Residency

The Office of Admissions determines the residency for tuition purposes of all new and continuing students for tuition purposes. Residency status affects whether a student pays in-state or out-of-state tuition fees. Non-residents are required to pay out-of-state tuition rates which are significantly higher. For tuition information, visit the Student Financial Services & Cashier’s Office.

Residency status is determined based on the information provided in the student’s application for admission, and/or residency questionnaires and supporting documents. To be classified as a California resident for tuition purposes, a student (or the parent if the student is a minor*) must meet the requirements outlined in the “Determining Eligibility for California Residency” section below. Documents submitted must be dated one year and one day prior to the Residency Determination Date.

* The term “minor” is used to define applicants under the age of 19 by the Residency Determination Date. A minor’s residency status is determined based on the parent’s information.

Residency Determination Dates (RDD)

The residency determination date is the date that physical presence and supporting documents are evaluated against. To be classified a resident for tuition purposes, a student must show they have been a California resident for at least one year immediately prior to the Residence Determination Date.

An example of this is if a student is applying for the Fall of 2023 semester, which starts August 2023, the Residency Determination Date is 9/20/2022. The student must not only be physically present in California prior to 9/19/2022 but they also must submit documents proving intention of being a California resident and relinquish residency ties with the previous state.

Residency Determination Dates
	Semester	Date
	Fall	September 20 of the previous year
	Spring	January 25 of the previous year

Please note that students who fail to submit required documents by the published deadlines may be classified as a non-resident. Non-residents are charged non-resident tuition which is significantly higher than resident tuition.

It is the responsibility of the student to verify all fee balances prior to the start of the term. Out-of-state tuition will be charged if the student did not meet the residency or Non-Resident Tuition Exemption (AB 540) requirements. If a student paid out-of-state tuition in previous terms, the CSU is unable to grant retroactive requests or change residency status as evidence of California residency was not provided to the campus by the stated deadlines.

Determining Eligibility for California Residency

To establish residency, a student must be a U.S. citizen or must have an eligible immigration status, allowing the establishment of residency.

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 criteria one year immediately prior to the Residency Determination Date:

Physical Presence. The student must establish physical presence in California 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 showing their retention of California residence during periods of absence. Failure to do so will result in a residency determination of “non-resident”.
Residential Intent. The student must demonstrate through official 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. Documents supporting proof of intent must be in place one year prior to the Residence Determination Date.

When requested, a residence questionnaire must be filled out in addition to a minimum of three documents from the lists below.

A minimum of three documents is required from the following list:

California State Income Tax Return (student can be listed as a dependent on the tax return)
Ownership of residential property as a primary residence in California (must meet RDD)
Continuous occupancy of rented or leased property in California (must meet RDD)
Obtaining a California Driver’s License or Identification Card (must meet RDD)
Registering To Vote and Voting history (must meet RDD)
Registering a Motor Vehicle Operated in California (must meet RDD)
Permanent Military Address or Home of Record on Military Records
Receipt of California state services (e.g., unemployment, disability, CalFresh) (must meet RDD)
Payment of nonresident tuition at an out-of-state institution if attended within the past year
Federal Income Tax Return with a California address (student can be listed as a dependent on the tax return)
Utility bill (e.g., cell phone, gas, electrical) with the same California address (must meet RDD, and only one utility bill will be accepted)
Maintaining Active Resident Memberships in Professional Organizations (e.g., police union, teacher’s union) (must meet RDD)
Maintaining an Active Bank Account with a California address (must meet RDD)
Employment in California (e.g., verification of employment, W-2, pay stubs) (must meet RDD)
Vehicle insurance with a California address (student must be listed in the policy) (must meet RDD)
Selective Service Registration with a California address
Court documents (e.g., ward of the court, divorce decree, or child support)

If you are classified as a non-resident for tuition purposes due to missing documents and/or missing deadlines and would like to have your status reviewed, please observe the following steps:
- Submit a Residence Questionnaire along with supporting documentation to the Residency Specialist in the Office of Admissions.
- If you are eligible for the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption (AB 540), print and complete the AB 540 form and submit it to the Residency Specialist in the Office of Admissions. More information about AB 540 may be found at California Dream Act.
Please note: We will not consider AB 540 exemption requests until AFTER official high school transcript showing a graduation date is received.
- Once all documents have been reviewed, any change in residency status will be noted on the Student Center of your MyCSUEB. If it is determined that you still do not meet residency requirements after a thorough review of your documents or if more information is required, you will be notified by the Residency Specialist.
Financial Independence - Financial independence is a requirement for students who entered Cal State East Bay as a nonresident student and wish to be reclassified as a California resident for tuition purposes in a subsequent term. In such cases, the campus must consider whether the student is financially dependent on parents as defined in the California Education Code, section 68044. Students must provide documentation that proves their financial independence from their parents, both in the current year, and in the prior three years. 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 and will not live with parents for more than 6 weeks per calendar year in the current calendar year nor in any of the previous three calendar years.
Students classified as non-residents may appeal to the Chancellor’s Office within 30 calendar days of the notification of the final campus decision. The campus decision may be appealed only if at least one of the following applies:
1. The decision was based on:
  
  a significant error of fact;
  
  a significant procedural error; or
  
  an incorrect application of law which, if corrected, would require that the student be reclassified as a resident; and/or,
2. Significant new information, not previously known or available to the student, became available after the date of the campus decision classifying the student as a nonresident and based on the new information, the classification as a nonresident is incorrect.
Students must explain why the appeal meets one or more of the above appeal criteria and provide supporting documentation. For example, a “significant error of fact” could be demonstrated by stating that the campus incorrectly determined that a specific document, such as a driver’s license, was untimely and by providing a copy of the document establishing the error. An appeal that only states “a significant error of fact,” will be denied.

Appeals must be submitted through the CSU Residency website at www.calstate.edu/residency. Appeals via email, fax, and U.S. mail will not be accepted.