Office of the Registrar

Residency for Tuition Purposes

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Sending documents to Residence Deputy

If more documents are needed to make a residency determination, you’ll get an E-Doc Request in your MyUCSC To-Do List. To send documents, email reg-residency@ucsc.edu and let them know which one you’re submitting.

Establishing California residency for tuition

If you’re a new or continuing student at UC Santa Cruz, your residency status affects the tuition and fees you’re charged. This page covers how residency is determined, how to complete the Statement of Legal Residence (SLR), what documents you may need, and important deadlines. You’ll also find info on exemptions, reclassification, and how to get help if needed.

Winter 2026 Undergraduate Admits 

Important information about Residency for Tuition Purposes. You will have access to view your residency Information page on Sept. 15, 2025. Currently, your status is “To Be Determined.” Check your residency status on Sept. 15, 2025.

  1. From your Student Homepage, select the Personal Information tile.
  2. Select Residency Information from the menu.

If you are required to complete the Statement of Legal Residence (SLR), you can do so once the form becomes available. Completing your SLR may assist with receiving your official residency for UC tuition and may provide you with an accurate financial aid offer. A link to the Statement of Legal Residence is available on your Residency Information page.

If the residence deputy requires additional documentation, you will be notified in your To Do list or in an email sent to your UCSC email account. Please note that this may take six to eight weeks upon receipt of your SLR.

If you received an out-of-state financial aid summary, it will be revised if you are classified as a California resident or granted a Nonresident Tuition Exemption.

  1. From your Student Homepage, select the Personal Information tile.
  2. Select Residency Information from the menu.

If you are required to complete the Statement of Legal Residence (SLR), you may complete it now. Completing your SLR may assist with receiving your official residency for UC tuition and may provide you with an accurate financial aid offer. A link to the Statement of Legal Residence is available on your Residency Information page.

If the residence deputy requires additional documentation, you will be notified in your To Do list or in an email sent to your UCSC email account. Please note that this may take six to eight weeks upon receipt of your SLR.

If you received an out-of-state financial aid summary, it will be revised if you are classified as a California resident or granted a Nonresident Tuition Exemption.

Establishing Residency

How to establish residency

The University of California uses the following information in establishing residence for purposes of tuition and fees:

Helpful Information Through the Residency Cycle

Residency as an Admitted Student—after submission of Statement of Intent to Register

All admitted students must complete the Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) in order to be assessed fees accurately each quarter to help determine if you meet residency requirements. Below is an outline and helpful information that will assist with completing the SLR.

  1. Residence Determination. After submitting your Statement of Intent to Register, you will receive a residency determination of Instate, Out of State, or Pending Review in your Residency Information. Click Personal Information, then select Residency Information from the menu. If your status is Pending Review, you will be asked to complete another questionnaire, the online Statement of Legal Residence form.
  2. How to Complete the SLR. Instructions to navigate to the SLR will be located on your To Do List.  Students who submit their SLR by the deadline will receive priority review:
    • Freshman deadline – Oct 20
    • Transfer deadline – Oct 20
    • Graduate deadline – Oct 20
  3. If you are an incoming student under the age of 24, your parent or parents’ information is used to determine residency for tuition purposes. You will be asked for information about your parents’ ties and time spent in California. It may be useful to have your parent(s) close by while you complete the parent information part of the SLR.
  4. Incorrect Determination. If you feel you received the incorrect classification, email reg-residency@ucsc.edu.
  5. Pending Review. The Residence Deputy will review your SLR and may request documents or more information before a determination can be made. Following the UC Regents Residence Policy and Guidelines, we determine if you meet the requirements for instate or qualify for an exemption of the Nonresident Supplemental Tuition.
  6. Documents Requested. The Residence Deputy will request documents in your MyUCSC portal To Do List and/or email. Some basic information about the requested documents may be found on UCOP’s website, but the documents vary depending on your individual situation. As soon as you receive a document request, get your documents together. You may need documents from your parents if you are under age 24 and their dependent.
  7. Check your My.UCSC To Do List, and your email.

Deadline to submit documents

To ensure your residency is determined before the assessment of fees in mid-August of the current year, you must submit all documents by the due date listed below:

  • Freshman – Nov 15
  • Transfer – Nov 15
  • Graduate Student – Nov 15

Residency hold

Students required to complete a Statement of Legal Residence and have not submitted it by the deadline will receive an enrollment hold until the form has been submitted. Enrollment holds may take 24 hours to remove. It is recommended that you remove complete the form to remove the hold today. 

