Residency Information for Tuition Purposes

Attention: You must be classified as a Florida Resident for Tuition Purposes before the first day of the term you are planning to attend.

Every applicant for admission to Seminole State College is required to make a statement as to his or her length of residence in the state. The student must establish their presence or the presence of his or her parent or parents is currently in the state and has been for the previous 12-months. The student's resident status must be for the purpose of maintaining a bona fide domicile, rather than for the purpose of maintaining a mere temporary residence or abode prior to enrollment at Seminole State College.

To qualify as a Florida resident for tuition purposes the student must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident alien, or a legal alien granted indefinite stay by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, who has maintained legal residence in Florida for at least twelve months. Legal residence in Florida is established when certain legal ties to the state are made. Therefore, the student must provide evidence, which satisfactorily proves that the student (or their claimant) meet the legal requirements to qualify as a Florida resident for tuition purposes.

Living or attending school in Florida will not, in itself, establish residency. Students who depend upon out-of-state parents for support are presumed to be legal residents of the same state as their parents. The Florida Statute on residency, FS 240.1201, classifies a student as a dependent or independent student based on United States Internal Revenue Service Income Tax Codes.

• Dependent: a person for whom 50% or more of his/her support is provided by the claimant.
• Independent: a person who provides more than 50% of his/her own support.

• If the student is claimed as a dependent on a tax return other than their own, they will not be classified as an independent student.
• Documents supporting the establishment of legal residence must be dated, issued, or filed 12 months before the first day of the term for which a Florida resident reclassification is sought.
• The following is a list of acceptable documents to prove Florida residency:
• No single document shall be conclusive. A minimum of two documents is required.
• Faxed documents are not acceptable.

Please complete the Florida Resident Affidavit and submit it to the Records Office with the requested documentation. If the student is dependent, they must have the person (claimant) who provides their support complete the affidavit and provide the required documentation. Return this affidavit to: Seminole State College, Records Office, 100 Weldon Blvd., Sanford, Florida 32773. (Effective 8/27/04)

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