FAQ

Because residency is complex and depends upon the ability of a student to document their situation, we will not make a residency determination without reviewing a completed residency application and documentation. We can provide suggestions about how a particular circumstance may affect your ability to meet the requirements for residency, but these should not be taken as a guarantee for or against being classified as a resident.

Please note that a person other than a custodial parent or legal guardian who claims the student as a dependent for income tax purposes is not considered the student's guardian solely due to that tax claim. Notarized letters, signed Affidavits, claims of guardianship under state of New York school code, guardianship documentation from foreign courts, and Power of Attorney paperwork are also insufficient to establish guardianship.

A student who is classified as out-of-state should submit a completed application for residency classification along with documentation to support the claim to the Office of Student Accounts. Completion of the application does not guarantee that a student will be classified as in-state for tuition purposes.

Residency Applications are made available on the Office of Student Account’s website. It is the student’s responsibility to determine documentation to appropriately support their case. Providing false information or withholding relevant information in order to obtain will result in revocation of eligibility and disciplinary action.  

Financially independent students using tax or W-2 forms to show income cannot redact financial information from these forms.

We highly discourage redacting transactions from any bank statements as it will raise questions with regard to financial independence and/or physical presence in the state.

Students under age 24, unless they are a graduate student, in the military, married, or have children are classified as unemancipated/dependent students and their domicile is based on their custodial parents' or legal guardians’ primary domicile.

If a student is age 24 and over, classified as a graduate student, in the military, married, or have children would be considered emancipated/independent students but must provide documentation showing they did not move to the State primarily for educational purposes (intent to remain in the state after attending school does not provide documentable proof). It is difficult to show that a move to the state of New York is incidental to attending the University if you move to the state and immediately apply to the University within a short period of time.

Self-support is defined as money you have earned through your own employment. A bank loan made to you with a custodial parent, legal guardian or other adult cosigning would not constitute self-support. In most cases, a gift to you from a custodial parent, legal guardian, grandparent, or other relative would not constitute self-support. 

Loans or gifts from relatives, associates, or friends, regardless of the terms, are considered financial assistance and cannot be included as student income when determining self-sufficiency; non-institutional loans or gifts made at or near the time the student is enrolled in an institution will also be considered financial assistance. “Bartering” for free room and board, or other services or necessities is considered financial assistance. A student who receives free room and board from a relative, associate, or friend is not deemed totally self-sufficient.

We do not expect you to work full time; however, if you wish to be considered a New York resident, you must show that you are financially independent (able to support yourself financially without the help of others). If you are not working or cannot show that your income supports your expenses, we assume that your primary purpose for living in New York is to attend school and you are receiving support from outside sources thereby making you an out-of-state student.

Moving into your room, renting an apartment prior to attending, moving into a relative's home, or any other place to live prior to the first day of school does not prove primary domicile required for in-state classification for tuition purposes and will not automatically provide in-state classification for tuition purposes.

It is possible for a dependent student to gain in-state classification while attending as a full-time student when their custodial parents' or legal guardians’ move to the state of New York permanently for purposes other than education. The student must submit the Residency Application along with documentation to support the students claim by the deadline for the semester in question in order to be reviewed for residency for that semester.

Having a lease/home agreement or property in the state of New York does not automatically classify you as a resident for tuition purposes. You are still responsible for proving you have established all other residency requirements.

Residency requirements for obtaining a driver's license and auto registration are different from residency requirements for tuition purposes. You are still responsible for proving you have established all other residency requirements.

Generally, unless a student has 12 months of continuous residence in the state prior to enrollment, the student is considered a non-resident. The 12-month minimum requirement cannot be met while attending an educational institution - the student is assumed to be in the state of New York for educational purposes.

Residency rules for tuition purposes are independent of other state rules or regulations governing residency for other purposes, including property tax liability, eligibility to vote, obtaining a driver license or registering a car. Therefore, obtaining these items does not guarantee a student would be eligible for in-state classification. Ultimately, an emancipated/independent student bears the burden of proof, by clear and convincing evidence, to overcome the presumption against acquisition of domicile while currently enrolled as a student.

Residency does not transcend institutions. Prior determination of a student’s domiciliary status by one institution is not conclusive or binding when subsequently considered by another institution. Receiving in-state classification at a community college or CUNY in the state of New York does not automatically grant in-state classification since community college and CUNY rules for being granted in-state classification can be different than 4-year SUNY institutions. 

documented evidence are taken into consideration when determining whether the preponderance of evidence supports New York State residency.

Through documented evidence, the student must prove that they moved to New York State for reasons other than attending an institution of higher learning and that they established a permanent residence in accordance with SUNY policy. Some students may never qualify as an in-state resident for tuition purposes, particularly if the student applies for admission to the University from another school and attends school full-time semester after semester. The burden of proof is on the student to present documented evidence that they moved to the state for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a bona fide domicile, instead of merely maintaining a temporary residence incident to enrollment at the University.