Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 3333 | Department of Higher Education
Section 3333.31 | Rules for Determining Student Residency.

Effective: September 30, 2021
Latest Legislation: House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly
(A) For state subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes, status as a resident of Ohio shall be defined by the chancellor of higher education by rule promulgated pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. No adjudication as to the status of any person under such rule, however, shall be required to be made pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. The term "resident" for these purposes shall not be equated with the definition of that term as it is employed elsewhere under the laws of this state and other states, and shall not carry with it any of the legal connotations appurtenant thereto. Rather, except as provided in divisions (B), (C), (D), (F), and (G) of this section, for such purposes, the rule promulgated under this section shall have the objective of excluding from treatment as residents those who are present in the state primarily for the purpose of attending a state-supported or state-assisted institution of higher education, and may prescribe presumptive rules, rebuttable or conclusive, as to such purpose based upon the source or sources of support of the student, residence prior to first enrollment, evidence of intention to remain in the state after completion of studies, or such other factors as the chancellor deems relevant.
(B) The rules of the chancellor for determining student residency shall grant residency status to a veteran and to the veteran's spouse and any dependent of the veteran, if both of the following conditions are met:
(1) The veteran either:
(a) Served one or more years on active military duty and was honorably discharged or received a medical discharge that was related to the military service;
(b) Was killed while serving on active military duty or has been declared to be missing in action or a prisoner of war.
(2) If the veteran seeks residency status for tuition surcharge purposes, the veteran has established domicile in this state as of the first day of a term of enrollment in an institution of higher education. If the spouse or a dependent of the veteran seeks residency status for tuition surcharge purposes, the veteran and the spouse or dependent seeking residency status have established domicile in this state as of the first day of a term of enrollment in an institution of higher education, except that if the veteran was killed while serving on active military duty, has been declared to be missing in action or a prisoner of war, or is deceased after discharge, only the spouse or dependent seeking residency status shall be required to have established domicile in accordance with this division.
(C) The rules of the chancellor for determining student residency shall grant residency status to both of the following:
(1) A veteran who is the recipient of federal veterans' benefits under the "All-Volunteer Force Educational Assistance Program," 38 U.S.C. 3001 et seq., or "Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program," 38 U.S.C. 3301 et seq., or any successor program, if the veteran meets all of the following criteria:
(a) The veteran served at least ninety days on active duty.
(b) The veteran enrolls in a state institution of higher education, as defined in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code.
(c) The veteran lives in the state as of the first day of a term of enrollment in the state institution of higher education.
(2) A person who is the recipient of the federal Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry scholarship or transferred federal veterans' benefits under any of the programs described in division (C)(1) of this section, if the person meets both of the following criteria:
(a) The person enrolls in a state institution of higher education.
(b) The person lives in the state as of the first day of a term of enrollment in the state institution of higher education.
In order for a person using transferred federal veterans' benefits to qualify under division (C)(2) of this section, the veteran who transferred the benefits must have served at least ninety days on active duty or the service member who transferred the benefits must be on active duty.
(D) The rules of the chancellor for determining student residency shall grant residency status to a service member who is on active duty and to the service member's spouse and any dependent of the service member while the service member is on active duty. In order to qualify under division (D) of this section, the rules shall require the student seeking in-state tuition rates to live in the state as of the first day of a term of enrollment in the state institution of higher education, but shall not require the service member or the service member's spouse or dependent to establish domicile in this state as of the first day of a term of enrollment in an institution of higher education.
(E) The rules of the chancellor for determining student residency shall not deny residency status to a student who is either a dependent child of a parent, or the spouse of a person who, as of the first day of a term of enrollment in an institution of higher education, has accepted full-time employment and established domicile in this state for reasons other than gaining the benefit of favorable tuition rates.
Documentation of full-time employment and domicile shall include both of the following documents:
(1) A sworn statement from the employer or the employer's representative on the letterhead of the employer or the employer's representative certifying that the parent or spouse of the student is employed full-time in Ohio;
(2) A copy of the lease under which the parent or spouse is the lessee and occupant of rented residential property in the state, a copy of the closing statement on residential real property of which the parent or spouse is the owner and occupant in this state or, if the parent or spouse is not the lessee or owner of the residence in which the parent or spouse has established domicile, a letter from the owner of the residence certifying that the parent or spouse resides at that residence.
Residency officers may also evaluate, in accordance with the chancellor's rule, requests for immediate residency status from dependent students whose parents are not living and whose domicile follows that of a legal guardian who has accepted full-time employment and established domicile in the state for reasons other than gaining the benefit of favorable tuition rates.
(F)(1) The rules of the chancellor for determining student residency shall grant residency status to a person who enrolls in an institution of higher education and establishes domicile in this state, regardless of the student's residence prior to that enrollment and satisfies either of the following conditions:
(a) The person, while a resident of this state for state subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes, graduated from a high school in this state or completed the final year of instruction at home as authorized under section 3321.04 of the Revised Code.
(b) The person meets all of the following criteria:
(i) The person officially withdrew from a school in this state while the person was a resident of this state for state subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes.
(ii) The person has not received a high school diploma or honors diploma awarded under section 3313.61, 3313.611, 3313.612, or 3325.08 of the Revised Code or a high school diploma awarded by a school located in another state or country.
(iii) The person, while a resident of this state for state subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes, both took a high school equivalency test and was awarded a certificate of high school equivalence.
(2) The rules of the chancellor for determining student residency shall not grant residency status to an alien if the alien is not also an immigrant or a nonimmigrant.
(G) The rules of the chancellor for determining student residency status shall grant residency status to a person to whom all of the following apply:
(1) The person, while not a resident of this state for state subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes, lives in this state and completes a bachelor's degree program at an institution of higher education in this state.
(2) The person, upon completing that bachelor's degree program, immediately enrolls in a graduate degree program, as determined appropriate by the chancellor, offered at any state institution of higher education.
(3) The person, while enrolled in the graduate degree program, resides in this state.
The chancellor's rules adopted under this section shall define "immediately" for the purposes of division (G) of this section.
(H) As used in this section:
(1) "Dependent," "domicile," "institution of higher education," and "residency officer" have the meanings ascribed in the chancellor's rules adopted under this section.
(2) "Alien" means a person who is not a United States citizen or a United States national.
(3) "Immigrant" means an alien who has been granted the right by the United States bureau of citizenship and immigration services to reside permanently in the United States and to work without restrictions in the United States.
(4) "Nonimmigrant" means an alien who has been granted the right by the United States bureau of citizenship and immigration services to reside temporarily in the United States.
(5) "Veteran" means any person who has completed service in the uniformed services, as defined in section 3511.01 of the Revised Code.
(6) "Service member" has the same meaning as in section 5903.01 of the Revised Code.
(7) "Certificate of high school equivalence" means either of the following:
(a) A certificate of high school equivalence awarded by the department of education under division (A) of section 3301.80 of the Revised Code;
(b) The equivalent of a certificate of high school equivalence awarded by the state board of education under former law, as defined in division (C)(1) of section 3301.80 of the Revised Code.
Last updated August 2, 2021 at 11:19 AM

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