UC admissions

[djipopo]

Question - I am applying to med school this summer, and I am moving to San Fran this month, will I be considered in-state by admissions committees, considering that I will have become a resident for at least one year by the time that school starts?

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[Popoy]

serendipity,

I don't think you can be a resident that quickly. I had a high school friend move to a different state before and he had to be physically in the state or at least declare residency months ahead.... He did this so that he doesn't have to pay out-of-state tuition fees.

Anyway, as far as I know.... NO you're still not considered in-state during your application process. After that one year, then you can be a resident of California.... I maybe be wrong but I'm pretty sure (no factual evidence - just anecdotal)

Anyone know exactly?

 

[Stinky T]

You would not be considered a California resident. If it were that easy, I imagine many pre-meds from CA would move to another state right before the application process began.

 

[Street Philosopher]

I think you need to live in California for at least 2 years...

 

[Popoy]

Wow, didn't think it was that long!!! Any factual evidence on this? Just wonderin'

 

[lilycat]

As you can see, the answer to your question is a resounding "no." You must have lived in California for more than one year prior to the residence determination date for the term in which you are seeking to enter (paraphrased from the UCSD website). Thus you will not be eligible to claim CA residency on your AMCAS for admissions. Below is the paragraph concerning residency taken directly from the UCSD SOM admissions website (http://medschool.ucsd.edu/Catalog/56.html)

"The laws governing the establishment of California residence for tuition purposes provide that residence can be established by adult citizens and by certain classes of adult aliens. Students seeking to be classified residents for tuition purposes upon admission must be able to provide evidence of having established residence in California for more than one year immediately preceding the residence determination date of the term for which such classification is sought, and must have relinquished any prior residence. PHYSICAL PRESENCE WITHIN THE STATE SOLELY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CALIFORNIA RESIDENCE FOR TUITION PURPOSES REGARDLESS OF THE LENGTH OF STAY IN CALIFORNIA. Financial independence will be included among the factors considered for students classified as nonresidents seeking reclassification as residents. For further clarification of residence requirements, contact the residence deputy at the Registrar's Office. The student is cautioned that this summation is not a complete explanation of the law regarding residence."

 

[Lis]

Mmm...I would actually call the admissions offices of some of the schools you're planning to apply to. If I understand your post correctly, you'll be living and presumably working in CA for over a year before starting medical school. So you WILL be a resident by the time you start and will be entitled to in-state tuition; the issue is being able to apply as a CA resident. I think this is a question for the schools.

 

[lilycat]

The way I read the original question was whether or not the applicant would be considered a resident by admissions committees for admission -- the answer to that would be no. Assuming you apply to UC's anyways, if you get into one, you can deal with the tuition question at that time.

 

[Emily1]

PLEASE READ...This is another great example of needing to take all advice on this board w/a big grain of salt, since I managed to get CA residency in considerably less than 2 years. I don't want to mislead you either, b/c it's a complicated system, but there are three things you should do RIGHT AWAY: 1. call the CA schools you are considering and ask them precisely what the rule is. I wouldn't exactly recommend giving your name at this point. I predict that you will find that the schools actually have different rules, and also that they will have a harder time answering you than you would think. I believe that UCSF had a cutoff the year I applied of June 15th, but again, check it. 2. As soon as you get to CA, register to vote, get a drivers license, open a bank account, get bills sent to your new address, and charge something on credit cards in a CA store. Keep all documentation in a very safe place. 3. Have a good reason that you moved to CA, i.e a job or something. Don't be saying, Oh, the cheaper tuition. That's not an impressive answer, though it may in fact be true.
Again, I don't want to mislead you, b/c it can be hard to prove residency, but don't give up just yet...see what info you can drag out of the schools first.

 

[Emily1]

Just curious what information you found out on this topic -- It's something I found very confusing when I applied, and would be interested to know what you ended up doing.

 

[djipopo]

i called ucsf and was told to do everything you said - establish residency ASAP. the only problem was that I arrived on June 21st and the cut-off date was June 15th. I asked if the school would be lenient about this, since it's less than a week after the cut-off, but she didn't sound very optimistic. i've moved anyway, but i need to check on the residency requirements for the state that i moved from, so that i don't shoot myself in the foot. i'll keep you posted, seren