Residency Determination

---

---

California Residency for Tuition Purposes

No matter where you are coming from, you are welcome at Cypress College. Your residency classification affects the tuition you pay, but being classified as a nonresident does not always mean you’ll pay the full nonresident rate—several exemptions and special provisions may reduce your costs.

If you are starting your application in CCCStart and feel unsure about how to answer the residency questions, Cypress College offers a student‑friendly guide that explains each question before you submit.

---

Which situation best describes you?

---

What is Residency?

When you begin at Cypress College, the residency information you provide in CCCStart is used to classify you as a California resident or nonresident for tuition purposes. A nonresident classification may result in additional tuition unless you qualify for an exemption or special provision.

“California resident for tuition purposes” is a specific legal definition. Having a California driver’s license, vehicle registration, or being considered a California resident for tax or voting purposes may establish legal residence—but those factors alone do not automatically qualify you as a resident for tuition purposes.

California resident

• Enrollment fee: $46 per unit

Nonresident

• Enrollment fee: $46 per unit
• Plus: nonresident tuition

If you are classified as a nonresident, you may still have options. Some students who do not meet the residency requirements can receive an exemption from nonresident tuition. These exemptions change what you pay but do not change your residency classification.

How California Residency is Determined

California residency for tuition purposes is based on three connected concepts. CCCStart asks you to self‑certify information in these areas, and Cypress College Admissions & Records may follow up if clarification is needed.

1. Citizenship or other status

Your citizenship or other lawful status must fall into a qualifying category—such as U.S. citizen/national, permanent resident, certain protected or humanitarian statuses, or specific eligible visa types—to establish California residency for tuition purposes.

If you are unsure whether your status qualifies, you can select Unsure in CCCStart when that option appears or review the Understanding the Residency Questions guide.

2. Physical presence in California

Generally, you must have been physically present in California for more than one year immediately prior to the residence determination date.

If you are under 19, your residency is typically based on the residence of your parent or legal guardian.

3. Intent to make California your permanent home

Simply living in California is not enough. You must also show that California is intended to be your long‑term home rather than a temporary place to live while attending school.

Examples of actions that may help show intent include:

• Obtaining a California driver’s license or ID
• Registering a vehicle in California
• Registering to vote in California
• Maintaining California bank accounts or housing
• Filing California resident income taxes when required

For students from outside the U.S.: review how citizenship or immigration status affects residency.

Residency Review & Reclassification

Use this process if you need to clarify an answer from CCCStart, believe you answered a residency question incorrectly, selected Unsure, or your circumstances have changed after you were classified.

Common reasons to request a review:

Correcting or clarifying CCCStart answers Once you submit CCCStart, you cannot go back and edit your residency responses directly. The Residency Reclassification Request Form allows you to formally provide updated Yes/No answers.

Requesting a new review after being classified as a nonresident If you now meet the physical‑presence requirement, have established long‑term intent in California, or your citizenship/immigration status has changed, you can use the same form to request a new review.

The reclassification process:

1. Submit your information in CCCStart Your initial residency classification is based on the information you provide when you start your application. If you are unsure about a residency question, use the Unsure option when available rather than guessing.

2. Admissions & Records reviews your residency information If clarification is needed, Cypress College Admissions & Records may contact you by email. Students who selected Unsure can find more information in the Understanding the Residency Questions guide and the Residency Reclassification Request Form.

3. Complete the Residency Reclassification Request Form This form asks you to provide Yes or No answers to the residency questions and can be used to correct, clarify, or update your residency information.

Start the Residency Reclassification Request Form.

4. Provide supporting documents only if requested Most students do not need to submit additional residency documents solely because their information was entered in CCCStart. Admissions & Records may request documentation when information is conflicting, missing, or unclear, or when reviewing a specific exemption, exception, or reclassification request.

5. Receive your residency determination Admissions & Records will review the information you provide and notify you of the determination. Any change to your residency classification must be reviewed and confirmed by the office.

Questions about documentation or your classification? If you are unsure whether you need reclassification or a fee exemption, contact Cypress College Admissions & Records. Staff can help you identify the right next step.

---

Tuition Fee Exemptions

Even if you do not qualify as a California resident, you may be eligible for an exemption that reduces or eliminates nonresident tuition. These exemptions do not change your residency classification—you remain a nonresident—but they reduce what you owe.

AB 540 nonresident tuition exemption

AB 540 / AB 2000 / SB 68 / SB 1141 Public Postsecondary Education: Exemption from Nonresident Tuition

California’s tuition equity law—expanded multiple times since 2001—allows eligible students to pay in‑state tuition at California public colleges and universities.

Key topics typically covered:

• Who qualifies
• Eligibility requirements
• Important details
• Frequently asked questions, such as:
  • Does AB 540 make me a California resident for tuition purposes?
  • Can I count community college courses taken during high school (dual/concurrent enrollment)?
  • I earned a high school diploma outside California—can I still be eligible?
  • When and where do I submit my AB 540 affidavit?

Complete AB 540 form → View bill text →

Other tuition fee exemptions

Nonresident Tuition Fee Waiver (Six or Fewer Units) Students taking no more than six units combined at Cypress and Fullerton College may apply to have nonresident tuition waived. A current California address is required; F‑1 visa holders are not eligible.

