San Jacinto College Welcome Center Students

Residency

Your residency status determines what you pay in tuition. Understand your residency status. Learn what rate you are eligible to pay. Find out if you need to provide any forms.

These are the rules to qualify for each residency status. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board sets a number of criteria to qualify. You can check your residency status in SOS by following these steps.

In-district

To be considered an in-district student:

You must physically reside within the boundaries of the San Jac taxing district. This generally includes Channelview, Deer Park, Galena Park, La Porte, Pasadena, and Sheldon school districts. You also must meet the state’s residency requirement, as defined in Section 54.052 of the Education Code, OR
If you reside outside of the district, you must either own property subject to ad valorem taxation by the district or be a dependent of someone who does.

Out-of-District

Out-of-state

International

To be considered an in-district student:

You must physically reside within the boundaries of the San Jac taxing district. This generally includes Channelview, Deer Park, Galena Park, La Porte, Pasadena, and Sheldon school districts. You also must meet the state’s residency requirement, as defined in Section 54.052 of the Education Code, OR
If you reside outside of the district, you must either own property subject to ad valorem taxation by the district or be a dependent of someone who does.

To be considered an out-of-district student, you must:

Be a Texas resident, AND
Physically reside outside of the geographic boundaries of the district when your registration is complete.

To be considered an out-of-state student, you must:

Be at least 18 years old, live out of state, and have not been a Texas resident during the 12 months before your registration date, OR
Be either younger than 18 years old or a dependent, as defined by Section 54.052 of the Education Code, and live away from your family if your family resides in another state, or you must not have resided in Texas during the 12 months leading up to your registration.

To be considered an international (out-of-country) student, you must:

Not be a permanent U.S. resident, as defined in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services regulations, OR
Not have not been permitted by Congress to adopt the U.S. as your domicile while in this country.

If you are eligible, you will need to provide San Jacinto College with documentation to support your eligibility for Texas residency.

Please refer to the Texas Administrative Code, Determination of Resident Status for an explanation of terms and specific requirements related to eligibility for residency status.

As of June 4, 2025, the following people are eligible to establish residency in Texas:

Tab name		Expandable content
U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals, Naturalized US Citizen	checked
Permanent Lawful Residents (Green Card Holder)	checked
Persons with a Non-Immigrant Visa Status that is identified as eligible to establish domicile	checked	Does not include F-1/F-2, J-1/J-2, TN/TD, or Tourist Visas For a complete list of visas eligible to establish domicile, visit the THECB website.
Persons with Discretionary/Temporary Status	checked	DACA, Asylum Seekers, U-Visa Holders, etc...
Persons with a pending application for Cancellation of Removal or Adjustment of Status under established law and who have been issued a fee/filing receipt or Notice of Action by USCIS	checked

How to establish residency

You may prove Texas residency based on 1) graduation (or equivalent) from a Texas high school or 2) domicile/ dwelling. This can be your dwelling or your parent/ guardian if you are a dependent.

Texas does not allow you to establish residency based on the residency status of a roommate, friend, or family member who is not a legal parent or guardian.

These rules are set by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rules, chapter 21.

Note: What follows is not a complete or exhaustive list of the factors on which residency classification may be based. For the most up-to-date information, please consult the THECB website.

Texas Residency	In-district residency
You may be classified as a Texas resident if you: Graduated from high school in Texas or received your Certificate of High School Equivalency in Texas, and you resided in Texas both: 36 months immediately before graduation date or receipt of Texas Certificate of High School Equivalency (last three years of high school), and 12 months before census date of your starting semester of college. Established domicile/ home in Texas not less than 12 months before the census date of your starting semester and you maintained domicile continuously in Texas for 12 months preceding the census date. Are a dependent whose parent established domicile in Texas not less than 12 months before the census date of your starting semester and who maintained domicile continuously in Texas for 12 months preceding the census date. Are a member or spouse/ dependent child of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces whose home of record with the military is Texas. Are a member or spouse/ dependent child of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces whose home of record with the military is not Texas but claimed Texas as your place of residence for 12 months before the census date of your starting semester.	For tuition purposes, in-district residency cannot be considered until Texas residency status is established. Once Texas residency has been established, classification of in-district (within the boundaries of the San Jac taxing district) or out-of-district is based on the location of your physical residence. If you are classified as a Texas (in-state) resident and reside within the boundaries of the San Jac taxing district, you are eligible for the in-district tuition rate. If you meet in-state requirements but reside outside of the boundaries of the San Jac taxing district, you will pay the out-of-district tuition rate. If you are classified as an in-district student, but move outside of San Jac’s taxing district on or before a semester’s certification date, you must pay the higher tuition rate as determined by the reclassification.

