Residency Information & Appeals

A dependent student is one supported wholly or in part by his or her parents or legal guardian. The domicile (a person’s true, fixed and permanent home) of a dependent student is considered to be the domicile of their father and mother provided both are living or in the case of legally separated or divorced parents, either a parent with legal custody or a parent providing more than one-half of total financial support.

To be considered a New Hampshire resident for tuition purposes, the parent or legal guardian of a dependent student must be domiciled in New Hampshire. To be domiciled in New Hampshire, a person must have established permanent residency in the state for at least twelve months prior to the semester for which reclassification is sought.

Some of the evidence that may be required to prove a New Hampshire domicile are:

• Residence of parent and student reported on federal or state tax forms
• Registration of parent’s and student’s automobiles
• State issuing parent’s and student’s driver’s license
• Voting residence of parent and student
• Payment of tax levied by the state or locality on persons domiciled therein
• Proof of date that permanent residency was established in NH

Note that it is not sufficient for a dependent student simply to acquire a New Hampshire driver’s license or register to vote in the state. Nor is it sufficient for the parent or legal guardian to own property in New Hampshire. For a dependent student to be considered for reclassification, the domicile of the parent or legal guardian must be New Hampshire and permanent residency must have begun at least twelve months before the term for which reclassification is sought.

To be considered independent (or emancipated), a student must meet several tests. The most significant are lack of financial support by the parents or legal guardian, failure of the parent to claim the person as a dependent on her or his income tax return, and establishment by the student of a domicile separate and apart from that of the parents.

To be considered a New Hampshire resident for tuition purposes, an independent student must be domiciled in New Hampshire. To be domiciled in New Hampshire, a person must have established permanent residency in the state for at least twelve months prior to the semester for which reclassification is sought.

The system rules stipulate that no one is eligible for in-state tuition unless they established that their residence in New Hampshire is for some purpose other than obtaining an education. Thus, a student claiming to be independent has the burden of proving both domicile in New Hampshire for some purpose other than obtaining an education and of financial independence. They will be asked to submit for themself the same sort of evidence listed above for dependent students, as well as evidence that they are no longer financially dependent on parents and was not claimed as a dependent on the parent’s federal income tax return.

A change in residency status could result in a change in your financial aid award, specifically your merit award. Please contact the PSU Student Financial Services Team should you have any questions regarding possible adjustments to your award.