Determining Resident Status

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The Central Texas College Admissions Office is responsible for determining residency status of students for tuition purposes. The office is directed by state statutes and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Rules: Determination of Resident Status. All rules are subject to change. Under state statutes and regulations a prospective student is classified as a resident, nonresident, or foreign student.

Texas Resident

Although state requirements for establishing residency are complex and prospective students should refer to their particular circumstance, most individuals must meet one of the following residency requirements before they can be considered residents for tuition purposes.

  1. A person who graduated from a public or accredited private high school in Texas or, received the equivalent of a high school diploma in Texas, including the successful completion of a nontraditional secondary education, and maintained a residence continuously in this state for: (1) the 36 months immediately preceding the date of graduation or receipt of the diploma equivalent, as applicable; and (2) the 12 months preceding the census date of the academic semester in which the person enrolls in an institution.
  2. A person who established a domicile in Texas not less than 12 months before the census date of the academic semester in which the person enrolls in an institution; and maintained a domicile continuously in the state for the 12 months immediately preceding the census date of the academic semester in which the person enrolls in an institution.
  3. A dependent whose parent established a domicile in this state not less than 12 months before the census date of the academic semester in which the person enrolls in an institution; and maintained a domicile continuously in the state for 12 months immediately preceding the census date of the academic semester in which the person enrolls in an institution. (A dependent is a person who is less than 18 years of age and has not been emancipated by marriage or court order; or is eligible to be claimed as a dependent of a parent of the person for purposes of determining the parent’s income tax liability under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.)

Non-U.S. Citizens

The following non-U.S. citizens are eligible to establish and maintain a domicile in Texas for the purposes of Item 2 or 3 under Determining Residence Status in this section.

  • A Permanent Resident.
  • A person who is eligible for permanent resident status and has filed an I-485 application for permanent residency and has been issued a fee/filing receipt or notice of action by USCIS showing that his or her I-485 has been reviewed and has not been rejected.
  • An eligible nonimmigrant who has been issued a type of nonimmigrant visa by the USCIS that permits the person to establish a domicile in the United States.
  • A person classified by the USCIS as a Refuge, Asylee, Parolee, Conditional Permanent Resident, or Temporary Resident.
  • A person holding Temporary Protected Status, and Spouses and Children with approved petitions under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
  • An applicant with an approved USCIS I-360, and a person granted deferred action status by USCIS.

Documents to Support Domicile and Residence

The documents listed in Establishing a Domicile and Proof of Residence may be used to support that the (1) the person or the dependent’s parent or court-appointed legal guardian established a domicile in Texas, and (2) the person or the dependent’s parent or court-appointed legal guardian has maintained a domicile (physically residing) in Texas continuously for at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the census date of the term in which the person enrolls.

Note: Census date--The date in a term or semester for which CTC is required to certify a person’s enrollment at the college for the purposes of determining formula funding for the college. The term “census date” is used in several places in the catalog.

Establishing a Domicile

The following documents can be submitted, which may support the establishment of a domicile in Texas.

  1. Significant Gainful Employment. An employer’s statement of dates of employment in Texas (beginning and current or ending dates) that include at least 12 consecutive months prior to the census date of the term in which the person enrolls or pay stubs for 12 consecutive months prior to the census date, reflecting significant gainful employment in Texas or proof of other earned income such as pensions, veterans’ benefits, social security, and savings from previous earnings for 12 consecutive months prior to the census date. However, employment conditioned on student status, such as college work study, stipends fellowships, or research or teaching assistantships does not constitute gainful employment for purposes of establishing a domicile.
    For a person unemployed and living on public assistance, written statements from one or more social service agencies located in Texas that attest to the provision of services to the person for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the census date of the term in which the person enrolls.
  2. Residential Real Property. Sole or joint ownership of residential property in Texas with documentation to verify 12 consecutive months of ownership prior to the census date of the term in which the person enrolls, such as a Warranty Deed, with the person or dependent’s parent having established and maintained domicile at that residence.
  3. Marriage to Person Who has Established and Maintained Domicile in Texas. Marriage Certificate or Declaration of Registration of Informal Marriage with documentation to support that spouse has established and maintained domicile in Texas for the 12 consecutive months prior to the census date of the term in which the person enrolls.
  4. Ownership of a Business Entity in Texas. Documents that support the organization of the business in Texas that reflect the ownership interest of the person or dependent’s parent without intention of liquidation in the near future.

