Questions Asked by California Schools to Determine Residency

[manticus]

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So I claimed CA as my state of residence on my AMCAS application but am going to school out of state and recently got married and became independent. My dad also moved out of Cali awhile back. I still have my California DL, Voter Reg, Pay CA income tax e.t.c but I primarily live and work where I go to school and only go to CA for a few weeks every year. I am worried I won't be considered in-state when it all comes down to it and am wasting time and money filling out secondaries and eventually going to interviews (hopefully) if I am really OOS but claimed IS. So my questions are:

1) At what point do CA medical schools ask you for residency information? I know UCSD is at time of interview, is that fairly regular with the other UC's?

2) What questions or information do they ask you to prove residency?

I would really appreciate any info from anybody who has been through this process before! Thanks!

 

[pietachok]

So, you're no longer a CA resident, but you think it's a good idea to apply as such after you've signed several documents attesting to the truthfulness of info in your application, & want to know when in the application process it's going to fall apart?

Sorry to be snarky, but your question sounds silly from the outside. I think you know the answer but emotionally don't want to accept it--I sympathize. I lost CA residency the year before I applied.

 

[linebacker57]

I think with the documentation you have, you are certainly justifiable in claiming California residency, whether that is due to ignorance or if you actually are a Ca resident will be at the discretion of the school. Here's the more important question, Why would you want Ca residency? I mean it is better than being stateless, but only by a little bit. The UC med system is incredibly impacted with well qualified applicants. Just to paint you a little picture, I am a CA resident and I just matriculated to a top 20 US MD school, and I didnt receive a single SECONDARY from any of the 5 UC's

 

[gyngyn]

So I claimed CA as my state of residence on my AMCAS application but am going to school out of state and recently got married and became independent. My dad also moved out of Cali awhile back. I still have my California DL, Voter Reg, Pay CA income tax e.t.c but I primarily live and work where I go to school and only go to CA for a few weeks every year. I am worried I won't be considered in-state when it all comes down to it and am wasting time and money filling out secondaries and eventually going to interviews (hopefully) if I am really OOS but claimed IS. So my questions are:

1) At what point do CA medical schools ask you for residency information? I know UCSD is at time of interview, is that fairly regular with the other UC's?

2) What questions or information do they ask you to prove residency?

I would really appreciate any info from anybody who has been through this process before! Thanks!

I must observe that CA residency is a handicap not a benefit. There are over 5000 instate applicants and only 849 were chosen last year for the first year positions. There is no other state with such a disproportionate share of qualified candidates who must leave the state (2/3 of applicants who get a first year position have to leave CA). If you can claim residence in any other state it is to your advantage to do so!

 

[Lucky Louie]

Technically, you'd be a CA resident only if you lived (or your parents lived if you are claiming to be a dependent) in the state for six months + 1 day. This could get dicey since your dad moved out for awhile. CA is one of those states that requires several years of "actual proof" (like utility bills, phone bills, income statements, etc.) to prove you reside there. If your dad's income was acquired OOS, then you might have problems. Just b/c you have a DL, voter's reg, etc, does not mean you live there now.

You should def. check this out, esp to avoid surprises later. Asking will not alert anyone. It's a common question.

 

[SpecterGT260]

So, you're no longer a CA resident, but you think it's a good idea to apply as such after you've signed several documents attesting to the truthfulness of info in your application, & want to know when in the application process it's going to fall apart?

Sorry to be snarky, but your question sounds silly from the outside. I think you know the answer but emotionally don't want to accept it--I sympathize. I lost CA residency the year before I applied.

As a student his residency wouldn't change. If he pays CA taxes his taxes are supporting CA med schools which is why they have in-state preference

 

[pietachok]

As a student his residency wouldn't change. If he pays CA taxes his taxes are supporting CA med schools which is why they have in-state preference

Maintaining permanent residence in your home state while you go away for school is a benefit that disappears when you turn 24 or get married according to CA rules.

It's unclear, but I'm assuming the OP meant 2011 taxes since it's pretty rare to work in California while living in a different state (although possibe). Unless it's changed since I applied, to claim residence here for AMCAS, you're supposed to use the location of residence & thus taxes during the application year (so 2012). You're allowed to temporarily leave the state for school/work, but you have to show intent to return by returning to the state between semesters/jobs...that's easy to claim when you have a parent here & you're a dependent. However, the state of CA won't consider you a dependent if you get married or turn 24. If you're married & don't live here definitively for enough days per year, they'll also consider the residence of your spouse. It gets pretty complicated. Mr. Pietachok & I have had to deal w this crap too often.

 

[SpecterGT260]

Maintaining permanent residence in your home state while you go away for school is a benefit that disappears when you turn 24 or get married according to CA rules.

It's unclear, but I'm assuming the OP meant 2011 taxes since it's pretty rare to work in California while living in a different state (although possibe). Unless it's changed since I applied, to claim residence here for AMCAS, you're supposed to use the location of residence & thus taxes during the application year (so 2012). You're allowed to temporarily leave the state for school/work, but you have to show intent to return by returning to the state between semesters/jobs...that's easy to claim when you have a parent here & you're a dependent. However, the state of CA won't consider you a dependent if you get married or turn 24. If you're married & don't live here definitively for enough days per year, they'll also consider the residence of your spouse. It gets pretty complicated. Mr. Pietachok & I have had to deal w this crap too often.

Effing California....

 

[manticus]

Thanks for the responses everyone, I kind of feel like I am S.O.L since I have already submitted by application and I don't think I can change anything at this point.

 

[wkj]

I currently attend a UC. My school determined CA residency after I was accepted, pre-orientation. I didn't have to submit any paperwork but the questions they asked me included which state issued my DL, where I filed taxes the past year, where my parents filed taxes the past year, and in which state did I spend the majority of my last three years.

Basically, my school re-evaluated before the beginning of the academic year to determine IS vs OOS tuition. A couple people in my class got the CA residence they applied with revoked (for various reasons) and are paying OOS tuition, but they'll qualify for IS tuition after their first year. They didn't get their acceptances revoked for claiming CA residency when they technically didn't qualify, though.

 

[manticus]

Good to know, thanks for the info!