Admissions and Records
Residency Determination
California Residency for Tuition Purposes
No matter where you're from, you're welcome to learn at Fullerton College. Residency affects the tuition you pay, but being classified as a nonresident does not necessarily mean you will have to pay full nonresident tuition. Exemptions and other options may be available.
Getting started in CCCStart and not sure how to answer the residency questions?
CCCStart asks a few questions that help determine your California residency for tuition purposes. If you're unsure what a question means or whether to select Yes, No, or Unsure, review our student-friendly guide before you submit.
Which situation best describes you?
I'm in CCCStart and need help answering the residency questions
Learn what each residency question means, how to decide between Yes, No, or Unsure, and what happens once you submit your answers.
Understand the residency questions →I need to correct, clarify, or update my residency information
Use the Residency Review & Reclassification section if you selected Unsure, answered something incorrectly, or your situation has changed.
Residency Review & Reclassification →I'm a nonresident and want to know whether I can pay less
Some students qualify for exemptions from nonresident tuition, including AB 540 and other state-authorized exemptions.
Explore tuition fee exemptions →I'm active-duty military, a veteran, or a military dependent
Special residency classifications and nonresident tuition exemptions may apply to military-connected students.
Military & Veterans residency information →What is Residency?
When you get started at Fullerton College, the residency information you provide in CCCStart is used to classify you as a California resident or nonresident for tuition purposes. A nonresident classification may result in additional tuition unless you qualify for an exemption or another special provision.
The term "California resident" for fee purposes may differ from other definitions of residency. Having a California driver's license, vehicle registration, or being a California resident for tax or voting purposes may establish legal residence — but does not automatically qualify a student as a resident for tuition purposes.
Classified as a nonresident? You may still have options. Some students who do not qualify as California residents can receive an exemption from nonresident tuition. An exemption can change what you pay without changing your residency classification. See tuition fee exemptions →
How California Residency Is Determined
California residency for tuition purposes is based on three connected concepts. CCCStart asks you to self-certify information related to these areas, and Admissions & Records may follow up if clarification is needed.
Citizenship or Other Status
Your citizenship or other lawful status must fall into one of these qualifying categories — Citizen/National, Permanent Resident, a protected/humanitarian status, or another qualifying visa — in order to establish California residency for tuition purposes.
If you are not sure whether your status qualifies, you may select the Unsure option in CCCStart when available or review our Understanding the Residency Questions guide.
Physical Presence in California
In general, you must have been physically present in California for more than one year before the residence determination date.
If you are under age 19, your residency is generally based on the residence of your parent or legal guardian.
Intent to Make California Your Permanent Home
Living in California by itself is not enough. You must also show that California is intended to be your permanent home rather than a temporary place to live while attending school.
Examples of actions that may help show intent include obtaining a California driver's license or ID, registering a vehicle or to vote in California, maintaining California financial accounts or housing, and filing California resident income taxes when required.
Some citizenship and immigration categories allow a student to establish California residency for tuition purposes, while others do not. Students whose status allows residency must still meet the physical-presence and intent requirements.
Students with visa type F-1 or F-2 (high school graduates) should work with the International Student Center (opens in new tab).
Even if your status does not allow you to establish California residency, you may still qualify for a nonresident tuition exemption such as AB 540 or another provision. Review tuition fee exemptions →
Residency Review & Reclassification
Use this process if you need to clarify an answer from CCCStart, believe you answered a residency question incorrectly, selected Unsure, or your circumstances have changed after you were classified.
Two common reasons to request a review
Need to correct or clarify your CCCStart answers? Once CCCStart is submitted, you cannot go back and directly edit those residency responses. The Residency Reclassification Request Form lets you formally provide your updated Yes/No answers.
Already classified as a nonresident and something has changed? If you have now met the physical-presence requirement, established long-term intent in California, or your citizenship/immigration status has changed, you can use the same form to request a new review.
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Submit your information in CCCStart
Your initial residency classification is based on the information you provide when you get started. If you are unsure about a residency question, use the Unsure option when it is available rather than guessing.
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Admissions & Records reviews your residency information
If clarification is needed, our office may contact you by email. Students who selected Unsure to a residency question can find more information on the Understanding the Residency Questions guide and the Residency Reclassification Request Form.
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Complete the Residency Reclassification Request Form
The form asks you to provide Yes or No answers to the residency questions and it can be used to correct, clarify, or update your residency information.
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Provide supporting documents only if requested
Most students should not need to submit additional residency documents simply because their information was provided through CCCStart. Admissions & Records may request documentation when information is conflicting, missing, or unclear, or when reviewing a specific exemption, exception, or reclassification request.
