Information for Admitted Non-Resident Applicants to the College of Law

Ohio is a state that allows non-resident students to apply for and receive state resident status after completing a twelve-month domicile requirement. Our students in the College of Law have found great success in reclassifying by the beginning of their second year as long as they come to Ohio as an independent, self-sustaining professional student. To do this you must do the following: obtain an Ohio driver's license, register to vote in Ohio, register your automobile with the State of Ohio in your name, and become financially independent and use only personal assets in paying for law school and living expenses (parental gifts to students are prohibited under this requirement). You are also required to complete a twelve month domicile requirement.

We will assist you in obtaining financial aid during your first year that will allow you to live adequately and independently. If you would like a copy of the State of Ohio requirements and an application for residency please visit the university's student services web site at www.onestop.uc.edu and look under the "forms" tab. The residency information is listed under Your Information.

Ohio Residence for Tuition Purposes

Fees are charged on the basis of residence in the State of Ohio and residence outside the State of Ohio. If there is any question of the student's right to claim legal residence in Ohio, an application for residence status must be presented to the Office of Student Records at least three weeks prior to the first day of the quarter or term in which the student plans to enroll. Download a printable copy of the University's Application for Resident Status.

Fee assessments are subject to audit at any time throughout the academic career of the student.

General Residency Rules

The following persons shall be classified as residents of Ohio for fee assessment purposes:

• A dependent student, at least one ofwhose parents or legal guardians has been a resident of the State of Ohio for all other legal purposes for twelve (12) consecutive months or more immediately preceding the enrollment of such student in an institution of higher education.
• A person who has been a resident of Ohio for the purpose of this rule for at least twelve (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 twelve (12) consecutive months, financial support from persons or entities who are not residents of Ohio for all other legal purposes.
• A person who is living in Ohio and is gainfully employed in Ohio on a full-time or part-time and self-sustaining basis and who is pursuing a part-time program of instruction at an institution of higher education.
• A person on active duty status in the United States military service who is stationed and resides in Ohio, and his or her dependents.
• A person who enters and currently remains upon active duty status in the United States military service while a resident of Ohio for all other legal purposes, and his or her dependents, as long as Ohio remains the state of such person's domicile. (Domicile for military personnel is the place a military person declares to be his or her home for voting and taxation purposes.)
• A dependent student of a parent, or the spouse of a person who, as of the first day of classes, has accepted full-time, self-sustaining employment and has established domicile in Ohio for reasons other than gaining the benefit of favorable tuition rate. Documentation will be required.

In considering residency, removal of the student or the student's parents or legal guardians from Ohio shall not, during a period of twelve (12) months following such removal, constitute relinquishment of Ohio residency status otherwise established under items 1.a or 1.b of these regulations.

A dependent student classified as a resident of Ohio for these purposes, and who is enrolled in an institution of higher education when his or her parents or legal guardian remove their residency from the State of Ohio, shall continue to be considered a resident of Ohio for fee assessment purposes during continuous full-time enrollment and until his or her completion of any one academic degree program.

A person who is transferred by his or her employer beyond the territorial limits of the fifty states of the United States and the District of Columbia while a resident of Ohio for all other legal purposes, and his or her dependents, shall be considered a resident of Ohio for these purposes as long as Ohio remains the state of such person's domicile, and as long as such person has fulfilled his or her tax liability to the State of Ohio for at least the tax year preceding enrollment.

A person who has been employed as a migrant worker in the State of Ohio and his or her dependents, shall be considered a resident for these purposes, provided such person has worked in Ohio for at least four months during each of the three years preceding the proposed enrollment.

Evidentiary determinations under this rule shall be made by the institution which may require, among other things, the submission of documentation regarding the sources of a student's actual financial support. Additional criteria which may be considered in determining residency may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Criteria evidencing residency:

• If a person is subject to tax liability under Section 5747.02 of the Ohio Revised Code;
• If a person qualifies to vote in Ohio;
• If a person has an Ohio driver's license and/or car registration.

Criteria evidencing lack of residency:

• If a person is a resident of, or intends to be resident of, another state or nation for the purpose of tax liability, voting, receipt of welfare benefits, or student loan benefits (if the student qualified for that loan program by being a resident of the state or nation);
• If a person is a resident of, or intends to be a resident of, another state or nation for any purposes other than tax liability, voting or receipt of welfare benefits (see above paragraph).

A student once classified as a nonresident, upon the completion of twelve (12) consecutive months of residency in Ohio for all other legal purposes, may apply to the institution he or she attends for reclassification as a resident of Ohio for fee assessment purposes. Should such student present clear and convincing proof that no part of his or her financial support is, or in the preceding twelve (12) consecutive months has been, provided directly or indirectly by persons or entities who are not residents of Ohio for all other legal purposes, such person shall be classified as an Ohio resident.

Any classification of a person who was once classified as a nonresident for these purposes shall have prospective application only from the date of such reclassification.

NOTE: Persons who hold the following visas are eligible for Ohio residency when all other residency requirements are met: A, E, G, H, I, L, TD, and TN. Call the Office of Student Records for details.

Additional information and guidelines concerning residence are available from the One Stop Student Service Center, located on the 2nd Floor of the University Pavilion or by calling (513) 556-1000.