Strange question... where do I live?

[buccsmf1]

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Here is the situation...

My whole family is initially from Virginia, but we moved down to Florida when I started 3rd grade. About a month after I started college in florida they moved back to Virginia and I stayed in Florida. They have been living there ever since, almost 4 years now. I am still financially dependent on my dad and he claims me as a dependent on his taxes. I'm pretty sure I'm considered a florida resident (i have a drivers license and a voters card) but my dad thinks I'm a virginia resident b/c he claims me as a dependent and pays his taxes in Virginia.

I tried talking to advisors at my school but they were pretty unclear about it. Can anyone help?

 

[witness23]

if you are a dependent, then your residency is the same as of the person claiming you

 

[Mattabet]

It's possible you may be able to claim residency in both. From what you've said though, it sounds like Florida to me. When you go to determine residency, different states have different factors that they consider. You hit on most of them:

• Driver's License (FL)
• Voter Registration (FL)
• Where you pay taxes (FL, though if you don't make any money, it'll look like you belong in VA)
• Property you own (your family was in FL, moved to VA)

So in this case, you might be able to massage some rules and get a Virginia residency, but it looks like you make a stronger case as a Florida resident. Although, a friend of mine was able to essentially choose between Wisconsin and Ohio (his family had property and income in both, it came down to wherever he wanted to register to vote), so it may be possible for you to officially move your residency, if it so benefits you.

 

[buccsmf1]

if you are a dependent, then your residency is the same as of the person claiming you

So if I'm applying to schools... Am I an oos applicant for florida schools and an in-state applicant to virginia schools?

 

[cliffhuxtableDO]

You are a Florida resident.

 

[witness23]

It's possible you may be able to claim residency in both. From what you've said though, it sounds like Florida to me. When you go to determine residency, different states have different factors that they consider. You hit on most of them:

• Driver's License (FL)
• Voter Registration (FL)
• Where you pay taxes (FL, though if you don't make any money, it'll look like you belong in VA)
• Property you own (your family was in FL, moved to VA)

So in this case, you might be able to massage some rules and get a Virginia residency, but it looks like you make a stronger case as a Florida resident. Although, a friend of mine was able to essentially choose between Wisconsin and Ohio (his family had property and income in both, it came down to wherever he wanted to register to vote), so it may be possible for you to officially move your residency, if it so benefits you.

I think ^ is right. getting residency is pretty easy actually if you pull a few strings. its also actually not too hard to register for voting in multiple states (at least it wasn't in the election before this)... whether or not you get caught 😍 random smiley

 

[buccsmf1]

haha, 1 for florida, 1 for va, and 1 for both.

this is basically what happened when i went to my advisor. They couldn't come to a definite conclusion. Maybe it would be best to talk to the medical schools directly?

I would assume a state-supported medical school will only care where my dad pays taxes in order to determine residency.

 

[witness23]

oh my bad, i totally skipped the sentence about having a florida license. you have a stronger case for there.

 

[Arzt67]

You should check the law in each state. I was in a weird situation due to my family being displaced from katrina and my going to school in florida. I wasn't able to find any help either with my university's advising staff. You should be able to find the state law either through university webpages or through the state's education system page. After reviewing state laws, I found I was technically a resident of Mississippi (still suprises me), Louisiana, but not Florida (despite my living here full time for 4 years). Generally, its easist to prove residency for a state in which you can show a paper trail (driver's license, passport, etc) to make your case.

 

[Arzt67]

These might help:

Florida: http://www.admissions.ufl.edu/residency/

Virginia: http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/status.html

Since its state law, these are the same for medical school too. If you meet the qualifications for both, you might just have to pick one on AMCAS.

 

[buccsmf1]

These might help:

Florida: http://www.admissions.ufl.edu/residency/

Virginia: http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/status.html

Since its state law, these are the same for medical school too. If you meet the qualifications for both, you might just have to pick one on AMCAS.

From UVA

"A dependent student, defined in the statute as one who is claimed as a dependent by parents or legal guardians for income tax purposes or who receives substantial financial support from them, is presumed to have the same domicile as his or her parents. "

From UF

"With very few exceptions, a dependent student is considered to be a legal resident of the same state as the student's parents."