• Eligibility requirements
  • Must be completed each semester the waiver is requested
  • F-1 visa holders and students with active I-20s are not eligible
  • Units at both Fullerton and Cypress College count toward the 6-unit total
  • Winter intersession units are combined with spring units
  • Students are still responsible for all enrollment fees and other student fees
• Complete the Non-Resident Tuition Waiver

Senate Bill 141 — Children of deported or voluntarily departed parents U.S. citizen students currently residing in a foreign country may be exempt from nonresident tuition under specific conditions.

• Eligibility requirements
  • Has a parent or guardian who was deported or voluntarily departed under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, and demonstrates financial need
  • Moved abroad as a result of the deportation or departure, and lived in California immediately before moving abroad
  • Attended a public or private secondary school in California for three or more years
  • Upon enrollment, will be in their first academic year as a matriculated student in California public higher education
  • Will be living in California and will file an affidavit stating intent to establish residency as soon as possible
• See the SB 141 bill text

Assembly Bill 2364 — Special admit & dual enrollment nonresident fee waiver Permits Cypress College to exempt qualifying nonresident special part‑time students from nonresident tuition. This provision does not apply to special full‑time students.

• This exemption does not apply to:
  • Students who reside outside California and enroll via Distance Education
  • Students on most nonimmigrant visas
• See the AB 2364 bill text

Assembly Bill 1232 — Nonresident tuition fee waiver for ESL classes Cypress College may waive nonresident tuition for students enrolling in ESL courses who have recently settled in California.

• Eligibility requirements
  • Recently settled in California and lived here for less than one year
  • Is a recent immigrant, recent refugee, or person granted asylum
  • The waiver removes non-resident tuition fees for ESL classes only. Students still pay the standard $46 per-unit enrollment fee
• See the AB 1232 bill text

Assembly Bill 343 — Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders & refugees Provides an immediate one‑year nonresident tuition fee exemption to eligible SIV holders and refugee students who settled in California upon entering the United States.

• Who qualifies
  • Iraqi citizens/nationals (and spouses and children) employed by or on behalf of the U.S. Government in Iraq (P.L. 110-181, § 1244)
  • Afghan and Iraqi translators (and spouses and children) who worked directly with the U.S. Armed Forces (P.L. 109-163, § 1059)
  • Afghan nationals employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government or ISAF in Afghanistan (P.L. 111-8, § 602)
  • Refugee students admitted under 8 U.S.C. § 1157
• See the AB 343 bill text

---

Residency for U.S. Military and Veterans

Members of the Armed Forces of the United States and their eligible dependents may qualify for in‑state tuition or nonresident tuition exemptions under California Education Code sections 68074, 68075, et seq., and AB 13 (VACA Act).

“Armed Forces of the United States” includes the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, Space Force, and the reserve components of each, as well as the California Army National Guard, Air National Guard, California State Military Reserve, and California Naval Militia.

Review information based on your status:

• Active‑duty military member stationed in California or maintaining domicile in California [Ed. Code § 68075 · Cal. Code Regs., tit. 5 § 54042]
  • Members of the armed forces domiciled or stationed in California are eligible for resident classification for tuition purposes at community colleges. This classification extends for the duration of their attendance, even if they are transferred out of state for military service, as long as they remain continuously enrolled.
• Dependents of active‑duty military members [Ed. Code § 68074 · Cal. Code Regs., tit. 5 § 54041]
  • Dependents of members of the armed forces stationed in California on active duty are eligible for resident classification for tuition purposes. This classification has no time limit. Even if the military member is transferred out of state, the dependent can maintain resident status as long as they remain continuously enrolled at a California community college.
• Discharged members of the U.S. military [Ed. Code § 68075.5 · Cal. Code Regs., tit. 5 § 54041]
  • A student who served in the U.S. armed forces stationed in California for over a year before discharge can be exempted from paying nonresident tuition for up to one year if they declare intent to establish residency in California. This exemption must be utilized while residing in California and within two years of discharge.
  • Individuals with dishonorable or bad conduct discharges are not eligible for this exemption.
• Veterans covered under the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (VACAA / Veterans’ Choice Act)
  • A student who lives in California and uses education benefits under Chapter 30, 31, or 33 is granted a waiver of non-resident tuition regardless of their formal state of residence. Under the Isakson and Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (Section 1005), the three-year enrollment-after-discharge requirement is no longer applicable effective August 1, 2021.
  • A covered individual is defined as:
    • A veteran, or
    • A spouse or dependent child using transferred benefits, or
    • A spouse or dependent child of a person whose active-duty transferor died on or after September 11, 2001, in the line of duty, or
    • A spouse or dependent child using transferred benefits where the transferor is serving on active duty (effective for terms beginning after July 1, 2017)
    • Students who initially qualify maintain “covered individual” status as long as they remain continuously enrolled

The Cypress College Veterans Resource Center (VRC) supports students in accessing VA education benefits, ensuring timely certification, connecting to veteran‑related resources, and providing academic support.

Visit the Veterans Resource Center.

California residency for military & veterans FAQs may address questions such as:

• Can the spouse of a military member become a California resident if the military spouse has not changed their residence?
  • Yes — two people who are married do not always have the same residence. Each student’s residence must be independently determined. If the student came to California in the company of their spouse who is in the military and was transferred here, there is a presumption that the student is a nonresident.
• Are there special provisions for a California resident who is transferred out of state on military orders and later returns to enroll?
  • The person would remain a California resident if their Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) continues to indicate California as the residence and they have done nothing while out of state to relinquish that residence. Members of the military stationed out of California are automatically exempt from California state taxes for the time they are absent, if military income is their sole income. If the military person has income from other sources, they are subject to California taxes on all other income wherever earned.