Residency Requirements

Your domicile is defined as a fixed, permanent home to which you intend to return following an absence.

• Your physical presence alone isn’t enough. Establishing an in-state domicile is more than simply residing in New York State to attend school. You must also abandon your prior state of residence, adopt New York as your permanent home and intend to remain in New York permanently.  
• You may have multiple residences but only one domicile. That domicile is retained until it is fully abandoned, and a new domicile is established. Your domicile must be located inside New York State to qualify for in-state tuition.
• Your age also plays a factor:
  • Students aged 23 or younger are generally classified as dependents and considered to share the state residency of their parent(s) or guardian(s). Note: If you are financially dependent on your parents or guardians, you will be required to submit documentation in their name.
  • Students aged 24 or older are not deemed to have the same state residency as their parent(s) or guardian(s).
• Establishing a domicile takes 12 months. You must have a New York domicile at least one year before the semester/term starts to qualify for in-state tuition. You’ll be expected to maintain your New York domicile beyond that point.

Additional Guidance for Non-citizens: Permanent resident aliens, refugees and asylees (including those with pending applications), some undocumented aliens, and Non-Immigrant Aliens with certain types of visa classifications may establish in-state residence. Please refer to the SUNY Policy for details.
 

How do you prove your domicile is in New York State?

You must complete the Application for New York State Residency for Tuition Billing Purposes. The application will request documentation proving an in-state domicile.

Documentation must be dated at least 12 months before the semester/term in which you are applying, unless otherwise noted. Acceptable documents include:

• New York State voter registration
• New York State driver’s license or non-driver ID
• New York State vehicle registration
• New York State property ownership or lease
• New York State income tax return
• New York State bank account (one statement from the prior year and one current statement)
• New York State utility bill (one statement from the prior year and one current statement)
• Receipt of New York State public assistance 

 If you attended and graduated from a New York State high school, or earned your GED in New York State, please review the two options below to determine whether you are eligible to complete the Express Application for New York State Residency for Tuition Billing Purposes. 

• New York State Diploma:
  • You are eligible if: You attended an approved New York State high school for two or more years, graduated from an approved New York State high school and applied for admission to UAlbany within five years of receiving a New York State high school diploma.
  • How to provide proof: Ask your high school to send an official, final copy of your high school transcript showing you were awarded a diploma directly to the appropriate UAlbany admissions office.
• New York State GED:
  • You are eligible if: You attended an approved six-month New York State program for a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) exam preparation, received a GED and applied for admission to UAlbany within five years of receiving the GED.
  • How to provide proof: Ask your high school, your preparation program and/or the New York State Education Department to send an official copy of your GED and official documentation of the preparation program you attended directly to the appropriate UAlbany admissions office.

Additional Guidance for Non-citizens: Permanent resident aliens, refugees and asylees (including those with pending applications), some undocumented aliens, and Non-Immigrant Aliens with certain types of visa classifications may establish in-state residence. Please refer to the SUNY Policy for details.

If your domicile is outside New York State, you may still be eligible for in-state tuition if at least one of the following applies to you:

• You or your spouse is a member of the military on full-time, active-duty station in New York State.
• You are or were eligible to receive GI Bill or other military benefits.

Please review SUNY’s Military In-state Tuition Eligibility Requirements for detailed guidance on eligibility.

For additional information, please visit the Office of Veteran and Military Student Services website.
 

How do you prove your veteran or military-connected status?

Please contact Veteran & Military Student Services at [email protected] to apply for residency.

UAlbany makes an initial residency determination when you're admitted. If your admission application includes missing and/or conflicting information, you will be coded as an out-of-state resident, pending verification of your residency status.

Learn more about the initial residency determination.

No — unless the relative is your legal, court-appointed guardian. Learn more about establishing a New York State domicile.

Students aged 23 or younger are generally classified as dependents and considered to share the state residency of their parent(s) or guardian(s).

Students aged 24 or older are not deemed to have the same state residency as their parent(s) or guardian(s).  

Learn more about establishing a New York State domicile.

No. Students seeking resident tuition status must demonstrate that they meet SUNY residency requirements or qualify under one of the approved exceptions.

We do not review residency applications or documentation before submission. Our office’s role is to determine whether a student has met the state requirements for residency classification for tuition purposes. However, we can clarify those requirements and answer general questions about the application.