Stateless?

[aceegreene]

Hi everyone,

In sort of a conundrum here. So, I recently received my green card and am planning on moving to the USA this Spring and beginning a DIY post bacc at Harvard Extension School (HES). I have a foreign undergrad and a US masters.

Today I came across UMass Med School's in-state classification and they require 7 consecutive years of residence in the state to be eligible. In this case, when I move to Boston for HES and eventually apply for med school, I will not have the in-state advantage at any state school.

I really like HES based on people's reviews, its cheap cost and that it allows me to complete 60 credits in two years (I want 60 credits as a foreign undergrad to maximize the pool of schools I can apply to). And I have been following the school for a while and have been familiarizing myself with their coursework and processes.

Given this context, I wanted to know how much does being in-state matter and should I consider moving elsewhere despite all the time and effort I have put into researching schools and decided on HES as the best option? OR should I continue with HES and hope that it will work out for me as an OOS somewhere?

Thank you in advance for your advice!

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[ampersandwich]

Many states will not allow you to establish residency if you are only there for educational purposes, so you would remain "stateless" regardless of where you do your post-bacc unless you 1) work a full-time job in that state and pay state employment tax or, 2) marry someone who is already a resident. IMO, state residency is nothing to scoff at, especially if you move to a state with multiple public medical schools. HES is a reputable program but doesn't afford you any advantages for residency purposes and is in a HCOL area. If I were in your position, I would do a little more research to see if there were a cheaper program somewhere else.

 

[aceegreene]

Many states will not allow you to establish residency if you are only there for educational purposes, so you would remain "stateless" regardless of where you do your post-bacc unless you 1) work a full-time job in that state and pay state employment tax or, 2) marry someone who is already a resident. IMO, state residency is nothing to scoff at, especially if you move to a state with multiple public medical schools. HES is a reputable program but doesn't afford you any advantages for residency purposes and is in a HCOL area. If I were in your position, I would do a little more research to see if there were a cheaper program somewhere else.

Hmm, that does make sense, thank you! I just had a couple of followup questions:
1. Can I establish state residency while working a part time job? I ask because I could try doing a part time job with a full course load but a full-time job wouldn't be feasible.
2. My wife is already a US citizen but we have been living abroad. When we move (anywhere other than Massachusetts that is) and she fulfills the requirements to become a resident of the state we moved to, can I then claim resident status of the state through her?

Problem is that due to my nonresident status, even local 4 year universities (and even some CCs) are more expensive than HES for me. Add to that my wanting to take 60 credits over two years, a lot of the options become impractical.

 

[ampersandwich]

1. Unlikely, though it will vary by state. Most states require full-time employment to demonstrate that you're there for reasons other than school.
2. You can 100% claim state resident status through your wife as long as she is there for full-time employment. This will also be strongly state-dependent, but many states are OK with this. Certain states will require that your wife be a full-time employee of at least 1 year prior to gaining residency (and you be considered a resident along with her). Your best bet is to contact the residency office of various public universities to clarify their stance on spousal residency. I would lead with something along the lines of this: "My wife is a full-time employee in [State]. We are currently long-distance, but if I were to move, would I be considered a resident for tuition purposes?"

 

[deleted367183]

Look at New York. I'm on my phone, will find some residency sources later. Affordable postbac at the CUNY schools, lots of in-state schools accessible to the regular applicant.

 

[aceegreene]

1. Unlikely, though it will vary by state. Most states require full-time employment to demonstrate that you're there for reasons other than school.
2. You can 100% claim state resident status through your wife as long as she is there for full-time employment. This will also be strongly state-dependent, but many states are OK with this. Certain states will require that your wife be a full-time employee of at least 1 year prior to gaining residency (and you be considered a resident along with her). Your best bet is to contact the residency office of various public universities to clarify their stance on spousal residency. I would lead with something along the lines of this: "My wife is a full-time employee in [State]. We are currently long-distance, but if I were to move, would I be considered a resident for tuition purposes?"

Thank you ampersandwich, this is great advice and information! Will explore the residency via spouse option in more detail with the relevant state schools.

Look at New York. I'm on my phone, will find some residency sources later. Affordable postbac at the CUNY schools, lots of in-state schools accessible to the regular applicant.

Thank you for the advice. I previously did look at New York and the CUNY schools as an option, however, as a nonresident the tuition for even CUNY schools was quite high. IIRC, CCNY was charging $985 per credit for nonresident non-degree students (which I am guessing is what I will be). Please correct me if I am wrong though. Also look forward to you residency sources, thank you again!

 

[Goro]

Hi everyone,

In sort of a conundrum here. So, I recently received my green card and am planning on moving to the USA this Spring and beginning a DIY post bacc at Harvard Extension School (HES). I have a foreign undergrad and a US masters.

Today I came across UMass Med School's in-state classification and they require 7 consecutive years of residence in the state to be eligible. In this case, when I move to Boston for HES and eventually apply for med school, I will not have the in-state advantage at any state school.

I really like HES based on people's reviews, its cheap cost and that it allows me to complete 60 credits in two years (I want 60 credits as a foreign undergrad to maximize the pool of schools I can apply to). And I have been following the school for a while and have been familiarizing myself with their coursework and processes.

Given this context, I wanted to know how much does being in-state matter and should I consider moving elsewhere despite all the time and effort I have put into researching schools and decided on HES as the best option? OR should I continue with HES and hope that it will work out for me as an OOS somewhere?

Thank you in advance for your advice!

You're simply out of luck where U MA is, but you should still apply there