During the summer after your first year, you will have to file a petition with the Office of the Registrar to become a California resident for tuition purposes. In order to be accepted, you will need to show proof of the following:

1. Opening a bank account in CA (keep all your bank statements to prove you have been in-state using the account)
2. Closing out-of-state bank accounts
3. Living in CA for almost the entire year (keep boarding pass stubs from airplane trips)
4. Proof of paying CA taxes (keep copies of your CA tax return)
5. Proof of getting a CA driver’s license (within ten days of moving to the state) and registering to vote in CA
6. Proof of registering your car in CA (within twenty days of moving to the state. Note: You will need to get a smog check first)
7. Proof of living in CA (keep copies of your rental agreements to show you are renting in state)

The Office of the Registrar has compiled 10 Things Graduate Students Need to Know about establishing residency. If you have questions about residency requirements, or if you need to leave the state for an extended period of time (more than two weeks), you may want to find out if there will be a problem, or get written approval from the Office of the Registrar before you leave. All residency issues must be dealt with through the Office of the Registrar. The Department of Chemistry may not act on your behalf concerning matters of residency.