California Residency

It is essential that all new students (who are U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents) begin to create the paperwork trail necessary to prove residency for tuition purposes by the beginning of the second academic year. Follow all instructions on establishing residency provided by the UCB Residency Office http://registrar.berkeley.edu/current_students/residency.html.

Obtain a California driver’s license or ID card and to cancel driver’s licenses issued by other states, even if you don’t expect to drive while in California. Register your car in California. Register to vote in California. Keep receipts of your moving expenses, bank account records, rental leases, etc. in a safe place and be prepared to produce copies to the Residency Office at the end of the spring semester. It is essential that you be able to document that you were in the state of California BEFORE the first day of fall classes and did not leave the state during holiday breaks. (If your academic program requires you to leave the state, you must request special permission to do so; consult the Graduate Adviser and the Graduate Assistant before making any such plans or commitments.)

University and Department fellowships cover non-resident tuition for U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents for the first academic year only. International students without green cards and/or who are not married to a U.S. citizen are not eligible to obtain California residency.