RESIDENCY RECLASSIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
A resident student is one who has been physically present in the state for more than one
year and one day prior to the start of the term they will be attending. A person capable of
establishing residency in California must be able to provide objective evidence of their
eligible immigration status, physical presence in the state of California, and their intent to
make California a permanent home. Residency status is determined at the time of
admission. Applicants who cannot establish residency, as defined above, will be considered
as non-residents or international students.
Eligibility for California Residency:
1. You must be a United States citizen, permanent resident, asylee/refugee, or have a visa
status that is eligible to establish residency. That includes the following visa categories: A 1-
3, E 1-3, G 1-5, H-1B, H-1C, H4 (if dependent of H-1B or H-1C), I, K 1-4, L-1A, L-1B, L-2,
NATO 1-7, N-8, N-9, O-1, O-3 (if dependent of O-1), R 1-2, T 1-5, U 1-5, and V 1-3.
2. You must have lived in California under a residency eligible immigration status for at least
one year and one day prior to the start of the term for which you seek residency.
In accordance with Assembly Bill 540 and AB 2000, any student, other than a
nonimmigrant alien, who meets all of the following requirements, shall be exempt
from paying nonresident tuition at the California Community Colleges:
The student must have attended a high school (private or public) 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 (eg. 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 stating that he or she has filed an application to legalize his/her
immigration status, or will file an application as soon as he/she is eligible to do so.
You may obtain the required form, 'Student Affidavit for Exemption from
Nonresident Tuition', in the Admissions Office.
Students who are nonimmigrant (for example, F or B visas, etc.) are not eligible
for this exemption.
Nonresident students meeting the criteria will be exempt from the payment of
nonresident tuition and will be classified as California residents.
If you need to update your residency, please fill out the Residency Reclassification
Petition and return it to the Admissions Office along with your supporting documents. All
documents must be in the student’s name and dated appropriately for the term in which
residency is requested. Original documents are required—we cannot accept photocopies.
All valid supporting documents are stated on the petition.
