Archive: Graduate Catalog 2011-2012 - Alabama A&M University

RESIDENCY STATUS
REQUIREMENTS FOR RESIDENCY
For the purpose of assessing tuition and fees, AAMU
classifies students as Alabama residents or nonresidents.
Residency, for this purpose, means
domicile; domicile means living in the state of
Alabama with the intent to make Alabama a fixed
and permanent home. For example, students may
have more than one home address but only one
domicile. All out-of-state students must pay nonresident
fees. A student who comes to Alabama for
the purpose of attending an institution of higher
education is considered a non-resident student.
Registration for voting, obtaining an Alabama
driver’s license, purchasing of property, and
employment in Alabama are considered necessary
components of establishing residency. Students from
outside of Alabama will be assumed to be nonresident
students, unless they affirmatively fall within
the criteria specified below.
RESIDENCY CLASSIFICATION FOR
TUITION PURPOSES
In Alabama, as in all other states, tuition at publicly
supported four-year universities is higher for nonresident
students than for resident students. The rules
used in determining residency seek to ensure that
only legal Alabama residents are assessed the
resident fee. Many of these rules appear below:
1. Residency is a person’s true, fixed, and
permanent home and place of habitation. It is the
place where a person intends to remain and to
which the person expects to return when the
person leaves without intending to establish a
new domicile elsewhere. In order to establish a
domicile in Alabama, a person must maintain a
predominant physical presence in Alabama for
12 consecutive months after moving to the state.
2. No emancipated minor or person 19 years of age
or older shall be deemed to have gained or
acquired Alabama residency status for tuition
purposes while attending any educational
institution in this state, unless the individual
makes a clear demonstration that he/she has
established residency in this state.
3. A financially dependent person who is claimed
as a dependent by another person who has not
established and maintained an Alabama
residency shall be presumed to be a nonresident.
This presumption may be overcome by evidence
of the student’s long-standing presence in
Alabama and demonstration of other factors (For
complete details, contact the Office of the
Registrar)
4. A full-time employee of AAMU, his/her spouse,
and dependent children under age 25, may
register for the payment of resident fees, even
though they have not been residents of Alabama
for the preceding 12 months.
5. Military personnel and their dependents
stationed in Alabama and on active military duty
are entitled to Alabama residency classification
for tuition purposes.
For full details about residency, contact the Office of
the Registrar.
CHANGES IN RESIDENCE STATUS
Applicants who are classified by AAMU as nonresidents
but who later claim to qualify as legal bona
fide residents of Alabama must file a Petition for
Alabama Residency Classification for Tuition
Purposes with the Office of Graduate Studies.
To receive consideration, petitions for change of
status and all supporting documentation must be filed
with the Office of Graduate Studies for the
prospective session on or before:
Fall Semester ................................................... July 15
Spring Semester .............................................. Nov. 15
Summer Sessions ........................................... April 15
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