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Receive your residency determination
Admissions & Records will review the information provided and notify you of the determination. Any change to your residency classification requires review and confirmation from our office.
If documentation is needed, Admissions & Records will tell you what to provide. Depending on the issue being reviewed, examples may include:
- California Driver's License or state-issued ID
- California vehicle registration
- California voter registration
- California bank checking or savings account statements
- Lease, rental agreement, or other evidence of a California residence
- California state income tax returns
- Pay stubs, W-2s, or other evidence of California employment
- Immigration or status documentation when relevant to the residency question being reviewed
Do not send sensitive documents unless Admissions & Records asks you to provide them and gives you instructions for submission.
We're here to help! Complete the Residency Reclassification Request Form, or reach out to us at applicationhelp@fullcoll.edu or via our Zoom room (opens in new tab).
Not sure whether you need reclassification or a fee exemption? Contact Admissions & Records at applicationhelp@fullcoll.edu or visit our Zoom room (opens in new tab). We can help you identify the right next step.
Tuition Fee Exemptions
Even if you don't qualify as a California resident, you may qualify for an exemption that reduces or eliminates nonresident tuition. These exemptions do not change your residency classification — you remain classified as a nonresident — but they reduce what you owe.
AB 540 Nonresident Tuition Exemption
Public Postsecondary Education: Exemption from Nonresident Tuition
California's landmark tuition equity law — expanded four times since 2001. Eligible students pay in-state tuition at all California public colleges and universities.
- Undocumented students and DACA recipients
- T and U visa holders (victims of trafficking or serious crimes)
- Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders
- Refugees, asylees, and Special Immigrant Juvenile status holders
- U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents who don't yet meet the California residency requirement
- Other lawfully present immigrants as identified in the Education Code
- 3 years of California attendance at a CA high school, adult school, and/or community college — or the equivalent in coursework (credit or noncredit). These can be combined.
- AND completed one of the following in California:
- Graduated from a California high school (diploma, certificate of completion, GED, or CHSPE)
- Earned an associate degree from a California Community College
- Fulfilled the minimum transfer requirements for UC or CSU
- AB 540 Affidavit: file a signed affidavit with each college you wish to attend
- Students enrolled only in distance education from outside California are not eligible
- Not a residency change — AB 540 exempts you from nonresident tuition fees but does not reclassify you as a California resident
- Financial aid access — AB 540 status is required to receive state-based aid through the California Dream Act Application
- No processing fee — filing the AB 540 Affidavit is free (official transcripts to prove attendance may have a fee)
- Refund eligibility at CCCs — if your AB 540 application is approved for the current term and you have already paid nonresident tuition for that same term, you may be eligible for a refund of those fees
- Coursework can be combined — high school, adult school, and CCC courses can be mixed to meet the 3-year requirement
Frequently Asked Questions
No. AB 540 is only an exemption from paying out-of-state tuition — it does not change your residency classification. You will still be listed as a nonresident in college records. The qualifications for becoming a "resident of California for tuition purposes" are separate and more stringent (see the How California Residency Is Determined section above).
Yes, with one condition: CCC coursework taken during high school can count toward AB 540 attendance only if those courses were not used to meet your high school graduation requirements. If the college credits replaced required high school classes, they cannot be double-counted.
A foreign high school diploma does not prevent eligibility, but foreign or out-of-state high school attendance does not count toward the three-year California attendance requirement. You would need to meet the three-year requirement through California high school, adult school, or CCC coursework, and would need to earn a California high school diploma/GED, an associate degree, or meet minimum UC/CSU transfer requirements to satisfy the completion criterion.
Submit the affidavit to each college you plan to attend — it must be filed separately at every institution. At Fullerton College, submit directly to Admissions & Records. Filing as early as possible in the enrollment process is strongly recommended, as your exemption status affects tuition charges, financial aid disbursement, and eligibility for support programs like EOP&S. If approved after you've already paid nonresident tuition, the amount paid must be refunded to you.
Other Tuition Fee Exemptions
Non-Resident Tuition Fee Waiver (Six or Fewer Units)
Students taking no more than six units combined at Fullerton and Cypress College may apply to have nonresident tuition waived. A current California address is required; F-1 visa holders are not eligible.
- Must be completed each semester the waiver is requested
- F-1 visa holders and students with active I-20s are not eligible
- Units at both Fullerton and Cypress College count toward the 6-unit total
- Winter intersession units are combined with spring units
- Students are still responsible for all enrollment fees and other student fees
Children of Deported or Voluntarily Departed Parents
If you are a U.S. citizen student presently residing in a foreign country, you may be exempt from nonresident tuition.
