Summary of Residence Rules

The following is a summary of Santa Monica College’s residence rules and their exceptions. For more detailed information, please contact the residence clerk in the Admissions Office. (This information does not relate to housing or accommodation issues.)

• Each person applying for admission to or enrolled in a California community college is classified as either a “resident” or a “nonresident.”

• A “resident” is defined as a citizen of the United States or hold a status which allows him or her to establish residency in the United States, who has proof of physical presence in the State of California for one year and who presents evidence of intention to make California his or her permanent home. Dates on any documentary evidence should correspond to dates of physical presence in California.

• A “nonresident” is a person who does not meet the residency requirements of the State of California or who is a citizen of a foreign country and holds only temporary status in the U.S.

• A student classified as a resident will be admitted to the College without tuition.

• A student classified as a nonresident is required to pay a tuition fee of $155 or $180 per semester unit.

• A nonresident continuing student, between the ages of 19 and 23 inclusive, requesting reclassification to resident status must submit a reclassification petition for change of residency status, show proof of financial independence, and present evidence of intent to establish California as his or her place of residence.

A student who is 19 years of age or older and who has maintained a home in California continuously for the last two years shall be presumed to have the intent to make California his or her home.

A student under 19 years of age shall be presumed to have the intent to make California his or her home if both the student and his or her parent(s) have maintained a home in California continuously for the last two years.

A student who is 19 years of age or older applying for admission with less than two years, but more than one year, of residence in California should be prepared to show proof of residence. Examples of evidence that aid the College admissions officer in identifying intent include, but are not limited to, these documentable activities:

1. Continuously occupying rented or leased property in California;

2. Registering to vote and voting in California;

3. Holding a California state license for professional practice;

4. Paying California state income tax as a resident;

5. Possessing California motor vehicle license plates;

6. Possessing a California driver’s license or a California Identification Card;

7. Maintaining a permanent military address or home of record in California while in the armed forces;

8. Establishing and maintaining active California bank accounts; and

9. Petitioning for a divorce in California.

Any two or more of the above items will give some indication of a student’s intent to the Admissions Office. Dates on documents must correspond with physical presence of one year and one day.

Unmarried minors (those younger than 18 years of age) are, by law, incapable of establishing their own residences, notwithstanding their physical presence within California. The Admissions Office will use the following guidelines for determining a minor’s residence:

• A minor’s residence is the residence of the parent with whom the minor is living;

• If the minor is not living with either parent, then the residence of the parent with whom the minor last lived will be the residence of the minor.

When the residence of a minor student is derived from the parent, the durational requirement (one year in California) must be met by the parent, but is not required of the student.

A minor whose parents are not living and who does not have a legal guardian may establish his or her own residence.

Exceptions to the above guidelines will be made under certain circumstances. If a student would otherwise be classified as a nonresident, but fits within one of the following exceptions, he or she may be granted resident classification provided he or she has resided in California for one year with the intent of establishing residence (documentation required):

• A student who was not an adult for more than one year before the start of the semester may add the amount of time lived in California prior to his or her eighteenth birthday (provided the student’s parent was a California resident during the period), if any, to the length of residence in California since that date to obtain the durational requirement of one year;

• Adult aliens who are in the process of adjusting their status to a permanent resident or who have been lawfully admitted as a permanent resident for one year and one day prior to the beginning date of the semester (documentation required) and who has resided in California for one year;

• A student 19 years of age or older who can document refugee or asylee status with the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) (dated one year and one day prior to the beginning date of the semester) and who has resided in California for one year (students younger than 19 years of age should review the first item above);

• An adult aliens who is in the process of adjusting visa status to, or possesses one of the following visas: A, E, G, H-1, H-4, I, K, L, O-1, R, T, or V dated at least one year and one day prior to the beginning date of the semester and who meets California residence criteria;

• A student who is a minor (under the age of 18) and who, immediately before enrolling at a California educational institution, has lived with and was under the continuous direct care and control for at least two years of any adult or adults (other than a parent) who had established residence in California at least one year and one day prior to beginning date of the semester (documentation required).

For more information regarding residence classification, exceptions, and examples of evidence showing intent, please contact the residence clerk in the Admissions Office.