I know I have seen countless posts regarding tuition costs, athletic percentages, academic percentages, in-state v. out-of-state tuition, etc. If there is already a central location for this type of thread, please feel free to share a link and I will ask my questions using that thread. If not, I thought it would be nice to have one thread to discuss the all of the above and anything related. I will start by asking if anyone has ever considered renting a cheap apartment to create a permanent residence for an out-of-state player so that he would be eligible for in-state tuition after 1 year. Obviously this would only make financial sense where the annual college costs are big $$$. This was something that came up in a recent conversation and there was debate so thought I would run it by you all. I was also hoping that those of you who have found ways to save on college costs would be willing to share your insight. I know it depends on level of play, state, etc. Still would be cool because we have parents interested in everything from JUCO to Power 5 and probably every state in the country. I just recently found out that a school of interest to my son covers tuition/room/board during summer session. That would be a big $$$ saver at my son's school of interest with over 30K in tuition savings alone (over 4 years). Crazy!
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Out state tuition and how to qualify for in state tuition probably has 50 different ways unfortunately. What you described would not be sufficient in TX. As I understand it there is a 20 hour a week work requirement for a year as well. Not going to be possible for an athlete.
BackstopDad32 posted:Out state tuition and how to qualify for in state tuition probably has 50 different ways unfortunately. What you described would not be sufficient in TX. As I understand it there is a 20 hour a week work requirement for a year as well. Not going to be possible for an athlete.
Makes sense. Should have provided a little more detail but just had it answered by a friend. At least those interested in TX schools now know.
I'm a Texas resident but when I went to junior college in Texas, they let me get in county tuition by providing proof that my apartment was near the school. It saved a bit of money since my school did not have scholarships.
ill have to check how my university does it though.
coachld posted:I will start by asking if anyone has ever considered renting a cheap apartment to create a permanent residence for an out-of-state player so that he would be eligible for in-state tuition after 1 year.
From what I have seen it wont work in a lot of states. You are classified as in state or out of state based on the HS you graduate from and where your parents were paying taxes when you graduate. Most schools have rules for reclassification and just renting an apartment in that state is normally not enough for reclassification. In some states its nearly impossible to be reclassified. In others its a lot simpler.
We live in Illinois. My son attends Mich State (non athlete). In order to reclassify he would need to be emancipated by us, drop out of school for a year, establish residency in MI (rent an apt, relicense his car into MI, ensure all expenses are in his name), and work for a year paying taxes. At that point he could appeal his residency status with the school but there is not guarantee it would be approved.
One of the other schools he was looking at (it might have been Iowa or Mizzou) requires that you remain in the state for an entire year, work and pay taxes and only attend school part time. Many folks around here will send their kids to that state, rent an apartment for them, have them get a part time job and only take 9 credits a semester for the first year. But since your living expenses rise and you are prolonging your college by a year, Im not sure it really saves much money in the long run. And when it comes to sports you are not a full-time student, so you are not eligible for competition.
If you are considering attempting to do establish residency in a specific state, I suggest you check with the college you are thinking about attending. Most of them have a webpage or a details pamphlet they can send you specifying how to establish residency.
The laws on this differ from state to state. Many won't allow a change in residence after you enroll, regardless of whether you meet other factors. Any state that allows it requires some proof (often very lenient) that the student has the intention of remaining in-state after graduation. The most lenient I've seen is Arkansas. A student can gain residency status after just 6 months as long as they sign an affidavit professing an intention to remain in-state.
FWIW: If your student's grades and test scores are high enough, some of the larger Midwest public colleges will waive the out-of-state fee. There's a reason most of our United States do not easily allow changes in residency--budget deficits. And as noted above, HS location and parent's tax payments are the primary determinants.
If you're in an Academic Common Market state, you can get in state tuition, however for limited degree programs. What program qualifies is determined by your home state and the institution that your son attends, but it is a means to attend an out of state school at in state tuition.
Only eligible to the 15 participating South/Southeastern states. Specific info and searching on eligible programs on their website.
CoachLD, you should check out the Western Undergraduate Exchange: www.wiche.edu/wue