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University of California: Restrictions for Out-of-State Students Seeking Resident Tuition

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UC Berkeley

The nine University of California campuses, featuring top programs in sunny locales, attract many out-of-state students. UCLA, for example, processed 113,761 applications last fall — the highest in the nation – with 22,822 from out-of-state.

Those numbers make admission very competitive, but out-of-state students can take heart: they are admitted at a higher rate (22% of out-of state applicants to UCLA were admitted in 2018, versus 12% of in-state), because fewer will ultimately enroll (24% of admitted out-of-state students to UCLA enrolled, versus 50% of in-state). The nonresident tuition, however, can sting – it’s an additional $28,992 per year.

Hoping to offset this, nonresidents frequently explore possible routes to resident tuition. In truth, there are many restrictions for out-of-state students seeking to qualify.

UC says:

“Obtaining California residency for the purposes of tuition and fees is extremely difficult for undergraduates with nonresident parents (this includes transfer students from community colleges and other postsecondary institutions within California).     

Virtually all nonresident undergraduates with nonresident parents remain nonresidents for the duration of their undergraduate career at UC.”

Still, many out-of-state students will continue their quest to qualify. The following provides some guidance for their typical questions.

Can I qualify for residency if I get a California driver’s license and register to vote, and/or my parents buy property in California?

No.

UC says:

“Residence can be established only by the union of physical presence and intent. Physical presence alone is insufficient; intent alone is insufficient.”

This means that to establish residency, the student and family must relocate to California (physical presence), and establish legal ties in California while severing ties to their former place of residence (intent).

Furthermore, you must be continuously physically present in California for more than one year (366 days) immediately prior to the term start date. Also note that any reclassification of residency is not retroactive.

Aren’t there any exceptions?

Yes.

The list of exceptions, however, is very specific, such as:

  • a nonresident student who is the dependent of a California resident parent
  • a student member of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty in California
  • an amateur student athlete training at a U.S. Olympic Training Center in California

What if I am financially independent and I move to California and work there for 366 days before starting school — will I qualify?

Maybe. 

In addition to establishing residency in California for 366 days prior to the start of the term, a self-supporting student must also “be able to verify financial independence for the two full years immediately preceding the term” they plan to enroll.

UC says:

“This requirement makes it extremely difficult for most undergraduates who are not financially dependent on a California-resident parent to qualify for classification as a California resident.”

My neighbor’s son attends a California State University and he doesn’t pay out-of-state tuition. How can I do that at a UC?

The circumstances may be different, so you will need more information.

UC says:

“Residency for purposes of UC tuition is specific to the University of California and separate from the California Community Colleges and California State University systems and may be different from residency for purposes of UC admission and other state rules or regulations governing residency for other purposes.”

My aunt lives in California. Can I just use her address to show that I am a resident?

No.

If a student conceals facts or makes untruthful statements regarding their residency, they are subject to penalty of perjury.

UC says:

“A student must sign the Statement of Legal Residence even if the Student has yet to reach the age of majority; pursuant to State of California law, a Minor may be prosecuted for perjury.”

What about the Nonresident Supplemental Tuition (NRST) exempt classification — how can I qualify?

You may qualify if you meet specific criteria, such as:

Who is the right person to contact for accurate information?

UC says:

“Inquiries regarding UC residency for purposes of tuition should be directed to a campus Residence Deputy in the campus Registrar’s Office or to a Residency Analyst in the Office of the General Counsel of The Regents of the University of California, Office of the President.”

The information provided above is applicable only to nonresident U.S. citizens; and is not comprehensive or all-inclusive. Find out more about residency requirements on the UC website at the Board of Regents Policy 3105 on Residency and Payment or Waiver of Tuition, Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition and Mandatory Systemwide Fees; the UC Residence Policy and Guidelines 2019/2020; and Understanding Residency.

University of Texas at Austin Releases First Class of 2023 Acceptances

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UT at Austin’s Office of Admissions began admitting students to its Class of 2023 on Friday evening December 7 when a few thousand fall 2019 freshman applicants received an email asking them to visit their MyStatus page for an update.

According to Miguel V. Wasielewski, University of Texas at Austin Executive Director of Admissions, the institution is “delivering about a third of our fall 2019 admission offers to majors this week.”

Wasielewski went on to explain that Fall 2019 applicants not admitted on December 7 will still be considered for the thousands of spots that remain to be filled in the first-year class UT at Austin’s admissions team is assembling, and that all students who applied this fall to be Longhorns will receive their final decisions “no later than – and perhaps well before – March 1.”

