Residency Requirements

The laws of California provide that every student at a community college must be classified as either a resident or non-resident for tuition/fee purposes. Students have the ultimate burden of proving their residence classification.

To be considered a resident for tuition/fee purposes at Los Angeles Pierce College (Â鶹Æƽ⴫ý), students:

  • Must show physical presence in California for one year and one day prior to the start of the semester
  • Demonstrate intent to make California a permanent home
  • Minor students (18 and under) must take the residence of their parents (or legal guardian)

If you are coded a non-resident (after applying for admission) and you feel that you meet the requirements to be a resident, you are required to complete the Supplemental Residency Questionnaire (SRQ), available for viewing and download as an Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) file.

  • Students seeking to change/adjust their residency status must complete and submit the SRQ
  • The SRQ must be submitted in-person by the student with supporting documentation at the Admissions & Records Office
  • Issues involving residency determination cannot be handled over the telephone or by e-mail

Resident EC 68017, 68062; T5 54020, 54026

A student who has been physically present in the state for more than one year immediately preceding the residence determination date (one year and one day), and has demonstrated an intent to make California a permanent home

Residence EC 68017, 68062; T5 54020

In order to establish a residence, it is necessary that there be a union of act and intent. To establish residence, a person capable of establishing residence in California must couple his/her physical presence in California with objective evidence that the physical presence is with the intent to make California the home for other than a temporary purpose.

Physical Presence EC 68017, 68070; T5 54022

  1. A person capable of establishing residence in California must be physically present in California for one year prior to the residence determination date to be classified as a resident student.
  2. A temporary absence for business, education or pleasure will not result in loss of California residence if, during the absence, the person always intended to return to California and did nothing inconsistent with that intent.
  3. Physical presence within the state solely for educational purposes does not constitute establishing California residence regardless of length of that presence.