FAFSA denied in-state status despite meeting residency requirements - affecting aid eligibility

This doesn't seem right at all!!! I went through something similar but with a different state last year. For FAFSA purposes, each school should be following the same state residency guidelines, not making up their own rules. The fact that other schools in your state have classified you correctly as in-state is HUGE - you should definitely use that as evidence.\n\nDid you file a formal appeal with your school's residency office? There should be an official appeal process where you can submit documentation. Bring copies of your state ID, tax forms, utility bills, your acceptance letters from other schools showing in-state status, everything!

Yes, I filed two separate appeals and included ALL of those documents! They still denied both appeals with the same reason - that I don't live with my bio parents. It makes no sense because I'm 19 and legally independent. The appeals committee wouldn't even meet with me in person.

omg this is so wrong. they cant just make up their own rules for who counts as a resident! what state is this in? some states have different requirements but none that i know of say u need to live with parents at 19 lol thats ridiculous

I'm in Colorado. And yeah, it feels like they're just making up rules! The person I talked to in the residency office literally told me that because I moved here

This is definitely unusual and likely incorrect. For FAFSA and state residency purposes, at 19 you should be able to establish your own residency independent of your parents if you've met the state's requirements (typically 12 months of physical presence, intent to remain, and financial independence).\n\nWhat you should do immediately:\n\n1. Request the school's written residency policy and the specific statute/regulation they're citing to deny you in-state status\n\n2. Contact your state's higher education agency directly (not just representatives) - they typically have authority over residency classification standards\n\n3. Ask the other schools that classified you as in-state to provide their written justification for that decision\n\n4. If these steps don't work, consider consulting with an education attorney as this could be worth fighting given the $24,000/year difference\n\nThe inconsistency between schools in the same state suggests someone is applying the rules incorrectly.

Thank you for this detailed advice! I've requested the policy but they only sent me a link to the general website. I'll specifically ask for the statute they're using. I never thought about asking the other schools for their written justification - that's brilliant! I'll try the state higher education agency again, but this time I'll ask to speak with someone who specifically handles residency classification disputes.

this happened to my roommate last year! the school was being super shady about it. turned out they were trying to meet some quota for out-of-state students because they get more $$ that way. he had to threaten legal action before they suddenly \

OMG that's so sketchy! I didn't even consider they might have financial incentives to classify students as out-of-state. Did your roommate hire a lawyer or just threaten to? I'm wondering if I need to get legal help at this point.

I worked in university administration for 15 years, and this situation doesn't sound right. Each state has specific residency requirements for tuition purposes, and while schools have some discretion in how they apply these rules, they should be consistent across institutions in the same state.\n\nOne issue might be the distinction between residency for FAFSA purposes versus residency for tuition purposes - they're not always the same. Your FAFSA dependency status is determined by federal guidelines, while your residency for tuition is determined by state guidelines.\n\nBased on what you've described, you appear to meet Colorado's requirements for establishing domicile (12 months presence, state ID, voter registration, etc.). The school might be incorrectly applying a rule about financial independence.\n\nI'd recommend contacting the Colorado Department of Higher Education directly at 303-862-3001. They oversee residency classifications for the state's institutions and can clarify if the school is misapplying the rules.

Thank you so much for explaining this! I didn't realize there could be a difference between FAFSA residency and tuition residency. That might explain some of the confusion when I talk to different offices. I'll definitely call that number - it helps to have a specific contact instead of just the general department.

I had SO much trouble getting through to anyone at my school's financial aid office when I had a similar problem. Have you tried using Claimyr? My friend recommended it when I was trying to reach the FSA agents about my dependency status dispute. It got me through to an actual person at claimyr.com after spending DAYS trying on my own. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Might help you get to someone who can actually fix this!

I haven't heard of Claimyr before - thanks for the suggestion! It's been impossible to get through to anyone who can actually help. I'll check out that demo. Did you have to wait long when using it?

Not at all! That's the whole point - they handle the waiting for you and call when they get a real person. Saved me like 3 hours of hold time. For something this important (literally $24k per year!), it was totally worth it.

Ugh this same thing happened to my sister at CU Boulder last year!!! They're the WORST about residency stuff. She finally got it fixed but only after she got our state representative involved. Literally had to get a politician to make them follow their own rules. So messed up.

That's exactly where I'm having this problem! CU Boulder! I can't believe your sister had the same issue. Can I ask how she contacted your state rep? Did she just call their office or was there a specific person she talked to?

No way! I knew it had to be Boulder lol. She emailed the rep's office first, then they had her fill out some form about constituent services. The staff person who helped was named Jessica or Jennifer, something with J. It took about 3 weeks but they eventually forced the school to review her case and they magically found she was a resident after all 🙄

Based on your follow-up comments, I can now see this is specifically a CU Boulder issue. Colorado law (C.R.S. §23-7-102) clearly establishes that domicile for tuition purposes requires physical presence and intent to make Colorado your permanent home.\n\nBoulder appears to be misapplying the \

This is INCREDIBLY helpful! Thank you for the specific statute and contact information. I've been asking for the legal basis for their decision and they keep giving vague answers. I'll email that address at the state level today and request the meeting with the actual Tuition Classification Officer, not just their assistants. This gives me hope that I might be able to resolve this!