Prospective graduate students, deemed financially independent, can move to another state and set themselves up for in-state tuition in most cases more easily than undergraduate students.
The savings on in-state tuition compared with out-of-state can be great, reducing the cost for paying for grad school.
Financial independence makes it easier for potential grad students to establish residency in another state, says Kathy Ruby, director of college finance at College Coach, who advises students and families on the college admissions process. “It’s easier because it’s in your control and has nothing to do with where your parents live.”
It takes around 12 months for a grad student to establish residency in state, but some states are more lenient.
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“It really depends on the state and their rules. There are states that are easier than others,” Ruby says.
Arkansas only requires a six-month domicile period, the length of time needed to claim legal residence, according to In-State Angels, a Boulder, Colorado-based consulting service for establishing in-state residency for college or grad students. Alaska is at the other end of the scale, requiring two years of residency.
During the domicile period, a prospective grad needs to cut ties with any other state, in-state residency experts say.
“Do things that you must do legally when you move to a new state like changing your driver’s license and voter’s registration,” says Kristy Butler, a tuition consultant and co-founder of In-State Angels.
Owning a home in the state or being employed in the state also help for proving permanent residency, experts say.
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Prospective students taking a gap year to set up residency should avoid taking any higher education classes — even online classes — while establishing their in-state status, Butler says. “You have to prove that you’re not there for school, so attendance is a factor.”
There are several ways a prospective grad student can receive in-state status.
— Petition the school for in-state status: Obtaining in-state tuition requires proof sometimes and filling out a formal document to prove in-state status.
Jake Rheude, a 25-year-old entrepreneur, earned in-state status for his MBA program at the University of Tennessee by filling out a petition as an undergraduate during his junior year at the university.
As a native of Cincinnati, Ohio with out-of-state status at UT, Rheude has always worked on startups such as Red Stag Fulfillment, which provides e-commerce support.
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“We were about to generate revenue, and that’s when I decided that I’m adding to the Tennessee economy and should be able to petition for in state,” Rheude says.
Each state and school differs in determining in-state status, and Tennessee doesn’t require a durational component for its residency requirements, experts say.
Rheude then submitted his petition to the school’s registrar office, which included letters justifying his residency, a copy of his Tennessee driver’s license and a state certificate for his business.
— Accept a waiver: Some public university graduate programs make it easier for out-of-staters to pay in-state tuition.
Mike Catania, 36, received a tuition waiver and stipend from Florida State University to study an advanced degree in music composition on the condition that he became a resident.
“It struck me as a lot of hoops to jump through at the time, but the first day of your second year, you were a resident of Florida,” Catania says.
Butler says there are different incentives different graduate programs offer, and tuition waivers are one of these enticements.
The University of Florida and University of Texas–Austin allow many out-of-state students to switch to in-state status for their second year of grad school, says spokesmen at each of these institutions.
— Research individual requirements: “Make sure you’re looking at the school within the school,” Ruby says. “It might be more difficult for a professional school than a graduate school.”
In most cases the domicile requirement might be one year, but it can differ based on the program, the College Coach adviser says.
The medical school at University of Massachusetts–Worcester, for instance, requires seven consecutive years of residency to qualify as in state for its program.
— Check if your state participates in a regional tuition exchange program: These programs allow residents to attend a school in another state without paying the out-of-state rate and are usually done through a regional program.
The New England Regional Student Program, for example, offers more than 700 undergraduate and graduate programs in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Prospective students can look at regional tuition discount programs on the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators website.
“There can be reciprocity at the graduate level — it depends on the program,” Ruby says. “Texas is in the Academic Common Market and they only participate at the graduate level, not the undergraduate level.” The Academic Common Market is the regional exchange program for the 15 states that participate in the Southern Regional Education Board.
Catania, who also used the Midwest Student Exchange to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison for his undergraduate studies , says, “There’s a huge way to save money through higher education through residency.”
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Get Set Up for In-State Tuition as a Grad Student originally appeared on usnews.com
