Residency Requirements

Students who have established California residency for at least one year and a day prior to the term in which they wish to enroll, and have met residency conditions required by state regulations, may enroll as California residents for tuition purposes.

Nonresidents

California residents – and residents of other states or territories – must pay nonresident tuition if they have not resided in California for one year and a day prior to the term in which they wish to enroll.

Students holding various visas, or undocumented or out-of-status immigrants, may not establish residency and must pay nonresident tuition when enrolling at De Anza. However, nonresidents may be able to establish residency if they meet the requirements of California Education Code § 68062. Others may be exempted from paying nonresident fees through AB 540 eligibility (§ 68130.5), which allows certain nonresident students who have attended a California high school for three years and earned a diploma or equivalent to be charged resident fees. (Students with nonstudent visas or who are out of status or undocumented should contact the Admissions and Records Office to determine residency and discuss other attendance eligibility requirements.)

Students who are attending another college on an F or F-1 visa, but wish to take a class at De Anza, must submit an official letter from the host college that issued their I-20 form. This letter should state the student’s standing, confirm their full-time status and provide authorization for the student to take specific De Anza classes.

Students seeking residency eligibility based on military active duty status, military dependent status or other military considerations, should contact the Veterans Resource Center at 408.864.8723 for specific eligibility criteria.

The Foothill-De Anza district uses the statewide OpenCCC system as its admissions application. This application is very strict about meeting state residency requirements and many applicants are initially given nonresident status based on application answers. Applicants who believe they meet residency requirements need to submit a Residency Reclassification Request Form to the Admissions and Records Office and provide state-approved documentation for review within two weeks of a new quarter.