Residency Requirements

Legal California Residents

Students who have established residency in California by meeting the following requirements:

• Have been physically present in California for one year and one day prior to the term in which they wish to enroll.
• Intend to make California the permanent home for other than a temporary purpose.
• Have an eligible status which does not preclude them from establishing residency in the U.S. by the Immigration and Naturalization Act. This status must have been established one year and one day prior to the beginning of the term in which the student wishes to enroll.

All students must apply for a change of status (PDF form) before the beginning of the quarter in which they wish to enroll.

The burden is on the student to clearly prove both physical presence in California and intent to establish California residence. (Reference: ECS 68041; T5 54026) All residency-related documents must be submitted to Admissions within the first two weeks of the quarter if the residency status change is to apply to that quarter. If the deadline is not met, the residency change will take effect in the next term in which the student enrolls.

Students who have had a change in residency status, and were initially charged out of state fees in error, may request a refund within the academic year (prior to June 30) of the documented residency change. For more information see, http://www.deanza.edu/counseling/pdf/residencyappeal.pdf (PDF).

Nonresidents (those who do not qualify for in-state fees)

1. Students who have not established residency in California for one year and one day prior to the beginning of the term in which they wish to enroll, residents of other states or territories of the United States, and residents of foreign countries must pay nonresident tuition in order to attend De Anza. For tuition amount, see student fees.
2. Students who entered the United States with a B, C, D, F, H2, H3, J, M, O2, P, Q, TC or TD visa. (B visa holders are prohibited from attending community college classes.)
3. Other aliens may not be precluded from establishing residency solely on their status as aliens, but may be classified as residents if they meet the requirements of California Education Code Section 68062. For details, see the Residency Form (PDF).

For information about visa limitations for international students, contact the International Student Office (408) 864-8826 or send e-mail to dainternational@fhda.edu.

Active-Duty Military

Residency status will be granted to members of the U.S. military on active duty (except those assigned for educational purposes to state-supported institutions of higher education). This law applies only to the active military person, not to his/her spouse or dependents.

A dependent who wishes to claim the one-year resident status (military grace) must provide the college with a statement from the military person's commanding officer or personnel officer stating that the military person is:

• on active duty in California, but not for educational purposes, prior to the beginning of the term in which the student wishes to enroll, OR
• outside the continental United States on active duty after having been transferred immediately and directly from a California duty station, and
• in addition, a statement that the prospective student is a dependent and an exemption on the federal taxes of the military person must be provided.

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