A student seeking reclassification, as a resident, who was classified as a nonresident
shall be determined financially independent or dependent in accordance with Education
Code section 68044 and title 5 section 54032. The law requires that financial independence
be “among the factors to be considered” in reclassification.
A student shall be considered financially independent for purposes of this section
if the applicant meets all of the following requirements:
- Has not and will not be claimed as an exemption for state and/or federal tax purposes
by his or 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 or 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 lived and will not live for more than six weeks in the home of his or her
parent during the calendar year the reclassification application is made and in any
of the three calendar years prior to the reclassification application.
- Relevant documentation to support a finding of financial independence may include
tax returns from the student to verify the student’s income and from parents to verify
the student was not included as a dependent, W-2’s, apartment rental contracts for
leases, and copies of other necessary financial documentation (bank statements, loans,
trusts, etc.) to verify the sources of the student’s income/savings. In terms of
appropriate tax returns to use in review, you would provide the latest returns available
(for example, for the 2022-23 academic year, including spring term reclassifications,
you would at a minimum expect to provde tax returns for 2019, 2020, and 2021).
