Residency Requirements & Your Tuition

NOTE: No refund for residency changes will be issued after the 12th class date. The amount of tuition you are charged is based upon your residency classification. It is the responsibility of the Admissions Office to determine your residency classification based on the information you submit. Your residency classification will be established in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Coordinating Board of the Texas College and University System and the policies of Brookhaven College/Dallas County Community College District and the Board of Trustees.

Documentation to Support Domicile and Residency

The following documentation may be requested by the institution in order to resolve issues raised by responses to the Core Residency Questions. The listed documents may be used to establish that the person is domiciled in Texas and has maintained a residence in Texas continuously for 12 months prior to the census date.

Part A

Documentation that can Support the Establishment of a Domicile and Demonstrate the Maintenance of a Residence in Texas for the 12 Months Prior to the Census Date of the Term in Which the Persons Enrolls

1. An employer’s statement of dates of employment (beginning and current or ending dates) that encompass at least 12 months. Other documents that show the person has been engaged in activities intended to provide an income to a person or allow a person to avoid the expense paying another person to perform the tasks (as in child care or the maintenance of a home) may also be used, as well as documents that show the person is self-employed, employed as a homemaker, or is living off his/her earnings, or through public assistance. Student employment, such as work-study, the receipt of stipends, fellowships or research or teaching assistanceships do not qualify as a basis for establishing a domicile.
2. For a homeless person, written statements from the office of one or more social service agencies located in Texas that attests to the provision of services to the homeless person for the 12 months prior to the census date of the term in which the person enrolls.

Part B

Documentation, which (if accomplished and maintained for the 12 months prior to the census date of the term in which the person enrolls and if accompanied by at least ONE type of document listed in Part C), can Support the Establishment of a Domicile and Demonstrate the Maintenance of a Residence in Texas for 12 Months

1. Title to real property in Texas;
2. Marriage Certificate with documentation to support that spouse is a domiciliary of Texas;
3. Ownership of business in Texas with documentation that evidence the organization or the business as a partnership or corporation and reflect the ownership interest of the person or dependent’s parent;
4. State or local licenses to conduct a business or practice a profession in this state.

Part C

Documents that May be Used to Demonstrate Maintenance of a Residence for 12 Months

These documents do not show the establishment of a domicile. They only support a person’s claim to have resided in the state for at least 12 months. Activities in Part A and B of this Chart may be used to establish a domicile.

1. Utility bills for the 12 months preceding the census date;
2. A Texas high school transcript for full senior year preceding the census date;
3. A transcript from a Texas institution showing presence in the state for the 12 months preceding the census date;
4. A Texas driver’s license or Texas ID card with an expiration date of not more than four years;
5. Cancelled checks that reflect a Texas residence for the 12 months preceding the census date;
6. A current credit report that documents the length and place of residence of the person or the dependent’s parent;
7. Texas voter registration card that has not expired;
8. Pay stubs for the 12 months preceding the census date;
9. Bank statements reflecting a Texas address for the 12 months preceding the census date;
10. Ownership of real property with copies of utility bills for the 12 months preceding the census date;
11. Registration or verification from licensor, showing Texas address for licensee;
12. Written statements from the office of one or more social services agencies, attesting to the provision of services for at least the 12 months preceding the census date;
13. Lease or rental of real property, other than campus housing, in the name of the person or the dependent’s parent for the 12 months preceding the census date.

1. A current lease agreement in your name at your correct Dallas County address;
2. A current Texas Voter Registration Card listing your correct Dallas County address;
3. A current automobile registration showing your correct Dallas County address;
4. Printed checks showing your correct Dallas County address;
5. Business or official correspondence at your correct Dallas County, e.g.. utility bills, telephone bills, billing statements from department stores or credit card agencies, etc.;
6. A letter from your employer (on company letterhead) verifying your correct Dallas County address according to their current records.