It would appear that I am considered a resident of Virginia. Thanks for the links!

But like others said maybe I can work this to my advantage. Use my dad's taxes as proof of residency to Virginia schools and my own paper trail (driver's license, voter card, vehicle registration) to claim residency for florida schools

 

[DrJD]

You are also a resident of Florida!

Given the state medical schools in both states it is MUCH more to your advantage to be considered a Florida resident. You started college there in Florida, and have presumably been paying in state tuition for four years. If you apply this year, you can very easily apply as a Florida resident. But once you apply as a Virginia resident, or move away you give up that chance. There are a lot of medical schools in Florida that will give you priority as a resident. So I'd suggest you apply as a Florida resident since that is where you are currently domiciled.

From UVA

"A dependent student, defined in the statute as one who is claimed as a dependent by parents or legal guardians for income tax purposes or who receives substantial financial support from them, is presumed to have the same domicile as his or her parents. "

From UF

"With very few exceptions, a dependent student is considered to be a legal resident of the same state as the student's parents."

It would appear that I am considered a resident of Virginia. Thanks for the links!

But like others said maybe I can work this to my advantage. Use my dad's taxes as proof of residency to Virginia schools and my own paper trail (driver's license, voter card, vehicle registration) to claim residency for florida schools

 

[buccsmf1]

You are also a resident of Florida!

Given the state medical schools in both states it is MUCH more to your advantage to be considered a Florida resident. You started college there in Florida, and have presumably been paying in state tuition for four years. If you apply this year, you can very easily apply as a Florida resident. But once you apply as a Virginia resident, or move away you give up that chance. There are a lot of medical schools in Florida that will give you priority as a resident. So I'd suggest you apply as a Florida resident since that is where you are currently domiciled.

yea, so I'm basically going to have to make a gamble. EVMS is at the top of my list but the florida schools come right after it. EVMS does accept around 50% oos while schools like FSU, USF, FIU accept practically none OOS, (ucf will probably be mostly in-state too once we get stats). But it seems like florida residency is the way to go.

thanks for the prompt responses guys!

 

[LizzyM]

You are a dependent student. Florida schools are not going to permit you to claim FL residency unless your parents are FL residents. Go with VA residency.

 

[buccsmf1]

You are a dependent student. Florida schools are not going to permit you to claim FL residency unless your parents are FL residents. Go with VA residency.

well the thing is that i've graduated from college and i'll be returning to my university as a non-degree seeking graduate student while I apply to med schools.... so i had to reapply to the school and be accepted, which I was. I told them my situation and they said I could continue with my florida residency.

So just a few months ago I was accepted to the graduate program and they allowed me to continue paying in-state tuition even though my dad doesn't live in florida. They said since I have a driver's license, etc. I could continue my residency. 😕

 

[Morrisac]

You are a VA resident for tuition purposes. Before UF even gives you a secondary the registrar's office will request a copy of your parents 2008 tax return. No taxes paid to Florida = no residency.

 

[LizzyM]

Hmmm... so your dad was a FL resident when you started college and you never asked to have your residency reviewed and so they have let you go merrily along claiming FL residency.

You run the risk of having your residency reviewed at your new school (if you don't matriculate at the same FL school where you are currently attending).

If you really want EVMC, you do have a case for claiming VA residency.

 

[Arzt67]

well the thing is that i've graduated from college and i'll be returning to my university as a non-degree seeking graduate student while I apply to med schools.... so i had to reapply to the school and be accepted, which I was. I told them my situation and they said I could continue with my florida residency.

So just a few months ago I was accepted to the graduate program and they allowed me to continue paying in-state tuition even though my dad doesn't live in florida. They said since I have a driver's license, etc. I could continue my residency. 😕

I think if you list your current/permanent address as in florida they won't think twice about it. With a dl, voter registration, and years of education in the state (particularly having graduated university here), I don't think they would decide against you. My case was much more convoluted than that and nobody from Louisiana (where I claimed residency) asked me anything.

