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Undergraduate Admissions
Office of the Registrar. The student will be notified in writing of the decision following the final review. Deadlines for submitting petitions to be considered for reclassification in a given semester are as follows: In-state status (and associated in-state tuition) is not granted on a retroactive basis. If you are receiving federal financial aid, please seek advice from the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid on how a reclassification may affect your aid. Regulations governing the in-state/out-of-state status of students are the responsibility of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and apply to all colleges and universities of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. Section I. Purpose Oklahoma Statute 70 O.S., Supp. 2003, §3218.2 authorizes the State Regents to establish tuition and fees charged at public institutions to instate/out-of-state postsecondary students. This policy statement establishes definitions, principles, criteria, and guidelines to assist institutional officials in the classification of postsecondary students as instate/out-of-state students. Also, the policy statement should be helpful to prospective students in the determination of their in- state/out-of-state status prior to enrollment or for those out-of-state students seeking to be reclassified as in-state. Determination of in-state status for purposes of attendance at an institution in the state is based primarily on domicile as defined below. Since 1890, it has been public policy in Oklahoma to provide comprehensive, public higher education opportunities for citizens make to improve themselves, to upgrade the knowledge and skills of the Oklahoma work force, and to enhance the quality of life in Oklahoma generally. Therefore, residents of Oklahoma are afforded subsidies covering a portion of their educational costs at state colleges and universities. Out-of-state students are also provided educational subsidies, although at lower levels than those provided for permanent instate students. Out-of-state tuition waivers provide Oklahoma institutions the ability to attract and graduate out-of-state students with academic abilities and talents who contribute to the economic development, vitality and diversity of the state’s campuses. Additionally, Oklahoma institutions located near the state’s borders are especially sensitive to serving demographic areas where population, tax dollars, property ownership, etc., cross state borders frequently. Out- of-state tuition waivers allow institutions to serve the community and surrounding area to the benefit of the institution and its students without detriment to Oklahoma residents. Section II. Definitions 1. Dependent Person - is one who is under the care, custody, and support of a parent or legal guardian. 2. Domicile - is a person’s true, fixed, permanent home or habitation. It is the place where he or she intends to remain and to which he or she expects to return. A person can have more than one residence, but only one domicile. Domicile has two components - residence and the intent to remain. When these two occur, there is domicile. 3. Documented foreign national - is a person who was born outside the jurisdiction of the United States (U.S.), is a citizen of a foreign country, and has not become a naturalized U.S. citizen under U.S. law, but has entered the U.S. by way of legal documentation such as a visa. 4. Full-Time Active Duty Military Personnel - for the purposes of this policy, are members of the armed forces who are on active duty for a period of more than 30 days (means active duty under a call or order that does not specify a period of 30 days or less). Personnel and their
spouse and dependent children may be classified upon admission as in-state as long as they are continuously enrolled. “Armed Forces” means Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Such term does not include full-time National Guard duty. 5. Full-time Professional Practitioner or Worker - is a U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident who has come to Oklahoma to practice a profession on a full-time basis, conduct a business full-time, or work on a full-time basis. 6. Full-Time Student - is an undergraduate student enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester in an academic year or a minimum of six credit hours in a summer session. A full-time graduate student is one enrolled in a minimum of nine credit hours per semester or as required by the institution. 7. Independent person - is one who is responsible for his or her own care, custody and support. 8. In-state status - is a classification for a post-secondary student who has lived continuously in Oklahoma for at least 12 months not primarily as a post-secondary student, has established domicile in Oklahoma, and meets requirements associated with in-state status including sections IV, VII and VIII. Students classified upon admission as in-state are eligible to apply for state scholarship and financial aid programs. 9. Lawful permanent resident - is a naturalized alien who has been granted official immigration status as a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. This is evidenced by a lawful permanent resident card (also called a “green card”). 10. Out-of-state status - means an individual does not meet in-state requirements defined in this policy unless otherwise allowed by exceptions or provisions in policy. 11. Out-of-state tuition waiver - is the portion of tuition that is waived in excess of that paid by students classified as in-state. 12. Undocumented student - is a person who was born outside the jurisdiction of the U.S., is a citizen of a foreign country, and has not become a naturalized U.S. citizen under U.S. law and has entered the U.S. without documentation. 13. U.S. Citizen - is a person born in the United States, a U.S. Territory or former U.S. Territory or who has been granted citizenship by the U.S. Government. Section III. Principles As part of the admissions process, institutions are responsible for determining students’ in-state/out-of-state status consistent with this policy. Administrators interview students, review documentation and are in the best position to determine whether the student may be classified as in-state. Each institution must designate an appropriate administrative official (most often the Admissions Officer) as responsible for administration of this policy. The burden of proof to establish in- state status shall be upon the student. Since residence or domicile is a matter of intent, each case will be judged on its own merit by the appropriate administrative official(s) consistent with this policy. Mere assertion by a student such as checking “In-State” on the application for admission is insufficient. The appropriate administrative official must review relevant documents, consider the policy principles and procedures, circumstances, and documentation to determine in-state status. While no set criteria, documentation, or set of circumstances can be used for this purpose, the principles outlined below guide the process. 1. Attendance at a post-secondary educational institution, albeit a continuous and long-term experience, does not establish in-state
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