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Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
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i'm considering transferring to college in NC from VA. I'm looking at UNC- Charlotte and Winston-Salem University. What does NC consider in-state residency and how do i avoid paying that out-of-state tuition? A friend who attends UNC-Chapel Hill says screws you if you are out-of-state on tuition and the way to dodge it is to set up a NC p.o. box. Any truth to that?
Because we're a state-supported institution, we're required to determine whether or not each student is a legal resident of North Carolina. Because the laws governing residency can be tricky, and because residency applications are considered individually when a student applies for admission to the University, we offer the following as general guidelines.
Under North Carolina law, to qualify for in-state tuition for a given term for a given term you must prove that you established your domicile in North Carolina twelve months before the first day of classes for that term, and that you have maintained that domicile for at least twelve continuous months.
To prove that you've established a bona fide domicile in North Carolina, you must prove that you were physically present in the state, with the intent to make North Carolina your permanent home indefinitely, and that you were not in North Carolina solely to attend college. Because it's difficult to directly determine someone's intention to make North Carolina their home, we must evaluate actions taken that may indicate this "domiciliary intent." The following questions may be significant in helping us determine this intent:
Do you live in your parents' home?
Where are/were you employed?
Where did you register to vote?
Where did you vote?
Where have you served on jury duty?
What are your sources of financial support?
Where have you registered and/or licensed a car?
Where did you get your last driver's license?
Where do you own a home or other real estate?
Where do you keep your personal property?
Where do you list personal property for taxation?
Where did you file state income tax returns?
Where do you spend your vacation time?
Where did you last attend high school?
Where did you live before enrolling in an institution of higher education?
Where do you maintain memberships in professional associations, unions, and similar organizations?
We weigh all the evidence furnished in an application for residence status. The preponderance (or greater weight) of the evidence must support the establishment of North Carolina domicile twelve months before the beginning of the academic term (i.e., the first day of classes) for which you request the classification. If the evidence shows a cluster of significant events occurring at about the same time (within the same week, for example), we'll start counting from that point to determine if the twelve-month requirement has been met. If instead the evidence has gradually accumulated over time, we must decide at what point a preponderance of the evidence shows intent to establish North Carolina domicile, and that is the date on which the twelve-month period will begin. If this date is after the first day of classes for the term specified on the application, we'll be unable to render an in-state decision for the term in question.
There are definitely residency guidelines, and each college or university interprets them in different ways.
My little sister was just accepted to UNC-CH. On their application, they not only ask for your address, but your parents' address and their parents' addresses! They also want to know how long you have lived here and whether you have worked in NC. UNC-CH is particularly stringent with residency requirements, whereas another college or university may be more lenient.
But then again, NC is notorious for nickel-and-diming, so it may be best for you to actually move here for a year and then apply.
There are definitely residency guidelines, and each college or university interprets them in different ways.
My little sister was just accepted to UNC-CH. On their application, they not only ask for your address, but your parents' address and their parents' addresses! They also want to know how long you have lived here and whether you have worked in NC. UNC-CH is particularly stringent with residency requirements, whereas another college or university may be more lenient.
But then again, NC is notorious for nickel-and-diming, so it may be best for you to actually move here for a year and then apply.
But it's not just NC! This is pretty standard - 12 months residency- in all the places I know of - Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Louisiana, Alabama and I'm sure many other states.
I totally agree with everyone else. I am going to an in-state school in the fall and I was loaded with a bunch of questions. They'll find any way to weed you out as an out-of-state student if possible. By the time they determined I was in state, I had to answer all those questions that mm34b listed...I guess so many people are moving down here and they may try to find a way to pay in-state tuition.
seattlitefromnc's advice was best--just make the move, live here for a year, get your license/car insurance/license plate switched over ASAP, as well as your utilities, cell phone, all that stuff. They look at ALL of that for tuition purposes. Rent in your name if you can afford it. If you were to do all this today, you wouldn't be considered in-state until the 2008-09 school year starts.
And as far as schools in the Winston and Charlotte areas, the only way to pay what everyone else is paying is probably to go to a private school. Charlotte has Queens University and the Art Institute...one of my best friends went to the Art Institute and it is expensive....VERY expensive...I don't know if the University of Phoenix, ECPI, and Strayer charge based on in-state/out of state. You could also try Davidson or Wake Forest.
Or you could try CPCC or one of the other local community colleges. While you'd have to pay out-of-state tuition, the rates are more comparable to in-state public schools where you live, more than likely. If you're looking into nursing or health sciences, Carolinas College of Health Sciences doesn't distinguish between in-state/out of state either.
There are definitely residency guidelines, and each college or university interprets them in different ways.
My little sister was just accepted to UNC-CH. On their application, they not only ask for your address, but your parents' address and their parents' addresses! They also want to know how long you have lived here and whether you have worked in NC. UNC-CH is particularly stringent with residency requirements, whereas another college or university may be more lenient.
But then again, NC is notorious for nickel-and-diming, so it may be best for you to actually move here for a year and then apply.
How likely is it to get accepted if you take a year off from school to move and not have to pay the out of state tuition? It saves a lot of money but I guess it would be pointless if you can't even get in at that point.
ANY in-state place (in any state) is going to have rigid requirements, because people come up with every way in the book to trick the system, and they knwo most of the tricks.
You MUST live in NC for at least a year before you can even be considered for in-state tuition, but that does not necessarily mean you would be granted it then.
There is no way to avoid paying out-of-state tuition for at least the first year. You might consider taking a year off and working, then transferring. If so, be sure to get yourself as "entrenched" in the community as you can--join a church (if that's your thing), register to vote, absolutely switch your car and driver's license right away...even if you are not in fact planning to stay in NC after graduating, that is what they are looking for. NC taxpayers are basically subsidizing the education of in-state residents and they (we) want to be sure we aren't being "rooked" into subsidizing tuition of out-of-staters who have no plans to stay in NC once they graduate, essentially.
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