Good luck to all UT at Austin applicants.

All About UC Berkeley’s Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology (M.E.T.) Dual Degree

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In the past, aspiring entrepreneurs with interests in both engineering and business gained their expertise “in a silo,” says Chris Dito, Executive Director of the Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology (M.E.T.) program at the University of California, Berkeley. They might typically earn an engineering degree, and then learn the business management and leadership side later, either on the job or by earning another degree.

UC Berkeley

That was old way. The new way is the streamlined M.E.T program: a dual degree from Berkeley’s College of Engineering and Haas School of Business, earned in four years, integrating the knowledge, experience and career development of the intersecting fields. Students gain “a comprehensive understanding of technology innovation, ready to start their own company, lead innovation inside an established firm or contribute to a social-impact venture.”

The first cohort of fifty students began in the fall of 2017. Current high school seniors admitted as freshmen in 2019 will be just the third cohort, but already can benefit from enhancements to the program. One is the new addition of Bioengineering and Civil Engineering to the current engineering choices of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science; Industrial Engineering & Operations Research; and Mechanical Engineering. “I think that is the best kept secret we have about the program,” says Dito.

To spread the news, Berkeley is heavily marketing M.E.T. right now to reach students from around the nation and around the globe. Assembling a diverse group of candidates is essential to developing a unique cohort and international students are very much encouraged to apply.

The M.E.T. program is rigorous. A typical course load is five or six classes and 20 units each semester, versus four classes and 16 units for a typical Cal Berkeley undergraduate. M.E.T. freshmen, for example, take math, natural science, computer science, business administration, and M.E.T. special topics their first semester; by senior year, they’ll be completing their required upper division engineering, business and computer science courses, as well as M.E.T. special topics and elective business courses. By the time they graduate, they will have earned 150 course units.

How can students manage this? The answer, says Dito, is a carefully curated academic experience, with a built-in support system of advisors to help students select their courses and manage their schedules. M.E.T. students also receive multiple advantages, such as priority access to classes, special programming, information sessions, and a speaker series, as well as being part of a tight-knit community of peers.

To help keep stress in check, there is an enhanced student services team dedicated to M.E.T. students, in addition to regular campus resources. They have access to complimentary wellness services, mindfulness resources, and their own collaboration space with TVs and snacks. “M.E.T. students are well-resourced and well-served,” says Dito.

Berkeley’s proximity to Silicon Valley and San Francisco enriches the M.E.T. experience. “We have companies on campus almost every day,” says Dito, either specifically for M.E.T. students or for the campus at large. Many companies are interested in hiring summer interns the fall before, so students are securing those internships right now. If M.E.T. students are interested in companies Berkeley is not already working with, staff will reach out to them on the students’ behalf.

Part of the M.E.T. curriculum includes helping students maximize their career potential. They receive ongoing career development to increase their self awareness and boost their professional confidence; and participate in industry meet-ups and presentations to gain occupational awareness. “When they know both themselves and the world of work better, they can make better career-based decisions,” says Dito.

If it sounds as if this program was created just for you, consider a campus visit and tour. It won’t give you an admission advantage, but it can help you gain more clarity about your fit for the program.  M.E.T. staff are available by appointment and every Friday afternoon to speak with prospective students.

To apply, you’ll select the engineering major, and choose the M.E.T. track. The University of California application is open August 1 to November 30, so you can start on the supplemental essay now; submission runs from November 1 to November 30. Potential candidates will be offered a 20-minute SKYPE interview with faculty by the end of January. Students who are not selected for the M.E.T. program will be automatically considered for admission to the College of Engineering; if they are admitted for the regular engineering program, they will be automatically added to the M.E.T. wait list.

UVa admits 9,957 for Class of 2021

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Hours before Associate Dean of Admission Jeannine Lalonde (Dean J) posted her usual heads up to applicants that the University of Virginia was getting ready to post decisions, gizmo18 let the cat out of the bag on College Confidential: “Decisions come out today!”

Seven hours later, Dean J confirmed that applicants could expect to see one of three decisions—admitted, denied or waitlisted—sometime in the next few hours. And by 5:00, the wait was over.

“I can’t believe it! I got in,” crowed one happy applicant.  “After straight rejections from Northwestern and GaTech I thought it was over. Words cannot describe my excitement.”

Another reported, “Didn’t expect much after rejections from Northwestern and Uchicago last week. But I’m happy I was proven wrong!!!! I was worried that writing my essay about Nike and Adidas in the sneaker industry was weird, but I guess not!!!!!!!!”

