UPitt in-state residency

[ToothMonkey]

Does anyone know whether buying a house makes it possible to gain in-state residency after the first year and pay the corresponding in-state tuition rates at Pittsburgh (a la Temple)? I seem to recall Dawn Mathias mentioning something about that during the Financial Aid briefing, but I can't recall the specifics.

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[Dalto]

Hey Monkey ... I've been trying to find this out myself.

Pittsburgh's Guidelines for Determining the Eligibility for Reduced Tuition Rates can be found here:

http://www.bc.pitt.edu/students/tuitionguide.html

IMO, I would think that buying a house and paying taxes would definitely establish you as a PA resident

Let me know if you have found any better info

 

[ToothMonkey]

I've done a bit of research and while I haven't found anything concrete the odds of getting in-state tuition certainly don't look good. Apparently you have to prove that you (a) came to Pennsylvania for reasons other than just education or (b) intend to stay in PA after graduation. Both of those mitigating factors seem awfully difficult to demonstrate.

I did receive three Word documents from the University:

1. Guidelines for Determining the Eligibility for Reduced Tuition Rates (same as Dalto's link above)
2. Petition for Eligibility for Reduced Tuition Rates
3. Instructions for Completing Petition for Eligibility for Reduced Tuition Rates

I'd be happy to send them to anyone who's interested. Just PM me your email address.

 

[gradM.S.]

Hey guys! I'm in my transition from 1st year to 2nd year student at UPITT. Originally from California I am now a Pennsylvania resident (although in my heart I will always be a resident of California). I absolutely have no assets (no house, no car, etc) all I made sure I did was get my Pennsylvania drivers license and registered myself to vote, and I got my residency status. Now this is not as easy as it sounds. After 30 days upon being enrolled you have to fill out an application that has you answer several short essay questions ( I would tell you what they were but I honestly don't remember). I would have to say that 99% of everybody that turns in an application get rejected right off the bat. They then give you 30 days to appeal the committee's decision. Upon appeal you then have to appear in front of the appeals committee (which consist of 9 members) and state your reasoning for why they should grant you in state tuition. They ask you questions and depending on their mood and how genuine you come off they will either grant you in state or deny you. If they deny you I believe you can reapply each semester. If they grant you instate then you are set for the next four years. You save about 8000 a year. In my class quite a bit of people applied. I think ther were 6 of us who got it. I know of some people that were married, with their spouse working in Pittsburgh, owned property (condo or house) in Pittsburgh and got rejected. Some of the other single students got rejected. Myself and another single girl got residency, without owning anything. This process is clearly not an exact science. While I was at my appeal I met a girl that has been applying every semester for the past 4 years (she was in the undergrad though). All I remember is that the committee wants to know what are you reasons for staying in Pennsylvania upon graduation. I hope that helps! You guys are coming to a great school and a not so bad city (hey I am from California and nothing compares). If you have any other quesitons feel free to ask.