Is residency determined by date of application or enrollment?

Answered

Hi,

First, you have to look at the residency requirements for the particular college. Each college system within a State has different policies.

For instance, at the University of California system, an academic year is from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, even though the Fall Semester started September 23rd this year. And to qualify for state residency you and your parents have had to live in California for 366 days prior so from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020.

For a UC school for example, if you move to the State as a single adult without your family, this residency requirement is 2 years, so you will have to prove you are financially independent and have lived in the state from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2020, to have applied the last cycle.

In your scenario, I'm assuming you are a junior now next year June 2021 you will be a senior. So you will have established 1 year of residency in a state if they use the July 1 to June 30 fiscal calendar however if you are applying to a UC school you will not qualify because the residency requirement is 2 years for students who live without their parents in another state.

https://www.ucop.edu/residency/residency-requirements.html

(copied from UC bulletin)

1. Physical presence

You must be continuously physically present in California for more than one year (366 days) immediately prior to the residence determination date of the term for which you request resident status. If you moved to California primarily to attend the University of California, you are here for educational purposes and may not be eligible for a resident classification for purposes of tuition.

2. Intent to remain in California

You must establish your intent to make California your home one year prior to the residence determination date of the term for which you request resident status.

3. Financial independence

If you’re an unmarried undergraduate under the age of 24 and your parent(s) are not California residents, you must be able to verify financial independence for the two full years immediately preceding the term you wish to enroll. Graduate students are presumed to be financially independent unless they were claimed as a dependent on their parents' federal tax return for the most recent tax year.

4. Immigration status

You must have the legal ability to establish a permanent domicile in the United States, meaning that you must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or hold a valid, qualifying nonimmigrant visa.

Here is the CalState Residency policy and it's slightly different.

https://www2.calstate.edu/apply/california-residency-for-tuition-purposes/Pages/classification-determination-of-residency.aspx

Here is the SUNY Residency Policy

https://www.suny.edu/sunypp/documents.cfm?doc_id=402

Here is the Ohio State Residency Policy

https://registrar.osu.edu/Residency/

Here is the University of Georgia Policy

https://www.admissions.uga.edu/afford/ga-residency/

Here is the Minnesota State University policy

https://www.minnstate.edu/board/policy/202.html

It's not black and white and you have to do extensive research for the exact university school system you would be applying to because within a single state can exist differing policies, some may be workable with your plans, others not so much.

Best of luck with your college admissions journey.