 

[tiedyeddog]

I had to go through this crap when I switched residencies during my sophomore year. If you are a dependent then you are a resident of the state where your parents who claimed you lives.

 

[Arzt67]

I had to go through this crap when I switched residencies during my sophomore year. If you are a dependent then you are a resident of the state where your parents who claimed you lives.

That's oversimplifying this, especially for someone having already graduated and been deemed a resident at least twice. Residency laws can vary between states and have odd requirements.

 

[CanHasNaps]

For Florida, you are considered independent for purposes of residency if you are applying to any graduate program and have lived in the state for more than 12 months. There is no state income tax in Florida, FYI, and the only reason why the universities here want your parent's tax info is to distribute need-based financial aid.

 

[WaterBird]

From UVA

"A dependent student, defined in the statute as one who is claimed as a dependent by parents or legal guardians for income tax purposes or who receives substantial financial support from them, is presumed to have the same domicile as his or her parents. "

From UF

"With very few exceptions, a dependent student is considered to be a legal resident of the same state as the student's parents."

It would appear that I am considered a resident of Virginia. Thanks for the links!

But like others said maybe I can work this to my advantage. Use my dad's taxes as proof of residency to Virginia schools and my own paper trail (driver's license, voter card, vehicle registration) to claim residency for florida schools

It looks like you are close to having the paper trail for both. You still have to choose only one state for AMCAS, and it sounds like you want to use Virginia.

Florida won't consider you IS technically, but they may note your ties to the state, and you might want to highlight that somewhere on their applications. Whether or not they consider you in-state for tuition is probably school by school, and you might have to call to find out, since your situation is a little complicated. While you are a graduate student, will you be earning any money in Florida? Earning money and paying taxes on it makes a state more likely to be willing to claim you later on.

 

[tiedyeddog]

For Florida, you are considered independent for purposes of residency if you are applying to any graduate program and have lived in the state for more than 12 months. There is no state income tax in Florida, FYI, and the only reason why the universities here want your parent's tax info is to distribute need-based financial aid.

Well, it seems Florida has different laws about it then Ohio does.... Ohio's residency laws are strict.

 

[CanHasNaps]

Well, it seems Florida has different laws about it then Ohio does.... Ohio's residency laws are strict.

Residency for in-state tuition is easy to get in Florida. Even our OOS students are allowed to switch to in-state after 1 year.

 

[CanHasNaps]

Florida won't consider you IS technically, but they may note your ties to the state, and you might want to highlight that somewhere on their applications. Whether or not they consider you in-state for tuition is probably school by school, and you might have to call to find out, since your situation is a little complicated. While you are a graduate student, will you be earning any money in Florida? Earning money and paying taxes on it makes a state more likely to be willing to claim you later on.

Florida probably will consider him in-state. We don't have a state income tax, and the rules for establishing residency for tuition purposes differ for undergrad and graduate education. It's much more lenient for grad school. I do live in Florida and have actually filled out the paperwork...

 

[futureboy]

I think ^ is right. getting residency is pretty easy actually if you pull a few strings. its also actually not too hard to register for voting in multiple states (at least it wasn't in the election before this)... whether or not you get caught 😍 random smiley

Bad idea, unless you want to be a convicted felon. Election fraud is a felony in Ohio, and presumably in many/most other states as well.

 

[mvenus929]

You are a dependent student. Florida schools are not going to permit you to claim FL residency unless your parents are FL residents. Go with VA residency.

It's a little more complicated than that in some cases. When I started undergrad, my mom was in the military. I had graduated from high school in South Carolina, had a SC driver's license, and my vehicle was registered in SC, but my mom paid CO state taxes. I moved back to CO for my undergrad, and they denied me in-state residency until my mom jumped through some hoops and registered our car in CO again.

And I was worried two cycles ago that if U of Colorado accepted me, I wouldn't be considered an in-state resident, because I didn't switch my driver's license to CO (I would have had to get a new one when I turned 21, so I waited until I was 21 to go get my license... which would have been after my matriculation), and graduate students aren't considered dependents. Of course, since I didn't get accepted, it turned into a non-issue.