Common Nonresident Tuition Exemptions

Forms

Requires Acrobat Reader 5.0 or later to use; if you do not have Acrobat Reader, you can download it from Adobe’s web site.

  • Statement of Legal Residence
    • New undergraduate and graduate students and returning students with an absence of two or more terms must submit a Statement of Legal Residence (SLR). This form is used to determine the fees that will be assessed. Students who do not submit the SLR will be classified as a Nonresident and will be assessed the Nonresident Supplemental Tuition.
      Students required to complete the SLR will be prompted on the To Do List in their MyUCSC portal. An enrollment hold will be placed until the form is received.
  • Continuing students must submit a Nonresident Reclassification Form to the Residency Deputy by the filing deadline.
  • Application for AB540 Nonresident Tuition Exemption

Residency Hold

The residence deputy will place a hold on your enrollment if you are required to complete the Statement of Legal Residence. Follow the instructions in your “To Do” list in MyUCSC. Once you complete this requirement, your hold will be released within 24 hours. For questions, submit an email inquiry to reg-residency@ucsc.edu.

Self Support Documentation

Students required to provide evidence of financial independence must complete and submit the documentation and self support form that is relevant to the term for which they are seeking a California resident classification. The self-support form is found here.

Sending documents to the Residence Deputy

If additional documents are needed to make a residency determination, a Residence Deputy will initiate an E-Doc Request, and students will be notified via their MyUCSC To-Do List. If you need to send documents to the Residence Deputy, email reg-residency@ucsc.edu and indicate which document you are trying to submit.

Residency Filing Deadlines

Filing Periods for New Students to Complete the Online Statement of Legal Residence Form (SLR)

Fall Term:
New Student SLR AvailableSLR DueDocument Deadline
First YearApplication SubmissionMay 1June 1
Transfer StudentsApplication SubmissionJune 6July 1
Graduate StudentsApplication SubmissionJune 6July 1
Winter Term:
New Student SLR AvailableSLR DueDocument Deadline
First YearSeptember 15October 20November 15
Transfer StudentsSeptember 15October 20November 15
Graduate StudentsSeptember 15October 20November 15

Academic Year Deadlines to Acquire Governmental Evidence of Intent

Undergraduate Deadlines

Term Establish Physical PresenceDeadline to Acquire IntentResidence Determination
Fall 2025Aug. 26, 2024Dec. 15, 2024Aug. 27, 2025
Winter 2026Jan. 4, 2025March 31, 2025Jan. 5, 2026
Spring 2026March 29, 2025June 15, 2025March 30, 2026
Fall 2026Aug. 25, 2025Dec. 15, 2025Aug. 26, 2026
Winter 2027Jan. 3, 2027March 31, 2026Jan. 4, 2027
Spring 2027March 28, 2026June 15, 2026March 29. 2027

Graduate Deadlines

Term Establish Physical PresenceDeadline to Acquire IntentResidence Determination
Fall 2025Sept. 24, 2024Dec. 15, 2024Sept. 25, 2025
Winter 2026Jan. 4, 2025March 31, 2025Jan. 5, 2026
Spring 2026March 29, 2025June 15, 2025March 30, 2026
Fall 2026Sept. 23, 2025Dec. 15, 2025Sept. 24, 2026
Winter 2027Jan. 3, 2026March 31, 2026Jan. 4, 2027
Spring 2027March 28, 2026June 15, 2026March 29, 2027

Returning Student Filing Deadline

Due dates appear in your To Do List in your MyUCSC portal.  If your residency is not determined by the filing deadline because of an incomplete SLR or missing documents, your status will change to nonresident, and you will not be eligible for a retroactive fee adjustment.

TermEstablish Physical PresenceDeadline to Acquire IntentFiling BeginsFiling EndsResidence Determination
Undergraduate Students
Fall 2025		Aug. 26, 2024Dec. 14, 2024June 15, 2025Aug. 27, 2025Aug. 27, 2025
Graduate Students
Fall 2025		Sept. 24, 2024Dec. 15, 2024June 15, 2025Aug. 27, 2025Sept. 25, 2025
Undergraduate  and Graduate Students
Winter 2026		Jan. 4, 2025March 31, 2025Oct. 15, 2025Nov. 26, 2025Jan. 5, 2026
Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Spring 2026		March 29, 2025June 15, 2025Jan. 15, 2026Feb. 27, 2026March 30, 2026

Filing Periods for Continuing Students

If you have been classified as a nonresident for UC Tuition, you may request a review of your Non-Resident (Out ofState) status on the basis that you have relinquished all out-of-state ties and can demonstrate intent to establish residency while simultaneously meeting the physical presence requirement by the relevant deadlines in the UC Residence Policy and Guidelines. To do so, students must complete a Nonresident Reclassification form online. Login to My.UCSC. Then visit the Nonresident Reclassification form. The form can also be found in the Undergraduate and Graduate Student eForms tiles in MyUCSC.