Proof of Residence in Texas

The following documents may be required to support physical residence in Texas for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the census date of the term in which the person enrolls. These documents do not show the establishment of a domicile.

  1. Utility bills for the 12 consecutive months preceding the census date.
  2. A Texas high school transcript for full senior year immediately preceding the census date or a transcript from a Texas institution of higher education showing presence in the state for the 12 consecutive months preceding the census date.
  3. A Texas driver’s license or Texas ID card that has not expired and, if it reflects an origination date, shows an origination date at least 12 months prior to the census date.
  4. Cancelled checks that reflect a Texas residence for the 12 consecutive months preceding the census date.
  5. A current credit report that documents the length and place of residence of the person or the dependent’s parent to be in Texas and the length of residence to be at least 12 consecutive months preceding the census date.
  6. Texas voter registration card that was issued at least 12 months prior to the census date.
  7. Lease or rental of residential real property in the name of the person or the dependent’s parent for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the census date.

Maintaining Domicile

A person who established domicile through one of the actions described in the section “Establishing a Domicile” in this section and continues to reside in Texas, except for temporary absences, is considered to have maintained domicile in Texas for that period of time unless he or she takes specific steps to change his or her domicile to a different location.

Examples of individuals who are not presumed to have the required intent to make Texas his or her domicile are listed below.

  • An individual whose initial purpose for moving to Texas is to attend a college or a university as a full-time student is presumed not to have the required intent to make Texas his or her domicile. However, the presumption may be overruled by clear and convincing evidence.
  • An individual performing acts which are directly related to fulfilling educational objectives or which are required or routinely performed by temporary residents of Texas.

Temporary Absences from State

An individual who met the criteria for in-state residency, who is temporarily absent from the state for a short duration (i.e. less than one year) with the intention to always return, does not lose his or her ability to claim Texas as his or her permanent residence. However, in some situations the absence can be significantly longer. Examples include

  1. A person or the dependent’s parent who is temporarily absent from the state for the purpose of service in the U.S. Armed Forces, U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Defense, or U.S. Department of State.
  2. A person or the dependent’s parent whose company temporarily assigns him or her to work elsewhere.
  3. A person or the dependent’s parent who is temporarily absent from the state for educational purposes.

Texas Resident-U.S. Armed Forces

A member of the United States Armed Services whose Home of Record with the military is Texas is presumed to be a Texas resident, as are his or her spouse and dependent children. Even if the service member changed his or her permanent residence to another state by submitting a form to the military, the servicemember, spouse, and dependent children are considered a Texan for tuition-paying purposes as long as service member’s Home of Record was Texas when initially entering the service. Acceptable documentation include

  • U.S. Active duty member—Copy of DD214 indicating Texas as his or her home of record.
  • Spouse and dependent children—Copy of active duty member’s DD214 and proof of relationship such as the U.S. Military ID card.

A member of the U.S. Armed Forces whose Home of Record is not Texas but claims Texas as his or her place of residence for 12 consecutive months prior to enrollment is presumed to be a Texas resident, as are his or her spouse and dependent children. Acceptable documentation include

  • U.S. Active duty member--Copies of Leave and Earnings Statements (LES) that show the service member has claimed Texas as his or her place of residence for 12 consecutive months prior to enrollment.
  • Spouse and dependent children—Copies of active duty member’s LES as indicated above and proof of relationship such as the U.S. Military ID card.

Undocumented Students-Texas High School Graduates

Texas Law (Senate Bill 1528) allows undocumented students to qualify for Texas residency status regardless of visa status if the student meets all the requirements below.

  1. Graduated from a Texas high school or received a GED.
  2. Resided in Texas for the 36 months immediately preceding graduation from a Texas high school or receipt of the GED.
  3. Resided in Texas the 12 months preceding the census date of the semester in which the person enrolls in an institution of higher education.
  4. Signs an affidavit stating that he or she meets all requirements above and will apply for permanent residency upon first availability to do so.

