State residency

[listener23]

Can you claim residency in more than one state?

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[allantois]

I guess it depends on the laws of each individual state. I know somebody who has both FL and NY residency because his one parent resides in FL and another in NY.

 

[listener23]

Doesnt the schools decide if your a resident

 

[Jepstein30]

Doesnt the schools decide if your a resident

look at that! you answered your very own question!

 

[NickNaylor]

Highly unlikely. And no, schools typically do not decide if you're a resident - states do. States typically have clear requirements on what makes you a resident. In cases of doubt, a school will likely defer to those requirements. I'm skeptical that the case @allenlchs is actually true; if your parents are divorced, one likely has primary custody (even if custody is shared), and that will likely be the parent used for determining custody. If your parents are divorced but for some reason live in separate states, then your residency will likely be determined by where you spend the majority of your time. But this is pretty unusual and is something you should research if that's your situation.

The best way to figure out what these requirements are is to Google "eligibility for residency in _____," where _____ is filled in with your state of interest. You'll probably find your answer in the first page of results.

 

[shiftingmirage]

I guess it depends on the laws of each individual state. I know somebody who has both FL and NY residency because his one parent resides in FL and another in NY.

That may work as a youth, but by the time people are applying to med school, they are over 18 and often over 20. By that age, where mom and dad live is irrelevant, it is where the applicant lives.*

*I know some states have weird rules...cough Illinois...where I was registered to vote in IL, had an IL ID. To be a resident of IL, one has to be in the state for 1 year for "non-educational purposes" and I came for college. So IL would say I am a citizen of Ohio since that's where I went to HS, but Ohio would say, dude you once voted and had an ID in OH, but the last three years it has been in IL, how are you a citizen of OH?

So there may be some states out there with odd rules that will allow you to claim dual residency, but in general, by the time you are applying to med school, residency should be solely based on where the applicant resides.

 

[listener23]

look at that! you answered your very own question!

thank god, I was born In another state but spent my whole life in another so I think at certain schools in my birth state I might qualify as a resident.

 

[Jepstein30]

Highly unlikely. And no, schools typically do not decide if you're a resident - states do. States typically have clear requirements on what makes you a resident. In cases of doubt, a school will likely defer to those requirements. I'm skeptical that the case @allenlchs is actually true; if your parents are divorced, one likely has primary custody (even if custody is shared), and that will likely be the parent used for determining custody. If your parents are divorced but for some reason live in separate states, then your residency will likely be determined by where you spend the majority of your time. But this is pretty unusual and is something you should research if that's your situation.

The best way to figure out what these requirements are is to Google "eligibility for residency in _____," where _____ is filled in with your state of interest. You'll probably find your answer in the first page of results.

Yes, states determine residency for official purposes. I figured he was asking about residency for med school purposes.

In relation to medical school admissions, schools usually have their own rules as to what determines whether a student will be considered an IS or OOS applicant. For most that's as simple as residency in that state (which you can only have one as you said) but other schools may be more lenient and just require owning property in the state, ties to the state, etc.

 

[kyamh]

thank god, I was born In another state but spent my whole life in another so I think at certain schools in my birth state I might qualify as a resident.

I sincerely doubt that being born in a state will qualify you for residency...the only real way to find out is the call the schools - in my experience school offices have been tremendously nice and helpful.

On the application you only list one state of residency.

 

[gyngyn]

AMCAS will only identify one state of residence.

 

[el_duderino]

thank god, I was born In another state but spent my whole life in another so I think at certain schools in my birth state I might qualify as a resident.

Nope.

 

[theSmurfette]

If your parents still claim you as a dependent on their tax return, you are still considered to be a resident of whatever state they reside in/claim to be a resident of. If you are no longer considered a dependent (they don't claim you on their taxes), but moved out of state for school, you are still considered a resident of your former state, as long as you are still enrolled in classes.

I've lived in many states and researched many others for their residency requirements. They all have different criteria. I would find their regulations on in-state vs. out-of-state tuition. That would give you the best idea on what state you are actually a resident of, according to the school.

 

[b05010445]

As someone who has moved specifically to change state residency for md apps, it depends on the state and the school and your dependency status. Some schools go by the state board of educations requirements for residency(like Ohio) then some (like Hawaii) make their own list of like 6 items and you must fulfill 4 or so.
Before I had my family move I contacted every school in every state we considered to get their details and what I would need to do. You need to call every school and ask- be prepared for them to tell you to call a dozen different offices to hunt down an answer.

 

[b05010445]

Also being born In a state DEFINITELY alone won't give you residency. But it may give you "strong ties" status, many schools (like West Virginia) reserve a designated number of seats for these students.