Pennsylvania Resident Status
Students enrolling at Shippensburg University are classified as resident or nonresident for admission, tuition, and fee purposes by the admissions office. The decision is based on the information provided by the student and all other relevant information. The admissions office is authorized to require written documents, affidavits, verifications, or other evidence as are deemed necessary to establish the residence of a student. The burden of establishing residency for tuition and fee purposes is upon the student.
If there is a question as to residence after the student matriculates, the matter must be brought to the attention of the Vice President for Student Affairs at least two weeks prior to the deadline for the payment of tuition and fees. Any student found to have made a false or misleading statement concerning residence shall be subject to institutional disciplinary action and will be charged the non-resident fees for each academic term heretofore attended.
Residence Determined by Domicile
A minor is presumed to have the domicile of his/her parent(s) or guardian. The age of majority in the Commonwealth for establishing a domicile for tuition purposes is 22. Domicile within the Commonwealth means adoption of the state as a fixed permanent home and involves personal presence within the state with no intent on the part of the applicant or, in the case of the dependent student, the applicant's parent(s) to return to another state or country. Residing with relatives (other than parent(s)/legal guardian) does not, in and of itself, cause the student to attain residence in the Commonwealth for admission or fee payment purposes.
Pennsylvania domicile may be established upon the completion of at least 12 months of continued residence within the state prior to the date of registration, provided such 12 months residency is not primarily for the purpose of attendance at Shippensburg University. Priority consideration will normally be given to such evidence as the purchase of a Pennsylvania home, full-time employment within the state, paying Pennsylvania property tax, filing Pennsylvania income tax returns, and registering motor vehicles in Pennsylvania. Other items of importance which are required are registering to vote in Pennsylvania and the actual exercise of such right, possessing a valid Pennsylvania driver's license, and various other acts which may give evidence of intent to remain indefinitely within the state. Proof of a number of these actions shall be considered only as evidence which may be used in determining whether or not a domicile has been established. Factors mitigating against establishment of Pennsylvania residency might include such considerations as the student not being self-supporting, being claimed as a dependent on federal or state income tax returns, or the parents' health insurance if the parents reside out-of-state, and receiving financial assistance from state student aid programs in other states.
A student receiving a scholarship or grant dependent upon domicile from a state other than Pennsylvania is not domiciled in Pennsylvania.
For additional assistance in determining PA Domicile, please use the following:
Dependency Status
A dependent student is one who is listed as a dependent on the federal or state income tax return of his/her parent(s) or legal guardian or who received major financial support from that person. Such a student maintains the same residency as that of the parent(s) or legal guardian. In the event the parents are divorced or legally separated, the dependent student takes the residence of the parent with whom he/she lives or to whom he/she has been assigned by court order.
A minor may prove emancipation and independent domicile through convincing evidence. A non-resident student who becomes independent while a student at Shippensburg University does not, by reason of such independence alone, attain residence in the state for admission and fee payment purposes.
Change of Residence
A student who has been classified as an out-of-state resident and who seeks resident status must assume the burden of providing conclusive evidence he/she has established domicile in Pennsylvania with the intention of making his/her permanent home in this state. The intent to remain indefinitely in Pennsylvania is evidenced not only by a person's statements but also by that person's actions. An application should be obtained from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and returned to that office at least two weeks prior to the deadline for the payment of tuition and fees with sufficient evidence to support a request for a change to in-state residency for fee paying purposes. A student who changes domicile from Pennsylvania to another state must promptly give written notice to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.
Military
A member of the armed forces who was domiciled in the Commonwealth immediately preceding entry into government service and who has continuously maintained Pennsylvania as his or her legal residence shall be presumed to have a Pennsylvania domicile. Any military personnel or their dependents who are assigned to an active duty station in Pennsylvania and who reside in Pennsylvania shall be considered Pennsylvania residents for tuition payment purposes.
Aliens
A person attempting to establish domicile shall be a citizen or shall have indicated by formal action intention to become a citizen or shall have been admitted to the United States on an Immigrant Visa.