And from KingUU: “I got accepted! I’m so happy! Dreams can be real! UVA was my number 1 choice.”

But the news wasn’t universally happy.

“Deferred then waitlisted in state,” moaned another applicant. “Bruh just reject me already.”

Others were more philosophical, “Deferred EA, rejected RD. It was a long shot, but I definitely learned a lot about myself through it. Congrats to all who got in and good luck to everybody!”

To give the decisions context, Dean posted preliminary numbers for this year later in the week and recommended that admissions junkies with a real “need to know” could research numbers using a new tool devised by the UVa assessment team for presenting data in Tableau.

But the simple comparison with 2016 is interesting enough. Last year at this time, UVa reported receiving 32,426 applications (this number tends to jump around a little)—a significant increase from the previous year—and made initial offers to 9,416 students.

For this year’s class, the total number of applications soared to 36,807, with the number of in-state applicants increasing from 9,653 reported a year ago to 10,942 for the class of 2021.

The biggest contributing factor to the overall increase in applications, however, was the bump from out-of-state students who submitted 25,865 applications—up from 22,773 during 2015-2016.

To account for a steadily decreasing yield (percent of students accepting offers), which dropped from 53 percent in 2005-06  to 38 percent in 2016-17, as well as a need to continue growing class size, admissions increased offers to 9,957—about six percent more than last year. Of these offers, 4,276 went to Virginians (4,019 last year), and 5,681 went to out-of-state students (5,397 last year).

Early action admits accounted for 5914 of total.  And the initial admission rate decreased to about 27 percent from 29 percent last year.

According to information provided by UVa to the Common Data Set, 4,987 students were offered spots on the wait list last year, and 2,871 accepted the offer.  Of those students, 360 were eventually admitted.

In any event, here are all the “unofficial” numbers released by the UVa admissions office:

Total number of applications: 36,807 (up from 32,426 last year)
Total number of VA applications: 10,942 (up from 9,653 last year)
Total number of out-of-state applications: 25,865 (up from 22,773)

Overall offers: 9,957 (9,416 this time last year)
Total VA offers:  4,276 or 39% of resident applications (4,019/41.6% last year)
Total out-of-state offers:  5,681 or 22% of nonresident applications (5,397/23.7% last year)

Note that the offers of admission for nonresidents are higher because historic yield for nonresidents is generally lower than that for in-state student.

In a press release, UVa reports that of those admitted, over 1,000 are first-generation college students and more than 35 percent identify as members of a minority group. They come from all 50 states and 89 countries around the world.

And they present outstanding credentials. For those admitted who submitted new SAT scores, the middle 50 percent range was 1330-1490 (Dean J notes that “way more” students submitted the new SAT than the old, so she dropped the stats about the old exam). The middle 50 percent ACT composite was 31-34. And 93.4 percent of admitted students were in the top ten percent of their high school class, for those who attend schools that report rank.

It pays to be a college president

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Wilmington University

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, a total of 39 leaders of private colleges earned more than $1 million during the 2014 calendar year—up from 32 the year before. And on the public side, five college presidents crossed the million dollar threshold during fiscal year 2015.

Despite whatever pressure may exist on campuses to keep costs down, compensation of college presidents continues to rise. For private college leaders who served full years in both 2013 and 2014, average pay increased 8.6 percent to $512,987. The most recent analysis of public college leaders who served the full year found average pay to be $467,533 in fiscal year 2015—6.1 percent higher than the year before.

Nice work if you can get it.

For the record, eight college presidents received more than $2 million in 2014. Jack P. Varsalona, of Wilmington University in Delaware, led the pack earning $5,449,405, of which $427,345 was base pay, $381,040 was bonus and $4,631,035 came from a “deferred-compensation plan.”

Deferred-compensation plans frequently explain the apparent “windfalls” received by top college administrators. They are now considered essential recruitment and retention tools. Under these plans, the university sets aside money, tax-free, each year in a designated fund for the college president, who may not touch the money until an agreed-upon date and must perform according to standards specified in their contract. Unless the president resigns or otherwise leaves early, he or she stands to make a considerable amount of money above base pay in the year the plan comes due.

Mr. Varsalona’s deferred-compensation ranked second-highest in the history of The Chronicle’s executive compensation reports, exceeded only by one paid to Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Renssselaer Polytechnic Institute, which totaled nearly $5.9 million, in 2012.

The Chronicle’s analysis of private college leaders is based on the latest available federal tax filings and includes compensation for 516 presidents serving 499 institutions for all or part of the 2014 calendar year. For public college leaders, The Chronicle conducts a separate survey and notes that the “figures for public colleges are not directly comparable to data reported for private colleges because they reflect slightly different categories of pay and different periods of time.”

