FAFSA residency dilemma - Will my 21-year-old living out-of-state qualify for in-state tuition?

Residency for tuition purposes and FAFSA dependency status are two separate things. Your daughter's FAFSA dependency status is based on federal criteria (age, marital status, degree level, etc.), not where she lives. At 21, she's likely still a dependent student for FAFSA unless she meets one of the independent student criteria. For tuition residency purposes, each state has different requirements. In Colorado, students generally need to have lived there for 12+ consecutive months with the intent to make Colorado their permanent home. If your daughter has truly established domicile in Colorado for 3 years (license, voter registration, tax filing in CO), she likely qualifies for in-state tuition regardless of where you live or your role on her FAFSA. I recommend she contact Colorado State's residency office directly to confirm her status. They'll have the definitive answer based on their specific requirements.

Just to add, in my experience Colorado is actually pretty strict about their residency requirements. My nephew had been living there for just over a year and still got denied in-state status because he was still on his parents' health insurance or something ridiculous like that. Definitely have her check with the school directly.

I went through this EXACT situation with my son in Washington state while I live in Oregon. For FAFSA purposes, your state of residence doesn't impact the federal aid calculation - the Student Aid Index (SAI) is calculated the same regardless of what state you live in. HOWEVER, for tuition purposes, every college has their own residency requirements that are separate from FAFSA. In our case, my son qualified for in-state tuition because he had: - Lived independently for 12+ months - Had his own apartment lease - Registered to vote in WA - Got a WA driver's license - Filed WA state taxes Despite me being his FAFSA parent contributor from another state, he still qualified for in-state rates. Your daughter should contact CSU's financial aid office ASAP to confirm.

nah ur overthinking this. if she lived there for 3 yrs she's fine for in-state. my cousin did this in arizona and it worked fine

I work in a university financial aid office, and I see this scenario frequently. The FAFSA and tuition residency determination are COMPLETELY separate processes. For FAFSA: Your daughter will likely still be considered a dependent student (unless she meets specific criteria like being married, a veteran, etc.), meaning your income information is required regardless of where either of you live. For tuition residency: Each institution follows their state's requirements. In Colorado, she typically needs: - 12+ months of physical presence in Colorado - Financial independence (at least partially) - Colorado driver's license - Colorado voter registration - Colorado tax returns - Evidence of intent to make Colorado her permanent home Being on your health insurance is usually NOT a disqualifier, but having you claim her as a dependent on your taxes MIGHT be in some states. I strongly recommend she contact Colorado State's residency office specifically, as policies vary by institution.

This stuff drives me CRAZY! When my daughter applied, we spent HOURS trying to reach someone at the financial aid office who could actually answer these questions clearly. Everytime we called we got disconnected or waited forever. Total nightmare!!! 😡

One additional thing to consider - some state scholarships and grants (separate from federal aid on the FAFSA) may have different residency requirements than the tuition residency determination. For example, some Colorado state grants might require both the student AND parent to be Colorado residents. Make sure she asks about eligibility for state-specific financial aid programs when she contacts the school.

lol this is why my kid is going to community college first... way less complicated

Quick update to my earlier comment - I just realized there's a specific form most Colorado schools use for establishing in-state tuition eligibility. It's called the "Colorado Residency Information Form" or something similar. Your daughter should ask for this specific form when contacting CSU. Also, she should keep ALL documentation showing her Colorado residency (lease agreements from the past 3 years, utility bills, pay stubs from Colorado employers, etc.). They often require quite a bit of proof.

As someone new to navigating FAFSA and college residency requirements, this thread has been incredibly enlightening! I'm dealing with a similar situation where my child has established residency in a different state than where I live. The distinction between FAFSA dependency status and tuition residency determination is something I never understood before reading these responses. One question I have - if a student qualifies for in-state tuition but the parent lives out-of-state, does that affect eligibility for any need-based aid programs? I'm wondering if there are any unexpected complications that could arise from this mixed residency situation beyond just the tuition classification. Also, @Ellie Perry, your insights as someone who works in financial aid have been invaluable. Thank you for clarifying how these processes actually work!

This conversation has been so helpful! I'm in a similar boat with my 20-year-old who moved to Oregon two years ago while I'm still in Nevada. Reading everyone's experiences has really clarified the difference between FAFSA dependency and tuition residency - I was completely mixing those up. One thing I wanted to add that might help @Nolan Carter and others: I found out that some schools have a "residency appeal" process if you initially get classified as out-of-state but believe you should qualify for in-state rates. So even if the initial determination isn't favorable, there's usually a way to present additional documentation and make your case. Also, @Teresa Boyd's suggestion about using Claimyr to reach financial aid offices is genius! I've been dreading making those calls but knowing there's a service that can help you actually get through to a human makes it seem much more manageable. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating these complex financial aid waters!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm finding this discussion incredibly valuable! I'm dealing with a somewhat similar situation with my 19-year-old who's been living in North Carolina for about 18 months while I'm still in Florida. Reading through everyone's experiences has really helped clarify that FAFSA dependency and state residency for tuition are completely separate issues - something I definitely didn't understand before. It's reassuring to see that several people have successfully navigated having their children qualify for in-state tuition even when the parent lives in a different state. @Ellie Perry, your professional insights have been especially helpful in understanding how these processes actually work. The checklist of requirements you provided gives me a clear roadmap for what documentation my son needs to gather. I'm curious - for those who have been through this process successfully, how long did it typically take to get a final residency determination from the school? I want to make sure we start this process with enough time before enrollment deadlines. Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences. This community is such a great resource for navigating these complex financial aid situations!

As someone new to this community, I'm incredibly grateful for this detailed discussion! I'm currently helping my 22-year-old navigate a similar situation - she's been living in Arizona for 2.5 years while I'm still in Michigan, and we're trying to figure out her residency status for Arizona State. Reading through everyone's experiences has been eye-opening. I had no idea that FAFSA dependency and tuition residency were completely separate determinations. @Ellie Perry, your professional perspective has been invaluable in clarifying how these systems actually work - thank you for taking the time to explain the specific requirements! One thing I'm wondering about that hasn't been mentioned yet: do summer breaks or temporary visits back to the parent's home state affect residency determination? My daughter typically comes back to Michigan for about 6-8 weeks each summer. I'm hoping this doesn't complicate her Arizona residency claim since she maintains her apartment lease and job there year-round. @Nolan Carter, I hope everything works out well for your daughter at CSU! Your situation gives me a lot of hope since she's been in Colorado even longer than my daughter has been in Arizona.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm finding this thread incredibly helpful! I'm in the early stages of dealing with a similar situation - my 20-year-old has been living in Washington state for about a year and a half while I'm still in California, and she's planning to apply to University of Washington for next fall. Reading through everyone's experiences has really clarified the distinction between FAFSA dependency status and state residency for tuition purposes. I had been conflating these two completely separate processes, which was causing a lot of confusion as I tried to plan our finances. @Ellie Perry, your professional insights have been particularly valuable - thank you for breaking down the specific documentation requirements so clearly. It's given me a much better understanding of what we need to prepare. One question I have: if a student establishes state residency but then takes a gap year before starting college, does that affect their residency status? My daughter is considering taking some time off to work and save money, but I want to make sure that wouldn't jeopardize her in-state tuition eligibility when she does enroll. @Nolan Carter, I'll be following your daughter's situation closely - three years of Colorado residency sounds like it should be very strong for establishing in-state status. Best of luck with CSU!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this incredibly detailed discussion! I'm currently facing a very similar situation with my 19-year-old who has been living independently in Florida for the past two years while I remain in Ohio. She's planning to apply to University of Florida, and like many of you, I was completely confused about how FAFSA dependency and state residency determinations work. Reading through all of your experiences has been a real eye-opener - I had no idea these were two completely separate processes! @Ellie Perry, your professional insights have been invaluable in helping me understand the specific documentation requirements and how these systems actually function. The checklist you provided gives me a clear roadmap for what my daughter needs to gather. @Nolan Carter, I'm following your situation closely since your daughter has even more established residency than mine. It's encouraging to see that she has all the key documentation (CO license, voter registration, tax filing) after 3 years there. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything works out for in-state tuition at CSU! One question that occurred to me reading through everyone's experiences: do colleges ever request additional documentation after an initial residency determination, or is it typically a one-time review process? I want to make sure my daughter keeps all her residency documentation organized and accessible even after enrollment. Thank you to everyone who has shared their real-world experiences navigating these complex systems - this community is such a valuable resource!