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Residency

Residency

A student is considered a California resident for tuition purposes if they are a citizen, permanent resident or person on an eligible immigration status who has established both physical presence and intent to make California their permanent home for at least one year and one day prior to the start of the semester. It is incumbent upon the student to provide documented evidence of their residency.

To reclassify residency status students must submit the residency questionnaire form with the required documentation. Reclassification requests must be submitted within the current fiscal year to have fees adjusted.

The residency questionnaire must be filled out completely and signed. Please note that all documentation provided must be dated at least one year and one day prior to the start of the semester. Non-citizens must provide proof of their eligibility to establish residency.

Once the residency questionnaire and documentation have been submitted, the Office of Admissions and Records will make a determination.  The student will be notified via the college issued email address, accessed through Insite/WebAdvisor.

Required Documentation

You may establish your residency by submitting the following required documentation:

  • Proof of eligibility (if non-citizen).
  • California State taxes for the year prior to the start of term.
  • A California issued driver’s license or ID card (issued 1 year and 1 day prior to start of term).


If you do not have both California taxes and a valid California driver's license or ID, you must provide 3 forms of proof from the lists below, at least one must be from group A.

Group A:

CA driver’s license or ID card
Marriage license issued from CA
Divorce papers issued from CA
Registering to vote and voting in CA
Licensing from CA for professional practice
Carrying on of business or employment in CA
Vehicle registration in CA
Recipient of CA state services

Group B:

Ownership of residential property as primary residence
Continuous occupancy of rented or leased property in CA
Active resident membership in service or social club
Maintaining active checking/savings accounts in CA banks
Possession of hunting/fishing license as a CA resident
Federal taxes showing CA address (not used in conjunction with state taxes)
Utility bills (cell-phone not accepted)
Official high school transcripts (not college)
Affidavit from landlord stating length of residence

 

AB540

General Information

Any student, other than a non-immigrant alien (for example, those who hold F, B, J visas, etc.), who meets all of the following requirements, shall be exempt from paying nonresident tuition.

Requirements:

  • The student must have attended a high school (public or private) in California for three or more years.
  • The student must have graduated from a California high school or attained the equivalent prior to the start of the term (for example, passing the GED or California High School Proficiency exam).
  • An alien student who is without lawful immigration status must file an affidavit with the college or university stating that he or she has filed an application to legalize his or her immigration status, or will file an application as soon as he or she is eligible to do so.


Nonresident students meeting the criteria will be exempted from the payment of nonresident tuition, but they will not be classified as California residents. They continue to be nonresidents.

AB540 status does not provide student financial aid eligibility for undocumented alien students. These students remain ineligible for state and federal financial aid.

Submitting an AB540

Submit the AB540 form with either official or unofficial high school transcript to the Admissions and Records Office. Please fill out the form completely including DVC student ID#. Students will be notified of their results via email.

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