In-State Residency Guidelines

Students are classified as residents under one of the following three sections: C-1, C-2, or C-3 of the Ohio Board of Regents Guidelines. The type of classification for which a student applies and qualifies is based upon their financial status (i.e., financially dependent or independent). Students who do not qualify under any of these categories are encouraged to check Exceptions.

C-1 Residency
If you are financially dependent upon a resident of Ohio

C-1 of the O.B.R. guidelines states:

"A student whose spouse, or a dependent student, at least one of whose parents or a legal guardian, has been a resident of the state of Ohio for all other legal purposes for 12 consecutive months or more immediately preceding the enrollment of the student in an institution of higher education shall be classified as a resident of the State of Ohio for subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes."

C-1 Residency applies to:

• Student who has been claimed by either a parent or legal guardian as a dependent on that person's Internal Revenue Service tax filing for the previous year.
  
• Student is the spouse of a person who has lived in and paid taxes to Ohio for the previous 12 consecutive months.
  
• The person the student is dependent upon must meet the definition of being a resident of Ohio for all legal purposes.

C-1 Minimum Documentation Required

Submit each of the following documents:

1. Copy of Ohio driver's license or Ohio State ID card of student and parent or spouse.

2. Copy of parent, spouse, or legal guardian's federal tax return showing the student was claimed as a dependent in the most recent tax year.

3. Copy of marriage certificate, if dependent upon spouse.

4. A sworn affidavit* from the spouse, parent, or legal guardian living in Ohio that includes the following information:

a) Student's name and last four digits of social security number
b) Dates parent or spouse has lived in Ohio
c) Number of years parent or spouse has paid taxes in Ohio
d) Whether or not at least one parent or spouse has claimed the student as a dependent for tax purposes in the previous year.

The above is not an all inclusive list. If residency cannot be determined based on the information submitted, additional documentation may be required.

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C-2 Residency
If you are financially independent

C-2 of the O.B. R. guidelines states:

"A person who has been a resident of Ohio for all other legal purposes for at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding his or her enrollment in an institution of higher education and who is not receiving, and has not directly or indirectly received in the preceding 12 consecutive months, financial support from persons or entities who are not residents of Ohio for all other legal purposes shall be classified as a resident of the State of Ohio for subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes."

C-2 Residency applies to:

• A student who has never been classified as a resident at OSU and would like to be reclassified as a resident for tuition purposes.
  
• A student who is claiming to be financially independent of anyone else (unless they have a spouse who is also living in Ohio).
  
• A student who is financially independent and has established themselves as a resident of Ohio, and has lived in Ohio for 12 consecutive months preceding the desired quarter of enrollment.
  
  Independent/ self-sustaining defined as:
  
• The student must prove that he/she has maintained a physical presence and domicile in Ohio for the 12 months preceding the quarter he/she would like to be classified as a resident.
  
• The student must also prove he/she has transferred all items of registration to Ohio (i.e., driver's license, voter registration, car registration).
  
• The student must prove that he/she has been financially self-sustaining on eligible Ohio income.
  
• The student has not received financial support from persons or entities outside of Ohio during the 12 months preceding the quarter he/she is applying for residency.
  
• A complete definition of what eligible income includes or excludes is available by contacting the Registrar's office, or to see what types of income are not eligible click here.
  
• Students are required to apply for C-2 residency via an application process that is required by law.

C-2 Minimum Documentation Required

1. Copy of Ohio driver's license or Ohio State ID card.

2. "Request for Resident Re-Classification Application," available in the Office of the University Registrar.

3. Proof of income sources, domicile, and other required documentation by the appropriate deadline.

4. To view a sample copy of the application in Adobe "PDF" format, click on the sample application below: Sample Residency Application (new window)

The above is not an all inclusive list. If residency cannot be determined based on the information submitted, additional documentation may be required.

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C-3 Residency
If you are financially dependent upon a spouse or parent

The O.B.R. guidelines states:

"A dependent child of a parent or legal guardian, or the spouse of a person, who as of the first day of a term of enrollment, has accepted full-time, self-sustaining employment and established domicile in the State of Ohio for reasons other than gaining the benefit of favorable tuition rates shall be classified as a resident of the State of Ohio for subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes." The intent of this guideline is to provide the opportunity of favorable tuition rates for the dependent child or spouse of an individual who entered the State of Ohio for employment purposes, not for educational purposes.

