As Auburn University's tuition rate continues to increase, a number of out-of-state students have chosen to participate in a program offered by the Office of the Registrar to establish their residency in Alabama.
According to the Office of the Registrar, the total cost of attendance for a non-resident is approximately $46,348, as opposed to the $29,164 Alabama residents pay.
"I couldn't have stayed at Auburn if it wasn't for the applying for residency," said Sierra Smith, junior in physical activity and health. "Paying out-of-state tuition was something that I couldn't do on my own."
Students applying for Alabama citizenship through the financially independent student option are required to have a full-time job, working a minimum of 40 hours per week while taking no more than nine class hours per year.
A minimum of $10,000 per year, after Alabama taxes, has to be made within the timeframe. Students are also required to obtain a driver's license through the state, register their vehicle and have a personal bank account in Alabama.
There are also several other options for residency, such as those offered to members of the military, Hyundai employees and students who transferred to Auburn from an out-of-state university.
"I think that meeting the requirements are very doable," said Meg Alexander, residency advisor in the University's Office of the Registrar. "It's just a big decision to take the commitment for applying for residency."
Frequently asked questions about the residency process include inquiries about family members attending the University previously and also living close to the Alabama border.
In 1997, the University stopped its legacy provision procedure that provided a tuition reduction for dependents of Auburn alumni.
In the same year, Georgia's nine county provisions and all such provisions with neighboring states that allowed for a reduction in tuition were also discontinued.
After meeting the requirements of the residency office, a voting committee consisting of five University officials gathers to review each case presented to the office to be approved, according to Alexander.
The requests are set by the Code of Alabama, which is published in Montgomery and sets the guidelines for every university in the state with a residency program.
Supplying all documentation required for residency appeals does not guarantee residency, but allows the office to review each situation and apply Alabama law accordingly.
"The hardest part about the applying for residency was the time management," said Anslee Sims, junior in aviation management. "I had to wake up and go to classes at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., and then I had to go to work until 10 p.m. every night after that."
Students who apply for the program have to prove their purpose of attending school in the state of Alabama is more than a desire to attend the University, and out-of-state students will stay in all registration processes until there is evidence that they are an Alabama resident.
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