Residency Frequently Asked Questions

Physical Presence: The student or parent/guardian must be physically present in California for more than one year immediately preceding the Residence Determination Date in which enrollment is contemplated. For example, if a student plans to attend the CSU for the Fall 2020 academic term, and the Residence Determination Date for that term is September 20, 2020, the student must establish physical presence in California no later than September 19, 2019.

Intent: The student or parent/guardian must demonstrate intent to remain indefinitely in the state for more than one year immediately preceding the Residence Determination Date and sever all residential ties with the former state or country of residence. Additionally, there must be sufficient documentation to demonstrate that intent was established more than one year (a minimum of one year and one day) prior to the Residence Determination Date. For example, a California Driver License or ID Card needs to have an issue date of September 19, 2019 or prior to be considered a valid document for Fall 2020 residency classification.

Evidence demonstrating intent may vary from case to case but will include, and is not limited to:

1. California driver's license or I.D. card.
2. California voter registration.
3. California automobile registration (if owning a vehicle).
4. California state income tax obligations on total income for the current year (to be filed the following tax period).
5. Absence of residential ties to any other state.
6. Ownership of residential property or continuous occupancy or renting of an apartment on a lease basis where your personal belongings are kept.
7. Active account(s) in a California bank.
8. Maintaining a permanent military address and home of record in California.
9. Military leave and earning statements showing California as legal residence for the prior year.

If you plan to make California your permanent home then you may want to apply for resident reclassification. A nonresident pays tuition and university fees; a California resident pays fees, but no tuition to San Francisco State University.

Please Note: By making California your permanent home you have decided to sever all ties with your previous state of residence.

Applicants 19 years of age or older are eligible for resident status only if they have established and maintained permanent residence in California at least one year prior to the following Residency Determination deadlines:

     Spring Semester - January 25

     Summer Semester - June 1

     Fall Semester - September 20

Example: In order to be eligible for resident status for the Fall 2019 semester, a student would need to establish and document intent and maintain permanent residence since at least September 20, 2018.

Reclassification requests must be submitted at least 60 to 90 days prior to the first day of instruction for the term in which you will be eligible to apply for California resident status. Requests submitted any later may be considered at the discretion of the Residency Coordinator and may require 10 business days or more to process. Reclassification requests for the current semester will not be considered after the fourth week of classes. Please refer to the Academic Calendar below for dates.SFSU Academic CalendarA form for reclassification received prior to 90 days before the term begins may be returned to the applicant or held without action until the 90 days come into effect.

A Reclassification Request form can only be used for upcoming terms. There is no retroactive request for a term that has already ended.

If you wish to have your resident status reclassified, please submit an updated CSU Residence Questionnaire form, and any appropriate supporting documents, to the Division of Graduate Studies. Please review the CSU Chancellor’s Office California Residency for Tuition Purposes website for more information. The division of Graduate Studies will review Residency Reclassification requests according to California Code of Regulations.

Related links:

CSU Residence Questionnaire

CSU Chancellor’s Office California Residency for Tuition Purposes

California Code of Regulations

Students classified as nonresidents may appeal to the CSU 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 or fact;
   2. A significant procedures error;
   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 nonresident is incorrected.

For more information, please refer to the CSU Chancellor’s Office California Residency for Tuition Purposes website: https://www2.calstate.edu/apply/california-residency-for-tuition-purposes/Pages/default.aspx

For instructions for submitting an appeal, please go to: https://www2.calstate.edu/apply/california-residency-for-tuition-purposes/Pages/filing-a-residency-appeal.aspx

Assembly Bill 540 is a law that was passed in 2001 by the California legislature and was recently amended with Assembly Bill 2000 in 2015 and again with Senate Bill 68 in 2018. The laws were written for students who are either undocumented or U.S. Citizens/Permanent Residents but are considered non-residents for tuition purposes. If these students meet specific requirements, they are able to pay resident fees instead of nonresident fees.

To qualify for paying "resident fees," students must meet the following requirements:

1. Have attended a California high school for a minimum of three or more years; OR
2. Have attended a primary, secondary, or high school in California for a combination of three or more years; OR
3. Have attended or attained credits at a combination of California high school, adult school, and California Community College for a total of three or more years (only two years of community college can be counted) AND
4. Graduate from a California high school and pass the California High School Proficiency Exam OR get a GED (General Equivalency Diploma or Graduate from a California high school or the equivalent (for example: pass the California High School Proficiency exam or GED); OR
5. Completed or will complete an associate's degree form a California Community College; OR
6. Completed or will complete the minimum requirements at a CA Community College for transfer into the CSU system AND
7. File a Non-Resident Tuition Exemption Request Affidavit with the school and submit transcripts demonstrating you meet the above requirements. The form can be downloaded here: Non-Resident Tuition Exemption Request Affidavit

For more information, please go to: http://undocugators.sfsu.edu/AB540