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Rules and Regulations for determining residence status are set by the Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board. THECB residency information can be
found at CollegeforTexans.com.
Residency Regulations can also be found in
Appendix A of the University of Texas at Austin General Information Catalog.
Q. How do I establish residency?
A. One must be an independent (not claimed as a dependent
for income tax purposes), US citizen or permanent resident, (have
a green card, also known as card I-551 or the evidence of I-551
stamp in the passport) or international student who is eligible
to establish a domicile in Texas and live in the state of Texas
for 12 consecutive months and establish a domicile in Texas prior
to enrollment.
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Q. How do I establish a domicile in
Texas?
A. A domicile in Texas is presumed if, at least 12 months
prior to the census date of the semester in which he or she is to
enroll, at least one of the following applies: 1) the person owns
real property in Texas, 2) the person owns a business in Texas,
3) the person is married to someone who has established a domicile
in Texas, 4) the person has had gainful employment other than work-study
and other such student employment in Texas.
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Q. If I am temporarily absent from Texas,
will I lose my status as a Texas resident?
A. The temporary absence of a person or a dependent’s
parent from the state for the purpose of service in the U.S. Armed
Forces, Public Health Service, Department of Defense, U.S. Department
of State, as a result of an employment assignment, or for educational
purposes, shall not affect a person’s ability to continue
to claim that he or she is a domiciliary of this state. The person
or the dependent’s parent shall provide documentation of the
reason for the temporary absence. NOTE: To claim a temporary absence from Texas one must first establish Texas residency. A temporary absence prior to one year of residence in Texas with domicile establishment could result in a non-resident classification.
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Q. What do I need to do, or what documents do I need
to fill out when I apply for Residency?
A. A prospective student must have an admission application
on file before submitting the Residency Core Questions or the Residency
Affadavit. Currently enrolled students may submit the Residency Core
Questions once they or their parents have lived here for 11 consecutive
months.
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Q. How can I obtain a the Residency Core Questions
or the Residency Affadavit?
A. The Residency Core Questions and the Residency Affadavit
are available at the Graduate and International Admissions Center
(GIAC) which is located on the University of Texas at Austin Campus
at the northwest corner of 26th street and Whitis Ave. The street
address is 2608 Whitis. You may download a copy of the Residency Core
Questions or the Residency Affadavit at the bottom of this page.
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Proceed to bottom to download RCQ or Residency Affadavit
Q. What other documents should I turn in with the
Residency Core Questions?
A. You are not required to submit any supporting documents
with the Residency Core Questions. After reviewing your Residency
Core Questions form, documentation may be requested by the residency
officer. You will be notified via mail if additional information is
required.
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Q. My parents are claiming me as a dependent for tax
purposes. How do I establish residency or how do they establish residency?
A. If your parents are Texas residents and reside in the
state of Texas and are claiming you as a dependent on their income
tax return or are eligible to claim you as a dependent, then your
residency will be Texas once your parents have met the residency requirements.
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Q. My parents live in a state other than Texas
and they are claiming me as a dependent on taxes, can I establish
residency?
A. If your parents claim you and they live in another state,
you are not eligibile to establish residency while being claimed as
a dependent. Students over the age of 18 whose parents do not claim
them as a dependent on their tax return can establish residency as
an independent student (see first FAQ question for information on
how to establish residency).
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Q. I am an international student and I want to know how
I can establish residency?
A. The following international students are eligible to establish
a domicile in Texas under the law and can obtain Texas residency if they
meet the basic residency requirements as listed in the first question on
this list:
- Parolee, holder of asylum status or refugee
- A student who has applied for adjustment of status to permanent
residency (must have received an I-485 notice of action for the
green card application)
- Holder of a visa that is eligible to domicile in the US. See
THECB list of eligible visas.
- High school graduation in Texas after 36 months of residence
in the state (see next FAQ).
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Q. I am an international student who has attended
a Texas high school for three consecutive years. Can I qualify for
Texas residency?
A. International students who meet all of the following requirements
will qualify for Texas residency regardless of INS status:
- Graduate from a Texas High school or receive a GED.
- Reside in Texas for the 36 months immediately preceding graduation
from a Texas high school or receipt of the GED.
- Reside in Texas the 12 months preceding the census date of the
academic semester in which the person enrolls in an institution
of higher education.
- Sign an affidavit stating that you meet the above qualifications and will apply for permanent residency upon first availability to do so.
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Proceed to bottom to download affidavit
Q. I am currently enrolled at a Texas college or
university and am classified as a Texas resident. Will my residency status
transfer to UT Austin?
A. A person who was enrolled in a Texas institution of higher
education for any part of the academic year prior to enrollment at UT Austin,
and who was classified as a resident of Texas during that year, will be
classified as a Texas resident. You may be required to verify your
residency classification at the previous institution. Please see the
residency official for more information.
