RESIDENCY

GENERAL RESIDENCY POLICY: Under the California Education Code, the general rule is that a student
1) must have been a legal California resident for at least one (1) year and one (1) day prior to the
start of the semester or term you are applying for to qualify as a resident student; 2) the student must
have demonstrated intent to establish California residency for a minimum of two years; 3) has not engaged
in conduct that is inconsistent with a claim for California residence; 4) is not prohibited by law from establishing
California residency.

RESIDENCY STATUS CAN ONLY BE CHANGED BY SUBMISSION OF A PETITION FOR RECLASSIFICATION
FROM NON-RESIDENT TO RESIDENT STATUS AND ALL REQUIRED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS. THE
BURDEN OF PROOF IS ON THE STUDENT.

THE PETITION FOR RECLASSIFICATION FROM NON-RESIDENT TO RESIDENT STATUS CAN BE
DOWNLOADED HERE OR OBTAINED FROM THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE DURING OFFICE HOURS.

STUDENTS WHO FAIL TO CLEAR RESIDENCY ISSUES PRIOR TO THE START OF THE SEMESTER WILL BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NONRESIDENT TUITIION FEES OR SUBJECT TO BEING DROPPED FROM ALL
COURSES IF FEES ARE NOT PAID.

As stated above, the burden of proof to demonstrate both physical presence in the state of California and intent to
establish permanent California residence (if your citizenship status does not preclude you from establishing
residence in the United States) is on the student.  This means you must provide:
?     Documentation of your legal status if you are not a United States citizen; and
?     Two (2) acceptable proofs of established California residency (see list below)
Students who are under 19 years of age cannot establish their own residency, they derive residency from their parent
or legal guardian. If a student is under 19 and classified as Out-of-Country, documentation of legal status (visa,
permanent resident card, notice of action, etc.) for the student and the parent must be presented. All documentation
must be for the same parent or guardian. If the student lives with a legal guardian, court guardianship documents
must also be submitted.

LISTED BELOW ARE ITEMS THAT MAY BE ATTACHED TO THE PETITION FOR RECLASSIFICATION FROM
NON-RESIDENT TO RESIDENT STATUS AS EVIDENCE OF PHYSICAL PRESENCE AND INTENT.  A STUDENT
MUST SUBMIT A MINIMUM OF TWO (2) ITEMS.

All documents submitted must be valid, legible, and dated at least one (1) year and one (1) day before the
term/semester start date and include NAME and A PHYSICAL CALIFORNIA ADDRESS - NO P.O. BOXES. With the
exception of the driver's license or California ID, documents CANNOT be older than 2 years prior to the start of the
term for which residency is being requested.
  1. California Driver's License/ ID or, California DMV Printout or, California car registration (current for all)
  2. California bank account statement (for the appropriate year)
  3. Voter's registration card
  4. Utility bill (DWP, gas, telephone, electric, cable, etc.) (for the appropriate time period)
  5. Apartment/home lease (one-year current) or, rental agreement (one-year current)
  6. California car insurance (for the appropriate year)
  7. California State Aid, Social Welfare, Court documents
  8. California health insurance
  9. California public library membership, if dated
10.  Paycheck stub or, employment earnings statement or, employment verification on company letterhead
11.  Military discharge papers (DD 214) or, Leave and Earnings statement indicating California as home of record
12.  Marriage license or divorce decree issued in California (for the appropriate time period)
13.  California (540) tax returns with California as the home address for the previous year (540NR Tax Return NOT
       acceptable)
14.  Union membership in a California Local
15.  Licenses or certificates issued by the state of California with issue date

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AB 540 STUDENTS

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Any student, other than a nonimmigrant alien, who meets all of the following requirements, shall be exempt from
paying nonresident tuition at the California Community Colleges, the University of California, and the California
State University (all public colleges and universities in California).

• Requirements:

       o The student must have attended a high school (public or private) in California for three or more years.

       o The student must have graduated from a California high school or attained the equivalent prior to the
          start of the term (for example, passing the GED or California High School Proficiency exam).

       o An alien student who is without lawful immigration status must file an affidavit with the college or university 
          stating that he or she has an application to legalize his or her immigration status, or will file an application 
          as soon as he or she is eligible to do so.

 • Students who are nonimmigrants [for example, those who hold F (student) visas, B (visitor) visas, etc.] are not
   eligible for this exemption.

 • The student must file an exemption request including a signed affidavit with the college that indicates the 
   student has met all applicable conditions described above. Student information obtained in this process is
   strictly confidential unless disclosure is required under law.

 • Students eligible for this exemption who are transferring to another California public college or university must
   submit a new request (and documentation if required) to each college under consideration.

 • Nonresident students meeting the criteria will be exempted from the payment of nonresident tuition, but they will
   not be classified as California residents. They continue to be “nonresidents.”

 • AB540 does not provide student financial aid eligibility for undocumented alien students. These students remain 
   ineligible for state and federal financial aid.

                                                                     PROCEDURES FOR REQUESTING THIS
                                                                EXEMPTION FROM NONRESIDENT TUITION

Print out the AB 540 form or obtain the form from the Admissions Office. Submit the form along with an
official high school transcript and a copy of your high school diploma to the Admissions Office.