Original Classification
A student is classified as a resident or non-resident for tuition purposes at the time of admission to the university. The decision, made by the dean of enrollment management, is based upon information furnished by the student's application and other relevant information. No student, once having registered as an out-of-state student, is eligible for resident classification in the university unless he or she has been a bona fide resident of the state for at least a year immediately prior to registration for the term for which resident status is claimed. The requirement does not prejudice the right of a student admitted as a non-resident to be placed thereafter on resident basis provided he or she has established a bona fide permanent domicile within the state.
Change of Classification
For university purposes, a student does not establish a domicile in Pennsylvania until he or she has been here for at least one year primarily as a permanent resident and not merely as a student. A student is presumed not to be a resident if he or she has resided for a shorter period, but may rebut this presumption by clear and convincing evidence. If the student is enrolled for a full academic program as defined by the university, it will be presumed the student is in Pennsylvania for educational purposes, and the burden will be on the student to prove otherwise. In general, members of the armed forces and their dependents are normally granted in-state tuition rates during the period when they are on active duty within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Members of the armed forces who established a domicile in Pennsylvania immediately preceding entry into government service and who have continuously maintained Pennsylvania as a legal residence will be presumed to have a Pennsylvania domicile.
Subject to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the domicile of an unmarried minor, or of a student who is claimed as a dependent on the parent's (or legally appointed guardian's) federal income tax return, follows that of the parent or guardian.
Students receiving financial assistance dependent upon domicile in a state other than Pennsylvania are not domiciled in Pennsylvania.
To change residency status, students must fill out a "Residency Classification Data Collection Form" and additionally furnish convincing documentary evidence to support a claim of Pennsylvania domicile. Factors which will be considered in the determination of residence include but are not limited to: payment of state and federal taxes by student (if claiming financial emancipation) or supporting parent as Pennsylvania resident; the holding of a Pennsylvania driver's license; purchase or lease of a permanent independent residence; marriage to a Pennsylvania resident; automobile and other property registered in Pennsylvania; agreement for, or permanent full-time employment in Pennsylvania; and voter registration.
Residency Classification Data Collection Forms may be obtained from, and the completed document and supporting materials returned to, the Vice President for Finance and Administration in 218 Carrier Administration Building.
The Office of the Registrar shall automatically change a student's residency classification to non-resident if the student changes their permanent address to a non-Pennsylvania address. The student will be notified of this action and will be informed of their right to appeal. The appeal process is the same as described above for changing residency status.
