Residency Information

Residency determination qualifies students for resident and nonresident/international tuition and fees. CSU Dominguez Hills’ requirements for establishing residency for tuition purposes are independent from those of other types of residency, such as for tax purposes, or other state or institutional residency.

These regulations were promulgated not to determine whether a student is a resident or nonresident of California, but rather to determine whether a student should pay University fees on an in-state or out-of-state basis.

Each CSU Admissions Office is responsible for determining the residency status of all new and returning students based on the Application for Admission, Residence Questionnaire, Residence Reclassification Request Form, California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Request, and as necessary, other evidence furnished by the student.

It is the responsibility of the student to verify all fee balances prior to the start of the term. Out-of-state tuition will be charged if the student did not meet the residency or Non-Resident Tuition Exemption (AB540) requirements. If a student paid out-of-state tuition in previous terms, the CSU is unable to grant retroactive requests or change residency status as evidence of California residency was not provided to the campus by the stated deadlines.

A resident for tuition purposes is someone who meets the requirements set forth in the Uniform Student Residency Requirements. The laws governing residency for tuition purposes at the California State University are California Education Code sections 68000-68090, 68120-68134, and 89705-89707.5, and California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Sub-chapter 5, Article 4, sections 41900-41916. This material can be viewed on the internet by accessing the California State University website.

Please note, documents and records received by CSUDH will become the property of the University and will not be returned to the student or forwarded to any other institution or agency.

The residency document deadline is set for each academic term and is part of the Residence Determination Date. These dates are as follows:

 Residence Determination Date* 

and

       Residency Document Deadline**     

• _{*Documents must be dated one year and one day prior to the Residence Determination Date.}
• _{**A complete CSU Residence Questionnaire packet request must be submitted for review by the residency document deadline.}  
  

For submission of a residency request and further instructions, please click the button below:

Residency Forms & Instructions

Residency FAQ

Adult Students
Adult students (students who are 19 years old by the Residence Determination Date for the semester to which he/she is applying) will have to establish their own residency for tuition purposes in California if they are a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or other immigrant; or someone in non-immigrant status who is not precluded from establishing a domicile in the U.S. The student must establish clear evidence of his/her intent to abandon the derived residence of their out-of-state parent(s) and adopt a new residence. A married person will establish his or her residency independent of his or her spouse.

Minor Students
Minor unmarried students (students who are less than 19 years old by the Residence Determination Date) derive their legal residency from the natural parent or adoptive parent with whom the minor maintains, or last maintained, his or her place of abode. The residence of a minor cannot be changed by the minor's own act, by the appointment of a legal guardian, or by the relinquishment of a parent's right of control as long as the minor's parents are still living. That parent must be a California resident, as established by the California Education Code, for at least one year and one day immediately prior to the Residence Determination Date for the minor to qualify for California residency.

Non-U.S. Citizens
A non-U.S. citizen may establish residency unless precluded by the Immigration and Nationality Act from establishing a domicile in the United States. An unmarried minor derives his or her residence from his or her natural or adoptive parents. A non-U.S. citizen adult may establish his or her own residence based on established guidelines and timelines.

To be classified as a resident for tuition purposes, a student (or parent, in the case of a minor) must demonstrate the following one year and one day immediately prior to the Residence Determination Date.

Physical Presence. The student must establish a physical presence in California more than one year and one day immediately prior to the Residence Determination Date of the term for which classification as a resident is requested. Continuous physical presence is not mandatory, but a student who leaves California has the burden of clearly demonstrating their retention of California residence during periods of absence. Failure to do so will result in a determination of nonresident.

Intent. The student must demonstrate through objective documentation that their physical presence was coupled with the intent to make California his or her permanent home. Evidence of intent must be in place one year and one day immediately prior to the Residence Determination Date. Intent is an independent element of residence, and is demonstrated by establishing residential ties in California, and relinquishing ties to the former place of residence. Physical presence within California solely for educational purposes does not constitute establishment of California residence. Proofs of intent must be in place one year and one day prior to the Residence Determination Date, and can include, but are not limited to: 

• Ownership, leasing, or continuous occupancy of residential property in California
• Most current California tax returns
• Verification of employment: pay stubs showing California employment
• Registering to vote and voting in California
• Registering a motor vehicle owned or operated in California
• Obtaining a California driver's license or ID card
• Filing a resident or nonresident state personal income tax return
• Maintaining an active bank account with a bank with a California branch
• Licensing from the state for professional practice
• Maintaining active resident memberships in professional organizations

Financial Independence. A student classified as a nonresident for a prior term may seek reclassification in any subsequent term; however, reclassification requires that, in addition to satisfying the requirements of physical presence and intent to remain indefinitely in the state, the student must also satisfy the requirement of financial independence as outlined in Title 5 CCR § 41905.5. The residence reclassification financial independence requirement states that any nonresident student requesting reclassification to resident for tuition purposes must demonstrate financial independence. A student shall be considered financially independent if s/he:

• has not and will not be claimed as an exemption for state and federal tax purposes by his/her parent in the calendar year the reclassification application is made and in any of the three calendar years prior to the reclassification application;
• has not and will not receive more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) per year in financial assistance from his/her parent in the calendar year the reclassification application is made and in any of the three calendar years prior to the reclassification application, and;
• has not lived and will not live for more than six weeks in the home of his/her parent during the calendar year the reclassification application is made and in any of the three calendar years prior to the reclassification application.

The burden of proof rests solely with the student. Students from whom additional information is required will be contacted by letter with further instructions. Students may be asked to provide other documentation to clarify or verify their requests for reclassification. Failure to provide these documents or submission of incomplete information will significantly delay the reclassification process, and may result in a denial of reclassification.

Denied Reclassification. Students classified as nonresidents may appeal to the Chancellor's Office within 30 calendar days of the issuance of the notification of the final campus decision. The campus decision may be appealed only if at least one of the following applies:

1. The decision was based on:

1. a significant error of fact;
2. a significant procedural error; or
3. an incorrect application of law which, if corrected, would require that the student be reclassified as a resident; and/or

2. Significant new information, not previously known or available to the student, become available after the date of the campus decision classifying the student as a nonresident and based on the new information, the classification as a nonresident is incorrect.

Students must explain why the appeal meets one or more of the above appeal criteria and provide supporting documentation. For example, a "significant error of fact" could be demonstrated by stating that the campus incorrectly determined that a specific document, such as a driver's license, was untimely and by providing a copy of the document establishing the error. An appeal that only states a "significant error of fact" will be denied.  

A campus residency classification appeal must be submitted online.

Visit csudh.edu/future-students/residency-info/residency-faq