Students who are US citizens or permanent residents but who come to BMS as residents of states other than California must apply for residency reclassification. You will be eligible to apply for reclassification after residing in California for one year. Reclassification petitions are submitted during the summer following the first year of graduate study in order for the residency reclassification to go into effect during the fall quarter of the second year of graduate study. To establish residency in California, students must submit a petition to the UCSF registrar along with documentation that they have been residing full-time in California since enrolling at UCSF.
UCSF tuition for all students is paid by the program, but note that tuition will be paid at the non-resident rate during the first year only. Non-resident tuition is considerably higher than the cost of resident tuition (approximately double!). If you have not taken steps to obtain residency status during your first year, you may be required to cover the difference out of pocket.
To establish residency, you should begin collating the documentation you will need to submit along with a residency reclassification petition during the summer between your first and second years of graduate study. The key point is that you need to take care of this IMMEDIATELY when you arrive here. Many students find that this seemingly simple task becomes a nightmare of paperwork that they have to rush to deal with at the end of the year. Try to get residency-related tasks done before classes start if at all possible - the sooner the date on your driver's license, voter card, etc., the better.
Submitting Petitions for Reclassification (after your first year in CA)
Review your complete Statement of Legal Residence, affidavits, and relevant documentation before filing with the Registrar. The BMS office will contact you about how and when to do this. Place information in a sealed envelope with your name and curriculum clearly indicated. Deposit envelope in Registrar's Mail slot located in the lobby of MU-200 West. All documents will be returned to your local address with a notification of residency status. Listed below are the documents to be included:
- Register to vote in California (and vote). Save your voter registration card and all receipts from the polls for your application. You must register 29 days prior to any given election to be able to vote (and November is fast approaching), so do it NOW! Register to vote online here: https://registertovote.ca.gov/. Keep a printout of your registration and any documentation you get in the mail! DO NOT FORGET YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE THEN DO SO AGAIN AFTER JANUARY 1st! Your registration will show your new registration and may disqualify you for CA residency because this needs to be completed prior to December of this year.
- Get a California driver's license or state ID card. State law requires that this be done within 10 days of establishing residency (i.e., living) in California. The DMV is located at 1377 Fell St. (at Baker St.) about 1 mile from campus. The wait can be hours long, so making an appointment is highly recommended. You can make an appointment online, but usually a number of people are scheduled for the same block of time, so you still need to arrive early. You will have to take a short written test, which is easy if you look over the book (free at the DMV or available online) beforehand. For more details, go to the DMV's website.
Some notes from a student regarding making your appointment at the DMV:
Make your DMV appointments online. Input your name and it pops up the next available date, which is usually about a week or so away, and you accept or decline (decline, and it offers the next successive available time slot). Be wary of scheduling both your license and registration appointments too close to each other (because of lines, though they are about 10 times shorter for the "appointment-only" people). If you miss the second appointment because the office closes, you have to re-schedule (which adds on another week). I’ve heard using a (415) phone number gets you an appointment faster, so feel free to use the BMS office number (415) 476-8467. If you can get down to the Daly City DMV, it may prove to be a shorter wait even though it's further away. - Establish a checking and savings account with a California bank, or if you bank with a bank with a branch in California, change the address on your accounts to reflect your new home in California. Both Bank of America and Wells Fargo Bank, located on Irving Street, are big banks with ATM's all over town. The Golden 1 Credit Union at UCSF is a friendly alternative to these banks. Ask about student accounts when you go in.
- As soon as you know your local address, list it or a California address as your permanent address on all school records, financial aid forms, and everything else you fill out during the year. Go to the UCSF Student Portal to update your address.
- Pay California income tax on all income earned since arriving in California. (The State of California taxes all California source income, whether or not you are a resident).
- If you own an automobile, register it in California.
- Obtain a current lease or rental agreement (which includes summers). If your name is not on the main lease with the owner, sign a sublease with your roommate who is - you'll need it for your application.
- Obtain copies of any loans and/or scholarships that you were awarded since arriving in CA (including applications and eligibility requirements).
- Provide verification of enrollment or official transcripts from institutions attended during the previous year. Depending on the school or university, this may take longer than expected, so plan on requesting transcripts at least 2-3 weeks ahead of time.
- Provide proof of your physical presence during the preceding 12 months (i.e. utility bills, credit card bills, etc.).
Requirements for "financial independence" were changed recently so that you all are "financially independent" by virtue of your fellowship or training grant appointments You do not need to provide copies of your parents' tax information.
For more information, and a copy of the official statement regarding this topic, please visit the Registrar’s website or contact the residence deputy in the office of the registrar at 476-8850.