Residency Policy
The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is a state-supported
institution of higher education supported by legislative funds derived
from State of Oklahoma tax revenue. As a state tax-supported institution,
the University gives preference in tuition to residents of the State
of Oklahoma.
The University’s definition of the term "resident"
may be different from the definitions developed by other, non-university
agencies. The University does not recognize declarations of resident
status made by other agencies. Thus, a person who is an Oklahoma
resident for tax or voting purposes is not necessarily a resident
for University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center tuition purposes.
- Basic Definition of Resident Status
Resident status is granted to financially independent adults who
are permanently residing in Oklahoma and who have been physically
and continuously present in the State of Oklahoma for at least
one calendar year prior to the first day of class attendance at
any Oklahoma institution of higher education; and who, during
this one-year period, resided in Oklahoma for some reason other
than primarily to attend classes at a post-secondary educational
institution.
Resident status for tuition purposes is based on the location
of your permanent domicile. Domicile has two components, residence
and intent to remain indefinitely. A person can have more than
one residence, but only one domicile.
Attendance at an educational institution, albeit a continuous
and long term experience, is interpreted as temporary residence.
Therefore, a student neither gains nor loses resident status solely
by such attendance. Each residency petition is judged on its own
merit using the guidelines and regulations established by the
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. It is the student’s
responsibility to provide documentation to support a petition
for in-state tuition classification. Petitions will be
reviewed based upon the merits of the documentation supplied.
- Supporting Evidence or Documentation
Actions, such as the following, may help to support an application
for resident tuition status insofar as they apply to the Basic
Definition of Resident Status: maintaining a permanent
home/domicile in Oklahoma for at least 12 months prior to the
first day of class attendance at any Oklahoma institution of higher
education; listing Oklahoma as your tax state with the military;
Oklahoma automobile registration and driver’s license; evidencing
in some convincing way intent to remain in Oklahoma indefinitely
after graduation (in other than a graduate student capacity);
evidence of family ties to Oklahoma; owning property and paying
state property taxes, voter registration in Oklahoma. All
of these things will be taken into consideration as part of a
petition for in-state tuition classification, but are not in and
of themselves sufficient to establish residency.
The issue of intent to remain in Oklahoma after completing one’s
education is important in reclassifying financially independent
adult students. Each individual must present his or her own special
set of circumstances, along with documentation, to support the
contention that he or she intends to remain in Oklahoma after
graduation or ceasing to enroll as a student. Verification of
full-time employment after graduation is an example of documentable
intent to remain. This is not the only means to establish this
intent. All materials and circumstances presented by the student
will be considered, but the evidence must clearly and convincingly
show a student’s intent to stay in Oklahoma.
- Residency Decisions The University
has been authorized to make residency determinations for tuition
purposes for its individual students, either at the time of initial
enrollment, or as the result of a petition for reclassification.
The Office of Admissions and Records is designated to make these
determinations for the University. Contact the Office of Admissions
and Records, 941 Stanton L. Young Blvd., Basic Sciences Education
Building, Room 200, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104 or please contact
the Office of Admissions and Records at (405) 271-2347 extension
48902 with questions concerning resident classification. Petition
forms are available on the Web at http://www.ouhsc.edu/admissions/PDF/respet.pdf.
- Students from Other States
If a student from another state moves to Oklahoma for the
primary purpose of attending a post-secondary institution,
that student shall be classified as a non-resident and will
remain a non-resident throughout his or her presence as a
student, unless he or she takes certain actions to meet the
Basic Definition of Resident Status.
- Dependent Students
Dependent students are those who are receiving at least 50%
of their total financial support from parent(s) and/or are
claimed as tax dependents on their parents’ federal
tax return. Dependent students acquire the resident status
of their parents. In some cases, parents or a parent may relinquish
primary financial support to a grandparent, sibling, or other
relative (including a natural parent who resides in Oklahoma
when the other parent does not) with whom the student resides
and receives benefits of room, board, and other financial
support including tuition payment. If this relation meets
the Basic Definition of Resident Status,
dependent students will similarly be classified as Oklahoma
residents for tuition purposes.
- Oklahoma Resident Parents Moving Out Of
State
If an Oklahoma resident parent of a dependent student moves
his or her residence to another state, the dependent student
remains eligible for resident status as long as he or she
does not break his or her enrollment at the University for
a period long enough to require readmission (more than one
calendar year). Should readmission be required, the dependent
student will be considered a resident of the state in which
the parent(s) reside(s).
- Spouses and Common Households
Marital status and common household relationships may support
an application for resident status, but do not in and of themselves
meet the Basic Definition of Resident Status.
Presence in Oklahoma because a spouse is in school full-time
does not qualify either spouse for resident status, even if
the non-student spouse is working full-time.
- Full-Time Professional Practitioner or
Worker
An individual who provides evidence of having come to Oklahoma
to practice a profession on a full-time basis, conduct a business
full time, or work on a full-time basis shall be immediately
declared an Oklahoma resident for tuition purposes along with
his/her spouse and dependent children, so long as he/she continues
in such full-time employment capacity for at least one calendar
year and can document such upon request by the University.
- Immigrants
Students who are not United States citizens but hold permanent
resident status in the United States or have a refugee visa
or political asylum visa status, may be considered for resident
status assuming they meet the Basic Definition of
Resident Status. The visa statuses previously mentioned
do not automatically grant resident status for tuition purposes.
- Non-Immigrants
Non-immigrants residing in this country or state under a temporary
visa, such as F or J visas, shall be classified as non-resident
and are not eligible for reclassification for tuition purposes.
- Active Duty Military Personnel Stationed
in Oklahoma Not Claiming Oklahoma as Their Tax State
Active duty military personnel (and their dependents) who
are stationed in Oklahoma and are not claiming Oklahoma as
their tax state are considered non-residents. They are, however,
entitled to a non-resident tuition waiver, providing a statement
of military status in Oklahoma is provided to the Office of
the Bursar each semester before or at the time of fee payment.
Documentation of military status in Oklahoma can be obtained
from the base education office.
- Temporary Absences
An Oklahoma resident may be absent from the state and retain
Oklahoma resident status for tuition purposes provided he
or she is enrolled as a non-resident in a full-time accredited
post-secondary institution or is on active military duty and
claims Oklahoma as his or her tax state and has not established
resident status in any other state or the District of Columbia.
Oklahoma residents who leave the state for other reasons may
be gone up to one calendar year without jeopardizing their
resident status if they do not establish resident status in
any other state or in the District of Columbia. Temporary
absences lasting longer than one year will result in the loss
of resident status unless there are extenuating circumstances
and extraordinary efforts have been made to maintain Oklahoma
residency during the absence.
- Resident Tuition Reciprocity
The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center does not participate
in any in-state tuition reciprocity agreement with bordering states.
- The Academic Common Market
The University does participate in the Southern Regional Education
Board (SREB) Academic Common Market non-resident tuition waiver
program. This tuition waiver applies only to certain states and
certain majors and does not constitute a change of resident status.
For more information on the Academic Common Market, please contact
the Office of Admissions and Records Regulatory Officer at (405)
271-2347 extension 48908. Last Updated: June 1, 2004
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