Highest paid private college leaders in 2014:

Jack P. Varsalona, Wilmington University, $5,449,405
Mark S. Wrighton, Washington University, $4,185,866
Gerald Turner, SMU, $3,354,128
Amy Gutman, University of Pennsylvania, $2,962,708
Lee C. Bollinger, Columbia University, $2,447,032
Morton O. Schapiro, Northwestern University, $2,352.578
Robert Fisher, Belmont University, $2,120,091
Robert J. Zimmer, University of Chicago, $2,051,089
James F. Jones, Trinity College (CT), $1,661,794*
David J. Skorton, Cornell University, $1,618,328
Donna E. Shalala, University of Miami, $1,570,761
C.L. Max Nikias, University of Southern California, $1,525,297
Ronald R. Thomas, University of Puget Sound, $1,509,650
Arthur F. Kirk, Jr., Saint Leo University, $1,509,342
Lewis M. Duncan, Rollins College, $1,497,248*

Highest paid public college leaders in 2014-15:

Renu Khator, University of Houston, $1,300,000
Michael R. Gottfredson, University of Oregon, $1,215,142 *
Michael K. Young, Texas A&M University College Station, $1,133,333*
William H. McRaven, University of Texas system, $1,090,909*
Mark P. Becker, Georgia State University, $1,051,204
Lou Anna K. Simon, Michigan State University, $850,000
Patrick T. Harker, University of Delaware, $841,187
Steven Leath, Iowa State University, $820,461
Elson S. Floyd, Washington State University, $805,880*
David R. Hopkins, Wright State University, $803,320
Eric J. Barron, Pennsylvania State University, $800,000
Michael V. Drake, Ohio State University, $800,000
James P. Clements, Clemson University, $775,160
Mark S. Schlissel, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, $772,500
Robert E. Witt, University of Alabama system, $765,000

*Partial-year compensation

A ‘must-have’ guide to public university honors programs

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After five years of writing about public university honors colleges and programs, John Willingham has learned that excellence in honors education is far from limited to the nation’s most prominent flagship universities.

“Many well-known state universities do have outstanding honors programs, Willingham explains, “but increasingly one can find equal value in the growing number of honors colleges in non-flagship institutions.”

To prove the point, Willingham recently published the third in a series of guides titled, INSIDE HONORS: Ratings and Reviews of Sixty Public Honors Programs. And if you’re considering honors programs housed within top public universities, this 400-page guide (also available in digital format) is an invaluable resource for evaluating different aspects of the “honors” experience.

The original idea for the honors project grew out of a series of articles Willingham authored that compared various public university honors programs.  In fact, the first edition of his guide attempted to “rank” programs.

The ranking was dropped in the second edition in favor of a “mortarboard” rating (similar to five-star rating systems) and is based on data obtained on honors graduation rates, class sizes, course range and type, honors dorms, and other honors benefits, including merit scholarships.

For the new third edition, Willingham was able to upgrade his data by obtaining detailed spreadsheets of course sections by academic subject, honors enrollment in each section, and critical data about the types of honors classes.

“I had to know how many honors classes were only for honors students and how many were mixed—honors and non-honors students,” said Willingham. “Finally, I needed information about honors ‘contract’ sections, regular classes where honors students have agreements with instructors to do extra work for honors credit.”

The resulting guide, together with an extremely useful website, provides a very comprehensive picture of what resources and benefits may be available through various honors programs. For the newest edition, a total of 50 programs were rated, while ten received unrated summary reviews.

Beyond the ratings, INSIDE HONORS offers lengthy narrative profiles of all sixty honors programs.  And each profile contains data on the average and minimum admission requirements, including old and new SAT scores, ACT scores, high school GPA and class ranks as well as honors application deadlines and a list of other programs with similar admission requirements.

In other words, INSIDE HONORS is a must-have guide for anyone interested in exploring public university honors programs.

Here’s a sneak preview—the following 11 honors colleges and programs received an overall rating of 5.0 mortarboards (listed in alphabetical order):

  • Arizona State, Barrett Honors College
  • Clemson, Calhoun Honors College
  • CUNY, Macaulay Honors College
  • Georgia Honors Program
  • Houston Honors College
  • Kansas Honors Program
  • New Jersey Inst of Technology (NJIT), Albert Dorman Honors College
  • Oregon, Clark Honors College
  • Penn State, Schreyer Honors College
  • South Carolina Honors College
  • UT Austin Plan II Honors Program

Honors colleges and programs that received 4.5 mortarboards include the University of Central Florida Burnett Honors College, New Mexico Honors College, the Oklahoma State Honors College, Temple Honors Program, Ole Miss SMB Honors College, Arkansas Honors College, Delaware Honors Program, UC Irvine Campuswide Honors Program, and Honors Carolina at UNC Chapel Hill.