Note: A person whose initial purpose for moving to Texas is to attend an institution of higher education as a full-time student will be presumed not to have the required intent to make Texas their domicile; however, the presumption may be overruled by clear and convincing evidence and reviewed by the Residency Committee. An individual may not ordinarily be able to establish domicile by performing acts which are directly related to fulfilling educational objectives or are required or routinely performed by temporary residents of the state.

In-state verification

If you were classified by an institution of higher education as a Texas resident for either of the two prior regular semesters, an officer in the admissions/ registrar’s office of that institution can provide a letter to San Jacinto College stating you were considered "in-state without waivers." A fee slip with residency status indicated would be accepted as well.

Alternatively, you will need to provide documents in support of a claim that you have established and maintained domicile in Texas for 12 months before the census date of the semester in which you wish to enroll.

Physical presence/ residence documents for claims based on high school graduation

The following is a list of documents that may be used to support a claim of physical residence in Texas:

Official Texas high school transcript with graduation date: must be sent by your school, district or approved transcript exchange service; or unopened transcripts that are hand delivered at your nearest San Jacinto College Admissions Office.
Official Texas Certificate of High School Equivalency (formerly G.E.D.) in place of high school transcript
Official home school transcript in place of high school transcript, accompanied by a Home School Verification Form.
Lease agreement(s) showing dates, your name, and Texas address
Bills/ statements (utility, cable, internet, landline phone) for 12 consecutive months showing dates, your name, and Texas address
Permanent resident card, a valid visa, or the THECB Residency Affidavit

Establishment of domicile

The following documents may be used to support a claim of domicile in Texas:

IRS form 1040 for the most recent two consecutive years if both are filed in Texas (W2, 1098, 1099 forms are not accepted by Texas for residency proof)
Pay stubs for the past 12 consecutive months
Letter(s) of employment on letterhead or via email from company official showing:
- Hire date
- Termination date (or “still employed”)
- Full-time/part-time designation
  - If part- time, must also include average number of hours worked per week
- Official’s signature
- If company is based outside of Texas, additional documentation may be required to determine residency and subject to verification.
Marriage certificate or declaration of informal marriage for those basing residency upon a spouse
Leave and earnings statements for the past 12 consecutive months for members of the military
Warranty deed/ mortgage statement showing sole/ joint ownership of the Texas residential real estate (must reside there)
Documents showing ownership and customary management of a business in Texas. Corporate formation documents alone are not sufficient.
- For example: LLC, Profit Loss Statement, Tax Statement
Documents showing public assistance in Texas as primary support such as SNAP, TANF, food/ housing assistance, incarceration, Medicaid, Medicare, Marketplace, etc.
Documents showing proof of other earned income: pensions, veterans’ benefits, Social Security, savings from previous earnings, unemployment, disability, SSI, etc.

San Jacinto College may request other documents that may lend support. Names and dates must be legible:

Permanent resident/ work authorization (EAD) cards, birth certificate, U.S. passport, visa, etc. (for those classified “out of country”)
Visas eligible to establish domicile: A, E, G, H1B, H4 (dependent of H1B), I, K, L, N, NATO, O1, O3 (dependent of O1), R, T, U, and V
If you have asylee/ refugee status, you must show status has been granted; an application alone is not sufficient.

Employment conditioned on student status (work-study), receipt of stipends, fellowships, and research/ teaching assistantships do not constitute gainful employment for residency purposes.

Any request for change in residency status must be submitted to the Admissions Office in person or emailed to admissions@sjcd.edu. You will need to complete a Residency Form and provide additional specific documentation. Residency reclassifications are subject to review on a case-by-case basis by the Residency Committee.

Texas Resident

This reclassification applies to you if you are a lawfully present student requesting in-district and out-of-district tuition rate changes. If you have filed for an I-485 notice of action for the permanent resident card application, you are excluded from this classification.

Documents required:

Form 1040 tax return showing first page that includes names, address, and dependents
Property tax addendum or rental agreement
Permanent driver's license issued at least a year before registration
U.S. passport

Permanent Resident Card Holder

This reclassification only applies if you have applied for adjustment of status for permanent residency. You must have received a Form I-485, Notice of Action, for the permanent resident card application.

Documents required: