Students yearn, jockey for coveted in-state residency

With the gap between in-state and out-of-state tuition widening, many students will attempt this fall to change their residency status.

Success in the transition would save them $13,798 this year, but most who try to beat the Sept. 6 deadline will run into some snags in the process.

Between 2000 and 2003 a total of 652 non-resident students applied to switch their residency to North Carolina, but only 254 —just 38 percent — of these applications were accepted.

“Most people who have tried say it’s nearly impossible,” said Matt Fields, vice president of the Out-of-State Student Association.

To apply for in-state residency, a student must submit a paper application to the appropriate admissions office by the semester’s deadline.

If their applications are denied, students can appeal to the Residence Status Committee, where they can argue their cases in person.

There is only one specific criterion to qualify for in-state residency: the student has to live in North Carolina for 12 months prior to the semester.

After that, Grant Wolslagel, chairman of the Residence Status Committee, said students must prove that they plan to stay in the state after graduation.

“You need to prove that you’re not in North Carolina just for school,” he said. “That’s the big hurdle.”

Wolslagel said things such as buying an inspection tag and having a driver’s license in North Carolina help make a strong statement for residency, but he said paying taxes to the state is a deal breaker.

He also said building a network of friends in the state, spending breaks in the area and working in the community helps students’ cases for residency because it helps anchor them to North Carolina.

“It’s not a checklist,” Wolslagel said. “Basically, we’re looking for the nonacademic life. What have they done in North Carolina to become more than just a student?”

He also said that the committee looks for students who have already cemented in-state plans for after graduation — such as attending graduate school, purchasing a house or landing a job.

“A student that has a future in North Carolina makes a stronger statement for in-state residency,” he said.

Of those students who appealed the initial admissions decision between 2000 and 2003, an average of 40 percent achieved in-state status.

But students said it is even harder than it seems to make the switch to in-state standing.

“I know a girl who lived in North Carolina, worked year-round, applied for in-state tuition, appealed it multiple times and still didn’t get it,” Fields said.

“I’ve been told by other kids that the only way to get in-state tuition is to have your parents move to North Carolina.”

Wolslagel said the committee often questions the sincerity of the students’ desire to stay in the state.

“It doesn’t say you have to buy a burial plot or anything else to prove you’re staying in North Carolina,” he said.

If the appeal is denied, a student can submit a paper appeal to the State Residence Committee, which is composed of members from each UNC-system school and has the final say in the case.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.