has obvious advantages. I really want to attend a TX med school because I want to live in TX after I graduate, so going to school in-state would greatly improve my regional alum network for work purposes after graduation.

I want to know how hard it is for a full time student to establish TX residency for TMDSAS purposes?

I have a lot of family in Houston and finding gainful employment will not be difficult. I already filed my taxes as independent. I have family in TX that is willing to transfer residential property into my name temporarily for this purpose. Even so, will I still be able to claim Texas residency? I have heard that non-resident full-time students are often denied residency even when all other criteria for establishing a domicile are met. Is this true?

I haven't even started college yet, but I understand that the process of gaining residency can be long, so I would rather start ASAP just in case. This is kind of stressing me out so I would love any advice 🙂

Hi there, just wondering if you were able to get Texas residency and what steps did you take for it. Thanks!

 

[seanm028]

Hi there, just wondering if you were able to get Texas residency and what steps did you take for it. Thanks!

Texas Residency Overview

 

[candbgirl]

Hi there, just wondering if you were able to get Texas residency and what steps did you take for it. Thanks!

OP hasn’t posted in 5+ years. He didn’t even answer the last questions asked in the thread. So he might not respond.