Below are the filing periods for continuing UC Santa Cruz students. Petitions will not be accepted after the deadline. Be prepared to provide documentation supporting your physical presence and intent to remain in California. Students who do not meet independent status must also provide documentation regarding their parent(s). Review the list of required residency documents before starting your form.

If your residency is not determined because of an incomplete SLR or missing documents, your status will revert to nonresident, and you will not be eligible for a retroactive fee adjustment.

TermEstablish Physical PresenceDeadline to Acquire IntentFiling BeginsFiling EndsResidence Determination
Undergraduate Students
Fall 2025		Aug. 26, 2024Dec. 14, 2024June 15, 2025Aug. 27, 2025Aug. 27, 2025
Graduate Students
Fall 2025		Sept. 24, 2024Dec. 15, 2024June 15, 2024Aug. 27, 2025Sept. 25, 2025
Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Winter 2026		Jan. 4, 2025March 31, 2025Oct. 15, 2025Nov. 26, 2025Jan. 5, 2026
Undergraduate and Graduate Students Spring 2026March 29, 2025June 15, 2025Jan. 15, 2026Feb. 27, 2026March 30, 2026

Residency Information for Tuition Purposes

The Residence Policy and Guidelines is the main source of residency information and is utilized by the Campus Residence Deputy to make determinations regarding residency. Read the full text of the Residency Policy and Guidelines here.

If you do not meet the University of California requirements for residence for tuition purposes on the residence determination date for each term in which you propose to attend the university, you must pay a Nonresident Supplemental Tuition in addition to all other fees. The residence determination date is the day instruction begins at the last of the University of California campuses to open for the quarter, and for schools on the semester system, the day instruction begins for the semester.

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Residency Drop-In Advising Session 

One-on-one virtual advising with a residence deputy is available. You will be placed in a virtual waiting room until the meeting host invites you in. 

Schedule: Please check the calendar for dates and times. This calendar is updated by 9:00 a.m. if there is a change in the schedule.

Web Access: Join meeting using this link.

Phone Access: Phone number +1 (669) 900 6833; use Meeting ID: 929 5019 0947; Passcode: 383939

Note: First-come first-served basis, 10 students maximum capacity based on limited resources. Although the Zoom meeting may appear “open” after these cutoff times, we will only be able to advise you if you entered the waiting room by the posted cutoff time and terms.  If time runs out, you may join the next drop-in session. Please have your UCSC ID card or other photo ID ready.  If you don’t have your photo ID, we can only provide general information.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following specific questions and answers are based on the assumption that the inquirer is a U.S. citizen or eligible Noncitizen. If you still have questions after reviewing this information, please contact the UCSC Residence Deputy at reg-residency@ucsc.edu.

The Residence Policy and Guidelines is the main source of residency information and is utilized by the campus residence deputy to make determinations regarding residency. Read the full text of the Residence Policy and Guidelines here.

Over the summer session, all students pay the same per-credit tuition fee regardless of legal residence.

Q: What is the Statement of Legal Residence?

A: The form used to determine if you will be assessed fees as an in-state student or an out-of-state student is called the Statement of Legal Residence, also known as the online SLR.

Q: Who must complete the Statement of Legal Residence (SLR)? 

A: New undergraduate and graduate students attending UCSC for the first time, as well as undergraduate and graduate students returning from an absence of two or more quarters.

Q: I am only attending for the summer. Do I need to complete the SLR? 

A: No. Students attending only for the summer at UCSC do not need to complete the SLR. During summer session, all students pay the same per-credit tuition fee regardless of legal residence.

Q: How do I complete the online SLR? 

A: Students required to complete the online SLR will be prompted by a request in their To Do List in the MyUCSC Student Center. Instructions will navigate you to the link where you will complete the online SLR.

Q: How do I know if my Statement of Legal Residence has been received by the Registrar’s Office?

A: Upon submitting your online SLR, you will immediately see a confirmation.

Q: How long does it take to make a determination of my resident status? 

A: SLR is processed in the order received. During peak times, reviewing your SLR may take 4-6 weeks before you see an update.

Q: How will I be notified if additional documentation is required?

A: If additional documentation is required, you will be notified in your To Do List or through an email sent to your UCSC email account.

Last modified: Oct 07, 2025