Residency Requirements

At the time of registration students are required to furnish a statement of legal residence.

1. Any student who is a legal resident of the State of California (see Legal Residency) may attend classes in the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District tuition free. However, in the California Community College, there is an enrollment fee charge which must be paid at the time of registration.

2. Nonresident students may attend the college but must pay full tuition, in addition to the California Community College enrollment fee, at the time of registration. No personal checks are accepted in payment of tuition and fees from nonresidents.

3. Foreign students who have met special admission procedures and enrollment priorities may attend and are considered nonresidents but must pay full tuition and fees at the time of registration. No personal checks are accepted in payment of tuition and fees from nonresidents.

4. Non-residents and undocumented students who have attended a California high school for 3 or more years and have graduated from a California high school may be exempt from non-resident tuition (AB540). These students are required to pay other specific mandatory fees. This new law, AB540, does not grant California residency, but it allows certain non-resident students exemption from paying non-resident tuition. Students exempted from paying nonresident tuitions do not become residents for eligibility purposes for any state-funded program.

5. Tuition (for non-residents) is set annually by the District Board of Trustees. As of this publication, the current tuition is set at $149.00 per unit. Consult the current Schedule of Classes for accurate tuition costs.

LEGAL RESIDENCY

Students are defined as legal residents of California if they fulfill one of the following requirements:

1. Student must be at least 19 years of age, and have been a legal resident of California for more than one year immediately preceding the day before the first day of instruction for the semester they propose to attend San Jose City College.

2. Unmarried students between 18 and 19 years of age shall have their residency classification determined by considering (a) the residency status of their parents while they are under 18 and (b) their own residency after they become 18. The total time (a plus b) must be more than one year as outlined in number 1 above. Unmarried students who are under 18 years of age and can prove they have been entirely self-supporting and present in California for more than two years shall be determined to be California residents.

3. Community College Instructors: Students who are employed by a California Community College district in a full-time certificated position are classified tentatively as residents for the first year they teach in California. During that time they must have taken steps to become California residents.

4. Military: Students on active duty based in California (and not assigned for educational purposes to a state supported institution of higher education) or their spouses or children may be considered California residents. A person under this classification shall be tentatively classified a resident for the first year he/she is stationed in California. After that time the student must have taken steps to become a California resident (e.g. have a California driver's license, have voter registration in California, and file California State income tax on his/her earnings.)

5. Public California College or University full-time Employee: The employee, spouse, or child is classified tentatively as a resident for the first year they reside in California. During that time they must have taken steps to become California residents.

6. An indentured apprentice is a California resident for classes which are related to their apprenticeship.

7. Adult aliens who are or are becoming permanent U.S. residents and who have been residents of California for more than one year may be given resident status. Adult aliens who are between 18 and 19 years of age shall have their residency classification determined by considering (a) the residence status of their parents while they were under 18 and (b) their own residency after they become 18. The  total time (a plus b) must be more than one year.

8. Minor aliens whose parents meet the criteria in number 7 above may be classified as residents.

9. Students who are less than 19 years old and have been under the direct care and control of an adult other than their parents for a period of not less than two years provided that the adult or adults are legal residents of California.

10. Students or their parents who earn their livelihood by performing agricultural labor for hire and have performed such labor in California for at least two months per year in each of the preceding two years.

11. Minor students may not by their own acts, by the appointment of a guardian, or by release of control by the parent, change their residency while either parent is living.

12. Unmarried minors living outside of the State of California, and who are receiving over fifty percent of their support from a California resident, may be eligible for instate tuition.

13. An individual who has been hired by a California public peace officer agency is a California resident for Peace Officer Training classes.

14. All others shall be classified as nonresident students and shall be required to pay the nonresident tuition and associated fees at the time of registration. Classifications shall be based on evidence deemed necessary by the College. Students may be required to certify these residency statements under penalty of perjury or certify them under oath to the Director of admissions and Records, who is authorized by the Governing Board to receive oaths.

All questions regarding residency should be directed to the Office of Admissions and Records.

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