University Policies

Main Content

In addition to the university policies listed below, there are number of policies applicable to admissions, academics, and student conduct located within the various sections of this catalog.  

Determination of Residency Status

[The following has been reorganized and edited for undergraduate students. The full text appears as SIU Board of Trustees 3 Policies A.]

Establishment of Residency

Southern Illinois University Carbondale Board of Trustee policy requires students to establish residency in Illinois six consecutive months immediately preceding the beginning of the term.

Bona Fide Residence

For tuition purposes a bona fide residence is a domicile of an individual, which is the true, fixed, permanent home, and place of habitation. It is the place to which, whenever absent, the individual has the intention of returning.
Criteria to determine this intention include but are not limited to year around residence, voter registration, place of filing tax returns (home state indicated on federal tax return for purposes of revenue sharing), property ownership, driver’s license, car registration, vacations, and employment.
Except for those exceptions clearly indicated in these regulations, in all cases where records establish that the person does not meet the requirements for resident status as defined in these regulations, the non-resident status shall be assigned.

Procedure for Review of Residency Status or Tuition Assessment

A student who takes exception to the residency status assigned or tuition assessed shall pay the tuition assessed but may file an application with the Registrar’s Office for a reconsideration of residency status and an adjustment of the tuition assessed.

The application and supporting documents must be filed within 30 school days from the date of assessment of tuition or the date designated in the official University calendar as that upon which instruction begins for the academic period for which the tuition is payable, whichever is later, or the student loses all rights to a change of status and adjustment of the tuition assessed for the term in question.
If the student is dissatisfied with the ruling in response to the application made within said period, the student may appeal the ruling to the chancellor’s designee by filing a written request with that official within 20 days of the notice of the ruling.

Definitions of Terminology

To the extent that the terms bona fide residence, independent, dependent, and emancipation, are not defined in these regulations, definitions shall be determined by according due consideration to all of the facts pertinent and material to the question and to the applicable laws and court decisions of the State of Illinois.
The term the State means the State of Illinois.

Residency Determination

Evidence for determination of residence status of each applicant for admission to the University shall be submitted to the Admissions Office at the time of application for admission. A student may be reclassified at any time by the University upon the basis of additional or changed information. However, if the University has erroneously classified the student as a resident, the change in tuition shall be applicable beginning with the term following the reclassification; if the University has erroneously classified the student as a nonresident, the change in tuition shall be applicable to the term in which the reclassification occurs, provided the student has filed a written request for review in accordance with these regulations. If the University has classified a student as a resident based on false or falsified documents, the reclassification to nonresident status shall be retroactive to the first term during which residency status was based on the false or falsified documents.