I have lived in VA for the last 2.5 years. My parents are considering a move to WV. However, I want to attend either UVa or William and Mary as an in-state student. I would be in-state my first year but would that change if they moved my freshman year? If so, how can I retain my in-state status?
I checked out some of VA's legal publications and it seemed to say I would only have one year of a grace period. But then it said that institutions could give in-state tuition to students whose parents are domiciled in states that are part of the Southern Board of Education, which WV is a part of.
How could I ask for that?
And if I am in-state my first year, does financial aid even bother to check my status the next three years?
Change in VA Residency Status?
Ms:
You have read the Virginia state statutes carefully - there is, in fact, a one-year grace period that will attach after your parents move from Virginia. At the end of the academic term that has begun one year after your parents move from Virginia, the grace period will expire, and you will be reclassified as a non-resident.
Unless you turn 24 during that interim, or unless you can overcome Virginia's rebuttable presumption that you are a dependent student, domiciled in the same state as your parents, there is nothing that you can do to prevent the reclassification.
Will your school notice? No one can say. The state expects them to take notice of such things, but the %26quot;how%26quot; is sort of mysterious. They're certainly not going to hire a private detective to film video of you crossing state lines for Winter Break. Here's what the statute says about reclassification:
%26quot;1. If a student is classified initially as in-state, either the student or the institution thereafter may initiate a reclassification inquiry. It is the duty of the student to notify the institution of any changes of address or domiciliary status.
2. The institution may initiate the reclassification inquiry independently at any time after the occurrence of events or changes in facts which give rise to a reasonable doubt about the validity of the existing domiciliary classification.%26quot;
and also:
%26quot;C. An applicant or enrolled student subject to either a classification or reclassification inquiry is responsible for supplying all pertinent information requested by the institution in connection with the classification process by the institution's deadline. Failure to comply with such requests may result in one of the following consequences for the term in question and until eligibility is confirmed:%26quot;
As to the Southern Regional Education Compact - your eligibility for THAT exemption is based on the specific degree that you're working on. Eligibility is by program, and requires that there be no closer public institution within your home state that offers the equivalent program. Unless you're planning on majoring in something pretty esoteric, I wouldn't rely on the SREC as your saving grace. You weren't thinking about mortuary science or something else oddball like that, were you?
Will your school catch on? Mmm...probably not. But if they do, the least serious consequence would be that they would reassess you for all of the fees that you should have paid as an out-of-state resident - and hold your transcripts forever until you do. The most serious consequence would be academic dismissal. It's up to you if these are the kinds of chances that you'd like to take with your education and your education money.
Good luck!
