Possible to be a resident in Multiple States?

[Lshapley]

I am currently living, working part time and going to school in Pennsylvania. I have been here for two years and also spent the first 21 years of my life here (I'm 32...) I'm pretty near certain than I qualify as a PA state resident in regards to medical school.

However, for 8 years I lived in New York and I actually have been working there part time as well ever since I moved back to PA. I am wondering, is there any chance that I could apply to the NY state schools and as an in-state candidate as well as the PA schools? I did file state taxes in NY for eight years, and I was not a student there. Anyone other non-trads have any thoughts on this?

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[Law2Doc]

I am currently living, working part time and going to school in Pennsylvania. I have been here for two years and also spent the first 21 years of my life here (I'm 32...) I'm pretty near certain than I qualify as a PA state resident in regards to medical school.

However, for 8 years I lived in New York and I actually have been working there part time as well ever since I moved back to PA. I am wondering, is there any chance that I could apply to the NY state schools and as an in-state candidate as well as the PA schools? I did file state taxes in NY for eight years, and I was not a student there. Anyone other non-trads have any thoughts on this?

You only get to be resident of one state. AMCAS I believe asks you your state of residence. Subsequently, schools will have an application on which you need to provide the necessary nexus to the state to be a resident. Every state is different, but most will look at one or more of domicile address, drivers license, voter registration, tax forms, and the like. It should be noted that many states do not consider you a resident if you are only residing there which attending school. Every state's rules are different so be advised that you cannot rely on advice from folks not in your actual state.

 

[NonTradMed]

You will only be allowed to declare residency in one state. The AMCAS application does not allow for mutiple state declarations. I thought along the same lines of reasoning since I had moved and lived in two different states for so long, but there is little wiggle room when it comes to declaring residency in multiple states.

To see which state you qualify, check with the med school and ask. It sounds like you worked in PA for the last two years, so you should get PA residency pretty easily. If you want NY residency, call up their med schools and ask what they want as proof (if any....).

As long as you can prove that you have lived in a state for the past year for nonacademic reasons, most states will count you as an instater. FYI, there are some people, b/c of unusual circumstances (moving around alot etc) that may find themselves essentially 'stateless'.

 

[Law2Doc]

As long as you can prove that you have lived in a state for the past year for nonacademic reasons, most states will count you as an instater.

Careful with this advice - it is true for some states but not others. There are some states that require residents to have resided there for as long as 5 years before they qualify.

 

[mrs_lady]

Hi there. It's true what the above have said about AMCAS; however, it is possible to be considered a resident of two states for tuition purposes. Both California (because I've lived there for many years) and Wisconsin (because I went to high school there & both my parents still live there) will grant me in-state tuition if I end up going to a UC or either of the WI med schools, about which I am extremely grateful. However -- I have heard through the grapevine that, even if you can get in-state tuition, declaring another state on AMCAS makes them look at you askance for purposes of scholarships and other in-state perks. Each state has different rules, some explicit and some arbitrary. If you pester the financial aid office enough, they will hopefully provide some clarity, and if you have multiple state schools, call them all to double-check! Good luck!

 

[Law2Doc]

However -- I have heard through the grapevine that, even if you can get in-state tuition, declaring another state on AMCAS makes them look at you askance for purposes of scholarships and other in-state perks.

You are legally allowed only one state of residence even if you technically could qualify for two. Once you declare one, you are often SOL to try to get the other. So the selection on AMCAS can be pretty determinative, as can things like drivers license, voter registration, etc.

 

[mrs_lady]

You are legally allowed only one state of residence even if you technically could qualify for two. Once you declare one, you are often SOL to try to get the other. So the selection on AMCAS can be pretty determinative, as can things like drivers license, voter registration, etc.

True enough, I'm sure this is true in many places. I called the UC fin aid offices & they explicitly told me what you put down on AMCAS didn't affect your residency for tuition purposes, it's determined by a whole other system... but who knows, they might not be trustworthy either. !! And, come FAFSA time -- you REALLY have to pick one.