Resident status for the purposes of calculating tuition is complex. Institutions in the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education are responsible for determining resident status based upon Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education policy, interviews and documentation provided.
A resident of Oklahoma is someone who has lived in the state continuously for at least 12 months and whose domicile is in Oklahoma. It is the place where he or she intends to remain.
Domicile has two components – residence and intention to remain. Attendance at an educational institution is interpreted as temporary residence. Therefore, a student neither gains nor loses residence status solely by such attendance. A nonresident student attending an Oklahoma college or university on more than a half-time basis is presumed to be in the state primarily for educational purposes.
The burden of proof of establishing Oklahoma residence or domicile, including providing any supporting documentation, shall be upon the applicant. Since residence or domicile is a matter of intent, each case will be judged on its own merit by the appropriate institutional official(s) consistent with this policy.
Students attending an Oklahoma college or university may perform objective acts, some of which are required by law (i.e. payment of taxes), and all of which are customarily done by some nonresidents who do not intend to remain in Oklahoma after graduation, but are situationally necessary and/or convenient (i.e. registering to vote, obtaining a driver’s license). Such acts and/or declarations alone are not sufficient evidence of intent to remain in Oklahoma beyond the college experience.
For more information about residency, contact the State System institution you are attending or wish to attend.