C-3 Residency applies to:

• A student who has been claimed for tax purposes in the previous year by a parent or legal guardian and that person has not lived in Ohio for 12 months.
  
• The spouse, parent, or legal guardian must accept, begin, and be able to verify full-time employment and establish a domicile in Ohio before the quarter begins in order for the student to qualify. (Note: Two part-time jobs or any combination cannot be used to constitute one full-time position.)
  
• A student who marries an Ohio resident after his/her initial enrollment may apply under C-1 if the spouse has lived in Ohio for 12 months.

C-3 Minimum Documentation Required

1. Copy of Ohio's driver's license or Ohio State ID card for both parties.

2. Minimum of three most recent paystubs AND, if not indicated on the paystubs, a letter from the employer verifying that the place of employment is located in the State of Ohio. The letter must also include:

a) Student's name and last four digits of social security number
b) Quarter for which the student is applying for residency
c) Name of employed person
d) Date the employment began
e) That the employee is full-time and annual salary

PLEASE NOTE: In order to verify continuous employment, submission of the three most recent pay stubs are required prior to the beginning of each subsequent quarter until Ohio residency has been established for 12 consecutive months.

3. Verification of Ohio domicile- please submit one of the following:

a) A copy of the lease under which the parent or spouse is the lessee and occupant of rented residential property in the state of Ohio.
b) A copy of the closing statement (HUD statement) on residential real property located in Ohio of which the parent or spouse is the owner and occupant.
c) If the parent or spouse is not the lessee or owner of the residence in which he or she has established domicile, a sworn affidavit* from the owner of the residence certifying that the parent or spouse resides at that residence.

4. A letter from the parent verifying the dependent status of the student (see documentation for C-1) or a copy of a marriage certificate if residency is based on spouse.

The above is not an all inclusive list. If residency cannot be determined based on the information submitted, additional documentation may be required.

*Sworn affidavit: A written declaration made under oath in front of a notary public. This must be the original. We do not accept copies or faxes for sworn affidavits.

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C-4 Residency

C-4 of the O.B.R. guidelines states:

"A veteran, and the veteran’s spouse and any dependent of the veteran, who meets both of the following conditions (A and B):

A. The veteran either
1. Served one or more years on active military duty and was honorably discharged or received a medical discharge that was related to the military service OR
2. Was killed while serving on active military duty or has been declared to be missing in action or a prisoner of war.

B. If the veteran seeks residency status for tuition surcharge purposes, the veteran has established domicile in this state as of the first day of term of enrollment. If the spouse or a dependent of the veteran seeks residency status for tuition surcharge purposes, the veteran and the spouse or dependent seeking residency status have established domicile in Ohio as of the first day of a term of enrollment. If the veteran was killed while serving on active military duty or has been declared to be missing in action or a prisoner of war, only the spouse or dependent seeking residency status shall be required to have established domicile. "

C-4 Minimum Documentation Required

A. DD214 - Need to be able to prove Honorable Discharge or Medical Separation with 1-Year of Active Service. They should be able to document this service through a Form DD214 which will indicate the length and character of their service.

B. Proof of Ohio Domicile: Need to prove domicile in Ohio as of the first day of enrollment. As now, they can do this with a lease, mortgage, or sworn affidavit from roommate/parents/occupants, etc. stating that the veteran is living at an address in Ohio.

Dependents: (spouse or children) are eligible for in-state tuition if A & B above are met and:

A. Marriage Certificate: A spouse would have to provide proof of marriage.

B. Proof of dependent status: Dependent children would have to provide proof of dependent status as provided by the veteran parent's IRS tax filing for the previous year [dependent as defined in Administrative Rule 3333-1-01(B)(5)].

C. Spouse or dependents of veterans must also be domiciled in Ohio as of their first day of enrollment. In cases where the veteran was Killed in Action (KIA), Missing in Action (MIA), or Prisoner of War (POW), only the spouse or dependent need be domiciled in Ohio. In those cases the spouse or dependent will provide official documentation of KIA, MIA, or POW status.

Note that GI Bill eligibility, community service/co-op/internship participation, and the requirement that veterans have to enroll for dependents to be eligible were eliminated.

*Sworn affidavit: A written declaration made under oath in front of a notary public. This must be the original. We do not accept copies or faxes for sworn affidavits.

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