Residency

How do I qualify for residency?

Applicants younger than 19 years of age by the residence determination date (see below) must report parental information, as well as their own information, to verify California residence.

Applicants 19 years of age or older are eligible for resident status only if they have established and maintained permanent residence in California at least one year prior to the following dates and have satisfied the criteria listed below to verify their status:

Residency Determination Dates:

• September 20^th for Fall semester
• January 25^th for Spring semester
• June 1^st for Summer term

As a non-resident student, how do I qualify for resident status?

To be classified as a resident for tuition purposes, a student (or the parent if the student is a minor), must meet each of the following criterion one year immediately prior to the Residence Determination Date.

1. Legal Capacity. You must be 19 by the residency determination date to establish your own residency; otherwise your residency is based on that of the parent with whom you last lived. To establish residency a student must be either a U.S. citizen or must have a legal immigration status allowing the establishment of residency. Examples of such a status can include, but are not limited to:
1. permanent resident
2. refugee or asylee
3. temporary protected status
4. certain non-immigrant visas

If you are uncertain whether your immigration status allows the establishment of residency, please contact the Residence Specialist at es-residency@csulb.edu.

2. Physical Presence. The student must establish a physical presence in California more than one year immediately prior to the Residence Determination Date of the term for which classification as a resident is requested. Continuous physical presence is not mandatory, but a student who leaves California has the burden of clearly demonstrating their retention of California residence during periods of absence. Failure to do so will result in a determination of non-resident.
3. Residential Intent. The student must demonstrate through objective documentation that their physical presence was coupled with the intent to make California their permanent home. Evidence of intent must be in place one year immediately prior to the Residence Determination Date. Intent is an independent element of residence, and is demonstrated by establishing residential ties in California, and relinquishing ties to the former place of residence. Physical presence within California solely for educational purposes does not constitute establishment of California residence. Proofs of intent must be in place one year prior to the Residence Determination Date, and can include, but are not limited to:
1. Registering to vote and voting in California
2. Registering a motor vehicle owned or operated in California, whether or not you are the registered owner
3. Obtaining a California driver's license or ID card. The California ID card does not take the place of the driver’s license if you drive
4. Filing a resident or nonresident state personal income tax return
5. Ownership of residential property or continuous occupancy or renting of an apartment on a lease basis where your personal belongings are kept
6. Maintaining an active bank account with a bank with a California branch for the prior year
7. Licensing from the state for professional practice
8. Maintaining a permanent military address and home of record in California
9. Military leave and earning statements showing California as legal residence for the prior year
10. Maintaining active resident memberships in professional organizations
4. Financial Independence. This requirement does not apply to incoming students. However, financial independence is a requirement for students who entered CSULB as a nonresident student and wish to reclassify to California resident for tuition purposes in a subsequent term. In such cases, the campus must consider whether the student is financially dependent on non-resident parents as defined in the California Education Code, section 68044. A student shall be considered financially independent for purposes of this section if the applicant meets all of the following requirements:
1. Has not and will not be claimed as an exemption for state and federal tax purposes by his or her parent in the calendar year the reclassification application is made and in any of the three calendar years prior to the reclassification application
2. Has not and will not receive more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) per year in financial assistance from his or her parent in the calendar year the reclassification application is made and in any of the three calendar years prior to the reclassification application
3. Has not lived and will not live for more than six weeks in the home of his or her parent during the calendar year the reclassification application is made and in any of the three calendar years prior to the reclassification application

How do I get my resident status reclassified?

If you wish to have your resident status reclassified, please submit the Residence Reclassification Request form and the appropriate supporting documents.

• Continuing Students who wish to have their resident status reclassified, please submit the Residence Reclassification Request form and the appropriate supporting documents. Please note: Non-resident students will be responsible for non-resident tuition until reclassification is approved by Enrollment Services.
• If you are an incoming student and you believe your residence status has been incorrectly determined, contact the Residence Specialist at (562) 985-7333 or es-residency@csulb.edu.

How can I qualify for an exemption from non-resident tuition?

If you are a teacher, military service member, CSU staff member, or dependent child of a California resident you may be exempt from paying non-resident tuition. If you attended and graduated from a California high school, you may qualify for the exemption created by the new law, AB540. Those that hold non-immigrant visas are not eligible for the AB540 exemption. The form for this exemption (Student Affidavit for Exemption of Non-resident Tuition, SAENT) is available on our Forms and Publications page.

For further information about exemptions call (562) 985-7333 or send an email to es-residency@csulb.edu.

Where can I find more information?

Please see the University catalog to learn more about the determination of resident status. You may also contact the Residence Specialist at (562) 985-7333 or es-residency@csulb.edu.