- Has a parent or guardian who was deported or voluntarily departed under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, and demonstrates financial need
- Moved abroad as a result of the deportation or departure, and lived in California immediately before moving abroad
- Attended a public or private secondary school in California for three or more years
- Upon enrollment, will be in their first academic year as a matriculated student in California public higher education
- Will be living in California and will file an affidavit stating intent to establish residency as soon as possible
Special Admit & Dual Enrollment Non-Resident Fee Waiver
Permits Fullerton College to exempt nonresident special part-time students from nonresident tuition. Does not apply to special full-time students.
This exemption does not apply to:
- Students who reside outside California and enroll via Distance Education
- Students on most nonimmigrant visas
Nonresident Tuition Fee Waiver for ESL Classes
Fullerton College may waive non-resident tuition for students enrolling in ESL classes who recently settled in California.
- Recently settled in California and lived here for less than one year
- Is a recent immigrant, recent refugee, or person granted asylum
The waiver removes non-resident tuition fees for ESL classes only. Students still pay the standard $46 per-unit enrollment fee.
Questions? Email applicationhelp@fullcoll.edu or visit our Zoom room (opens in new tab).
Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Holders & Refugees
Grants an immediate one-year nonresident tuition fee exemption to eligible SIV holders and refugee students who settled in California upon entering the United States.
- Iraqi citizens/nationals (and spouses and children) employed by or on behalf of the U.S. Government in Iraq (P.L. 110-181, § 1244)
- Afghan and Iraqi translators (and spouses and children) who worked directly with the U.S. Armed Forces (P.L. 109-163, § 1059)
- Afghan nationals employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government or ISAF in Afghanistan (P.L. 111-8, § 602)
- Refugee students admitted under 8 U.S.C. § 1157
Residency for U.S. Military and Veterans
Members of the Armed Forces of the United States and their eligible dependents are eligible for in-state tuition or nonresident tuition exemption in accordance with California Education Code, Section 68074, 68075, et seq., and AB 13 (VACA Act). "Armed Forces of the United States" means Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, Space Force, and the reserve components of each of these forces, the California Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, the California State Military Reserve, and the California Naval Militia.
Review the information below pertaining to your individual status.
Members of the armed forces domiciled or stationed in California are eligible for resident classification for tuition purposes at community colleges. This classification extends for the duration of their attendance, even if they are transferred out of state for military service, as long as they remain continuously enrolled.
Dependents of members of the armed forces stationed in California on active duty are eligible for resident classification for tuition purposes. This classification has no time limit. Even if the military member is transferred out of state, the dependent can maintain resident status as long as they remain continuously enrolled at a California community college.
A student who served in the U.S. armed forces stationed in California for over a year before discharge can be exempted from paying nonresident tuition for up to one year if they declare intent to establish residency in California. This exemption must be utilized while residing in California and within two years of discharge.
Individuals with dishonorable or bad conduct discharges are not eligible for this exemption.
A student who lives in California and uses education benefits under Chapter 30, 31, or 33 is granted a waiver of non-resident tuition regardless of their formal state of residence. Under the Isakson and Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (Section 1005), the three-year enrollment-after-discharge requirement is no longer applicable effective August 1, 2021.
A covered individual is defined as:
- A veteran, or
- A spouse or dependent child using transferred benefits, or
- A spouse or dependent child of a person whose active-duty transferor died on or after September 11, 2001, in the line of duty, or
- A spouse or dependent child using transferred benefits where the transferor is serving on active duty (effective for terms beginning after July 1, 2017)
- Students who initially qualify maintain "covered individual" status as long as they remain continuously enrolled
The Veterans Resource Center (VRC) assists students in accessing their VA Education benefits, ensures timely certification, helps locate veteran-related resources, and provides academic support opportunities.
Visit the Veterans Resource Center (opens in new tab) →California Residency for Military & Veterans — FAQs
Understanding California residency for U.S. military members, veterans, and their dependents can be complex. Here are some frequently asked questions that may provide clarity.
Yes — two people who are married do not always have the same residence. Each student's residence must be independently determined. If the student came to California in the company of their spouse who is in the military and was transferred here, there is a presumption that the student is a nonresident.
The person would remain a California resident if their Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) continues to indicate California as the residence and they have done nothing while out of state to relinquish that residence.
Members of the military stationed out of California are automatically exempt from California state taxes for the time they are absent, if military income is their sole income. If the military person has income from other sources, they are subject to California taxes on all other income wherever earned.