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Q. I am currently active duty military. How can I have
my out of state tuition waived so I can pay in-state tuition?
A. Active duty military (including active reserves and National
Guard) may have their out of state tuition waived to in state tuition.
A person must submit a letter from their commanding officer on military
letter head with the student's name and UTEID on the letter, stating
that he or she is active duty. Active duty must be with a Texas Unit.
A new letter must be submitted every semester at least two weeks prior
to registration. The student will remain classified as non-resident
on the mainframe database and for admission purposes but will be eligible
to pay in-state tuition.
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Q. I am a member of the military. What are the general
rules that constitute me as a resident?
A. Establishment of residency in Texas requires twelve consecutive
months physical presence in the state. The military member must simultaneously
file a copy of the DD2058 used to change state of legal residence
to Texas. Once the military member has changed their legal residence
to Texas, they must establish a domicile in Texas. See FAQ regarding
establishment of a domicile in Texas.
Further information regarding residency, waivers and military service can
be found at CollegeForTexans.com.
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Q. I live in a state other than Texas and I
am marrying a Texas resident. Does marriage to a Texas resident make me
a Texas resident?
A. Marriage to a Texas resident does not give that person
immediate residency. A U.S. Citizen Permanent Resident or international
student with an immigration status that allows them to domicile in
the U.S. who is the spouse of a Texas resident must live in the state
of Texas for 12 consecutive months. The spouse is allowed to attend
school during the 12 months if he or she chooses but will pay out
of state tuition for the first 12 months. After 1 year, if there is
enough evidence to indicate that the individual has otherwise made
Texas their permanent residence they may apply for reclassification.
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Q. I applied for residency and was denied Texas
residency by the residency officer. What can I do now?
A. You can appeal this decision. You need to write a letter
stating why you should be considered a Texas resident and any additional
information to state your case further and address it to the Residency
Committee. The committee will set a meeting date to review the appeal.
If the Residency Committee also denies the appeal, the student has
the right to two further levels of appeal after the Residency Committee.
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Q. What is the residency status for Teachers,
Professors and their Dependents?
A. Teachers and professors employed at least half time on a regular
monthly salary basis by any Texas public institution of higher education,
may pay the same tuition as a resident of Texas for themselves, their
spouses, and their dependent children, regardless of the length of residence
in the state if their effective date of employment is on or prior to the
official census date of the relevant term(s). To be entitled to pay the
resident tuition fees, such employees must submit, prior to the time of
each enrollment, a statement certifying employment from the director of
personnel or a designated representative of the institution of higher
education by which he or she is employed. This provision applies to eligible
teachers and professors and their dependents no matter which Texas public
institution of higher education they may attend. It is the intent of this
rule that employment be for the duration of the period of enrollment for
which a waiver is awarded. These requests should be directed to the office
of Tuition and Special Billing which is located in room 4 in the Main
Building. The student will remain classified as a non-resident on the
mainframe database as this exception is a result of a waiver of tuition
to in-state rates.
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Q. I am a student and employed as a Teaching
or Research Assistant, can I get in-state tuition?
A. Teachers and professors employed at least half time on a regular
monthly salary basis by any Texas public institution of higher education,
may pay the same tuition as a resident of Texas for themselves, their
spouses, and their dependent children, regardless of the length of residence
in the state if their effective date of employment is on or prior to the
official census date of the relevant term(s). To be entitled to pay the
resident tuition fees, such employees must submit, prior to the time of
each enrollment, a statement certifying employment from the director of
personnel or a designated representative of the institution of higher
education by which he or she is employed. This provision applies to eligible
teachers and professors and their dependents no matter which Texas public
institution of higher education they may attend. It is the intent of this
rule that employment be for the duration of the period of enrollment for
which a waiver is awarded. These requests should be directed to the office
of Tuition and Special Billing which is located in room 4 in the Main
Building. The student will remain classified as a non-resident on the
mainframe database as this exception is a result of a waiver to in-state
rates.
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Q. What other waivers are available for which
I may be eligible?
A. A. Information concerning waivers can be found
at CollegeForTexans.com.
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Q. I received Resident status some time after
classes started. Will I get a refund for the out-of-state portion fee
bill that I have previously paid?
A. The Residency Core Questions must be submitted by the
census date (12th class day) of the relevant term in order for a Texas
resident classification to be effective for that current semester.
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Q. I couldn't find an answer to my question
in this FAQ list. Who can I contact for more information?
A. For general residency information or to leave a message
for a call back please call: (512) 475-7391. To speak with the residency
officer, Deana Williams, please call (512) 475-7408. You may also
call Christina Schoch at (512) 475-7407 for assistance with residency
questions.
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