Residency Requirements
Are you classified as a resident or nonresident?

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A panoramic city view of Long Beach, California from on top of Signal Hill on a day when the fog has cleared all he way to the ocean.

Every student applying to a California community college must be classified as a resident or nonresident. Resident fees are reduced through support from the taxpayers of this community college district and the state of California. Nonresidents are required to cover the full costs of their student fees and therefore pay a higher rate. This section is designed to help define the difference between resident and nonresident status and how to apply for residency if you feel you are eligible for reclassification and a reduced tuition through the adoption of Assembly Bill (AB) 540.

A resident student is an individual who has lived in California for at least one year and one day prior to the beginning of a semester and has taken steps to establish residency within the state.

A nonresident student is a person who has resided in the state for less than one year prior to the beginning of the semester, may have been in California for more than a year but took actions that don’t support the establishment of residency, or may be in the United States on a visa that precludes them from being classified as a resident. Most foreign students admitted to the United States under a student (F1) visa cannot establish residency. The only exception is under the provisions of AB 540.

Required documents that are provided must be a year and one day prior to the date the semester begins in which the student is seeking reclassification.

All documents must be received a week prior to final exams’ week for all full semester length classes.  No appeals or documents will be accepted once final exams have begun. Residency Appeals are NOT retroactive. Once the deadline has passed, no appeals for that semester will be accepted and the student will be responsible for all applicable fees.