Will I be considered a resident? (Seattle, Bellevue: loans, house, transfer to)

[Politico]

My husband and I are both 30 years old and we currently live in Phoenix. A few months ago, I had decided I would go back to school in 2009 for an undergrad degree. My original plan was to attend Arizona State University, which is here in town. However, after some deep thought over the past couple months, we've decided that we'd like to move to a different state, due to a bunch of reasons (we can no longer stand the heat here, too many illegal aliens, too dangerous, boredom, etc).

So, we're selling our house and due to the location, climate, culture, economy, etc, we've decided that we'd like to relocate to Seattle. My hubby is in the process of finding a job there. Since I'll no longer be living in Phoenix, and thus won't be attending ASU as originally planned, I'm hoping to attend Seattle Community College for a couple years, then transfer to UW.

We're not moving to Seattle for the school...my going back to school is just randomly going to coincide with our relocation to Seattle. We're moving to improve our quality of life and our marriage, and so that we can live in a place we enjoy. It just so happens that I'll be starting school there a few months after we move, but it's certainly not the main reason we're moving to Seattle. I plan to go to school full-time, and I won't be working more than 15 or so hours a week until I graduate. My hubby'll be the breadwinner for a few years, so I can focus on my studies.

I understand that in order to prove that a full-time student is a resident of Washington (after 12 months of living there), and did not just move there to attend school, she must work at least 30 hours per week.

My question:

Since I'll be a full-time student, but I won't be working the required 30 hours a week, will I not be considered a resident for tuition purposes after living in Seattle for 12 months, even though I'm not supported by out of state parents, and my husband and I are moving to Seattle for reasons other than my school? Since I'm not a typical 18 year old college freshman who's moving to a new state specifically to go to school there, will I be considered a resident for tuition purposes after 12 months, even if my husband is doing the working, and not me?

[allforcats]

Your most accurate source of information would be the school you want to attend. If I were you, I would contact the Administration Office of that school and ask them. Random opinions from anonymous strangers are often not reliable, as they are not the source.

[Politico]

Originally Posted by allforcats

Your most accurate source of information would be the school you want to attend. If I were you, I would contact the Administration Office of that school and ask them. Random opinions from anonymous strangers are often not reliable, as they are not the source.

Yes, I realize that, and I'm planning to do so. It just so happens that in the past few minutes, I read a post on this forum regarding residency for tuition purposes, and it spurred my question. I just thought I'd see if anyone else had been in a similar situation or knew the answer, since I quite obviously cannot call the school at this late hour.

[bigtrees]

First of all, congrats for going back to school. You've made a wise decision.

As far as in state tuition, the Revised Code of Washington and Washington Administrative Code spell out the requirements for qualifying for in state tuition. You can read them here http://www.washington.edu/students/reg/newDomicile.htm.

By the way, if costs are a concern, you will want to note that our schools are on the quarter system rather than the semester system, so you have to pay for three classes a year here compared to two at ASU. Each of my classes at Bellevue Community College cost around $400 (in state), so you are looking at $3600/year for in state tuition. Remember that's community college, not University where it's even more expensive. (About $2000/class for my graduate classes. It's be $18k a year if I did three classes a quarter). Arizona has one of the cheapest college systems in the country and you may find out of state there is as expensive as in state here....

[obsidian97]

Originally Posted by Politico

My husband and I are both 30 years old and we currently live in Phoenix. A few months ago, I had decided I would go back to school in 2009 for an undergrad degree. My original plan was to attend Arizona State University, which is here in town. However, after some deep thought over the past couple months, we've decided that we'd like to move to a different state, due to a bunch of reasons (we can no longer stand the heat here, too many illegal aliens, too dangerous, boredom, etc).

So, we're selling our house and due to the location, climate, culture, economy, etc, we've decided that we'd like to relocate to Seattle. My hubby is in the process of finding a job there. Since I'll no longer be living in Phoenix, and thus won't be attending ASU as originally planned, I'm hoping to attend Seattle Community College for a couple years, then transfer to UW.

We're not moving to Seattle for the school...my going back to school is just randomly going to coincide with our relocation to Seattle. We're moving to improve our quality of life and our marriage, and so that we can live in a place we enjoy. It just so happens that I'll be starting school there a few months after we move, but it's certainly not the main reason we're moving to Seattle. I plan to go to school full-time, and I won't be working more than 15 or so hours a week until I graduate. My hubby'll be the breadwinner for a few years, so I can focus on my studies.

I understand that in order to prove that a full-time student is a resident of Washington (after 12 months of living there), and did not just move there to attend school, she must work at least 30 hours per week.

My question:

Since I'll be a full-time student, but I won't be working the required 30 hours a week, will I not be considered a resident for tuition purposes after living in Seattle for 12 months, even though I'm not supported by out of state parents, and my husband and I are moving to Seattle for reasons other than my school? Since I'm not a typical 18 year old college freshman who's moving to a new state specifically to go to school there, will I be considered a resident for tuition purposes after 12 months, even if my husband is doing the working, and not me?

Since you're married, I think the schools would consider you a resident after having established a permanent residence in the state for a year. I have never heard of a state requiring you to work for a year before you're considered a resident for tuition (but it never hurts to check first).

A friend of mine had a roommate in college that was a non-resident student in Colorado at the beginning of his college term, and through basic laziness never bothered to tell the school he had become a resident (for about four years). He wound up owing about $100K extra on his college loans as a result. He just never filled out the paperwork.

I think you should probably lose your degree for doing something that incredibly dumb.

[akck]

In my reading of the resident/non-resident determination, your domicile would qualify as not being for educational purposes since your husband has relocated for work. You being married severs potential financial ties to your parents (can't be claimed as a dependent on tax forms). I suggest the first thing you do once you get a place to live is get a Washington drivers license. This is a biggie for starting the 12 month clock on gaining residency.

Now, how does someone from Alaska know something about Washington residency? I had two sons who went to school there, so we've checked the requirements out. Also, when you're looking for a community college, check out their individual residency requirements. For example, Bellingham Technical College offers resident tuition to residents of North America. Some also offer breaks after you've attended a quarter.