Note that CUNY Macaulay, Houston, and NJIT were not rated previously. And Oregon’s Clark Honors College and Clemson’s Calhoun Honors College have moved up to a 5 mortarboard rating.

Two honors programs with high ratings in past editions are included but not rated in the 2016 edition. The Michigan LSA Honors Program and the Echols Scholars Program at the University of Virginia are undoubtedly great choices for those who earn acceptance, but the (mostly) public data used in the past two editions to rate these programs is no longer sufficient now that much more information has been provided by other programs. Along the same lines, INSIDE HONORS does not rate UCLA and Wisconsin because internal data were not available from UCLA and the information provided by Wisconsin did not match the revised format.

For admissions professionals
Admissions professionals—members of NACAC, IECA or HECA—are invited to purchase the print edition of  INSIDE HONORS at a discounted price of $14.41 (includes shipping). To order a copy, email Wendy at [email protected] and provide an address and organizational affiliation. She will then send an electronic invoice, payable by PayPal or credit card for fastest shipment.

In addition to both the electronic and print editions of the guide, individual rated programs profiles are now available for $2.99. They may be delivered the same day, usually within a few hours, for quick answers to questions or to do a comparison almost on the spot.

For more information on the publications or the honors project, visit the Public University Honors website.

UVa increases early admission offers to 5914 for the Class of 2021

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Early applicants to the University of Virginia’s Class of 2021 received decisions earlier this week—well ahead of the January 31st published release date.  Following the recent announcement from UVa President Teresa Sullivan that she will be leaving at the end of her current contract in 2018, the admissions office decided to give over 5000 prospective ‘Hoos some good news to consider.

And it’s clear that admission to the Commonwealth’s flagship university remains a highly sought-after prize among high school students—both from within the state and across the country.

Even with plans to increase undergraduate enrollment for 2017-18, the competition for admission under UVa’s early action program continues to be intense, as the overall number of applications grew to 20,446—about a 24 percent increase over numbers reported the same time last year.

Predictably, most of the early applicants, 14,968 (or 73 percent) came from out of state. The balance—5,278 applicants—came from within Virginia.

Out of this year’s early action pool, 5,914 students were admitted—about 14 percent more than for the Class of 2020, which experienced a seven percent jump in EA admits from the year before. Of those admitted, 2,575 were from Virginia (47 percent offer rate—down three percentage points), and 3,339 were from out of state (22 percent offer rate).

Among the offers, 4,496 were for the College of Arts & Sciences, 1,180 were for the School of Engineering and Applied Science, 97 were for the School of Architecture, 75 were for the School of Nursing, and 66 were for the Curry School of Education.

Typically, more offers are made to nonresidents because the yield among students faced with out-of-state tuition is significantly lower. But it’s worth noting that offers made to out-of-state students increased by over 13 percent from last year.

According to assistant admissions dean Jeannine Lalonde (Dean J), those offered early admission bids were very well qualified. The middle range of SAT scores of this year’s admitted students fell between 2020 and 2290 (ACT between 31 and 34). And 94.6 percent of the offers went to students in the top ten percent of their high school classes (this number only reflects those who attend schools that report rank).

Although over 9000 students were denied admission during the first round of consideration, another 5458 were thrown a lifeline by being deferred to the regular decision pool, which stands at about 16,250 additional applicants. The entire group will receive decisions before April 1. Note that deferred applicants are specifically encouraged to send new test scores and midyear grades as soon as possible.

All students will have until May 1, to make up their minds. And those early applicants who were lucky enough to be admitted to UVa’s Class of 2021 can expect to receive significant encouragement to commit as soon as possible.

Nancy Griesemer is an independent educational consultant and founder of College Explorations LLC. She has written extensively and authoritatively about the college admissions process and related topics since 2009. 

Purdue is an Underrated Gem of a University

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Boilermakers have a lot of love for their school, and after visiting West Lafayette, Indiana, we can see why. It’s consistently ranked as one of America’s best research universities and the campus is great too. Purdue may not be as popular with “opinion elites” on the East and West coasts as its cousin two hours to the south (IU Bloomington), but after this visit we can’t explain why.