Distance Learners Outside Texas

A bona fide Texas resident located out-of-state or out-of-country and who is enrolled in an online course offered from the Central Campus may be classified as a resident for tuition purposes. The student must provide substantiating documentation that he or she has a right to resident classification. For example, a spouse or dependent child of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces who was a Texas resident at the time he or she joined the service and has maintained Texas as his or her domicile may be eligible to be classified as a resident for tuition purposes. The spouse or dependent children of military Texas residents should submit their sponsor’s DD214 showing Texas as the military member’s Home of Record. If the military member’s home of record is not Texas but who provides Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) that show the member has claimed Texas as his or her place of residence for 12 consecutive months prior to enrollment is presumed to be a Texas resident, as are his or her spouse and dependent children. Other documents such as the student’s military I.D card that confirm the relationship to the service member may be required. Contact the Admissions office at CTC in Killeen, Texas, at admissions@ctcd.edu or the CTC’s Eagles on Call Center from 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. and between 5:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, at eaglesoncall@ctcd.edu.

Federal Civil Service Employees

Other than members of the U.S. Armed Forces the state has no special provisions for determining the residency of federal employees such as Federal Civil Service employees. Each person (including civilian employees of the U.S. Armed Forces) must meet the basic residency requirements for non- military personnel.

Establishing and Continuing Resident Status

Based on your responses to the CTC Admission Application and Core Residency Questions, you will be classified a Texas resident, a nonresident, or foreign student.

Establishing Initial Resident Status

New students must provide a completed set of Core Residency Questions, which are included in the CTC Admission Application, and

If the person is not a Citizen of the United States or Permanent Resident of the U.S., the person shall, in addition to the other requirements of this section, provide CTC with a signed affidavit stating he or she will apply to become a Permanent Resident of the U.S. as soon as the person becomes eligible to apply.

CTC may request a person provide documentation to support or clarify answers to the Core Residency Questions. Appropriate documents are not limited to those listed in the “Determining Resident Status” section of the catalog. In addition, CTC may request documents that support the information the student provided in the Core Residency Questions.

Continuing Resident Status

Returning CTC students who have not attended 12 consecutive months prior to re-enrollment are required to complete a new CTC Application for Admission. In some instances, a set of Core Residency Questions can be used.

An individual who was classified a Texas resident while attending a Texas college or university during the preceding fall or spring semester prior to enrolling at CTC will be classified a Texas resident provided the individual attended at least two consecutive regular semesters (fall/spring or spring/fall) at the institution. If the individual was not enrolled for two or more consecutive regular semesters, the individual will be required to reapply for resident status and provide documents to establish Texas residency.

Note: This section does not apply to nonresidents who are receiving a waiver to pay resident tuition. The nonresident will be required to provide documents as listed in the Determining Resident Status.

In-District and Out-of-District

Once you are classified as a Texas resident, you are either an in-district or an out-of-district student. You are considered an in-district student if you physically reside within the geographical boundaries of the Central Texas College District (CTCD). The college district is in the Killeen and Copperas Cove Independent School Districts. Property owners and their dependents living outside the CTCD tax district who paid ad valorem taxes to CTC are eligible for in-district tuition. A current property tax statement and completion of the CTC Ad Valorem statement are required for verification.

To establish in-district residency, you may be required to present one or more of the documents listed in the “Texas Resident Requirements” section of this catalog. The documentation must show an in-district address for six months prior to enrollment. A post office box address is not acceptable for verification of in-district residency.

An out-of-district student is a Texas resident who does not physically reside within the geographic boundaries of the college’s district. If you are an out-of-district student, you pay the out-of-district tuition rate unless eligible to receive a waiver based upon state statutes or college policies. Residency in the Central Texas College Morton Residence Hall does not exempt a student from the out-of-district fee.

NOTE A student initially classified out-of-district may petition for reclassification by providing the CTC Admissions Office located at the Central Campus in Killeen, Texas, with supporting documentation.

Student Responsibilities

Students are required to prove to the satisfaction of the CTC Admission staff that they are entitled to be classified a resident of Texas. The student is responsible for registering under the proper resident classification. Questions concerning a student’s right to classification should be directed to the CTC Admissions Office located at the Central Campus in Killeen, Texas, prior to enrolling at CTC. Admissions can be contacted by email admissions@ctcd.edu or calling 254-526-1696.

Reclassification

A student initially classified as a nonresident based upon information provided in the Core Residency Questions, may petition for reclassification by providing the CTC Admissions Office located at the Central Campus in Killeen, Texas, with supporting documentation. If a change is made based on supporting documents and information received prior to the census date of the current term, the change will apply to the current term. Otherwise, any change will apply to the first succeeding term in which the student enrolls.