Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College

North Carolina Residency

Because A-B Tech is a state-supported institution, we’re required to determine whether or not each student is a legal resident of North Carolina. Because residency can be complicated, and because residency applications are considered individually, please use the following as general guidelines. 

Under North Carolina law, to qualify for in-state tuition for a given term you must prove: 

• That you established your domicile  in North Carolina twelve months before the first day of classes for that term, and
• That you have maintained that domicile for at least twelve continuous months

Proof

To prove that you have established a bona fide domicile in North Carolina, you must prove: 

• That you were physically present in the state,
• With the intent of making North Carolina your permanent home indefinitely, and
• That you were not in North Carolina solely to attend college

 Determination of Intent

Because it is difficult to directly determine someone’s intention to make North Carolina their home, we must evaluate actions taken that may indicate this “domiciliary intent.” Below are factors which may be significant in determining this intent: 

• Do you live in your parents’ home?
• Where are/were you employed?
• Where did you register to vote?
• Where did you vote?
• Where have you served on jury duty?
• What are your sources of financial support?
• Where have you registered/licensed your car?
• Where did you get your last driver’s license?
• Where do you own a how or other real estate?
• Where do you keep your personal property?
• Where do you list your personal property for taxation?
• Where did you file state income tax returns?
• Where did you last attend high school?
• Where did you live before enrolling in an institution of higher education?
• Where do you maintain memberships in professional associations, unions, and similar organizations?

 We weigh all the evidence furnished in a request for residence status determination. The preponderance (or greater weight) of the evidence must support the establishment of North Carolina domicile twelve months before the beginning of the academic term (i.e., the first day of classes) for which you request the classification. If the evidence shows a cluster of significant events occurring at about the same time (within a couple of weeks, for example), we’ll start counting from that point to determine if the twelve month requirement has been met. If instead the evidence has gradually accumulated over time, we must decide at what point a preponderance of evidence shows intent to establish a North Carolina domicile, and that is the date on which the twelve-month period will begin. 

NC Residency FORM