Moving for in-state tuition

[secondcor521]

Hi all,

I'm considering moving to a different state to get in-state tuition for my kid.  I have questions; you might have answers.

I live in Boise, ID.  I'm 51, single, and FIREd.  I own my home mortgage free.  I have an indoor DLH cat from the animal shelter who is 9 years old and healthy.

I have DD84 who is pretty healthy and lives nearby.

Three kids.  I have DS25 who just graduated with a BBA in Supply Chain and already has a job here in Boise; he lives with me but wants to buy a house soon.  I have DS20 who is working on a BS in MechE at an out of state school in Oklahoma; he lives with me now and works due to COVID, but will probably return to school this coming fall (9/2021).

I have a DD18 who is a freshman (freshperson?) working on a BA in Music Ed at an in state public university.  DD18 is getting paid to go to school; their scholarships exceed their costs by several $K per year.  DD18 likes their school but wants to transfer to either UW in Seattle or UofO in Eugene to finish their degree.  I estimate that they will have three years of school remaining at that point - maaabye three and a half years.

Like everyone who is paying attention, I have noticed that in state tuition is about $24K to $27K less.  Per year.

I'm considering the following idea / path.  Yes, I'm probably getting ahead of myself a little.  I tend to live in the future.

1.  DD18 gets accepted and decides to transfer to one of those above schools.
2.  DD18's scholarships and aid are not that great because schools don't apparently incent transfer students very much.
3.  I move to that state and get a job in summer 2021.
4.  DD18 starts school there in fall 2021 and we pay out of state tuition for one year (sophomore year).
5.  We apply for in-state residency for DD18 starting fall 2021 and we pay in state tuition for years 3 and 4 (and 4.5).

OK, so this is just the standard parent wanting to get in state tuition situation.  But there are wrinkles:

1.  I really like south central WA and would like to live there for a while anyway.  It's a great area and it would be somewhat of an adventure for me.
2.  DD18 is a music person and happens to already be a member of a performance marching band that is based in south central WA.  Prior to transferring, they were going to be a member of this group for the next four years anyway.
3.  South central WA is almost exactly halfway between UW, UofO, and where my DD and DS25 would be living.
4.  I'm retired and don't have a big social network locally, so moving isn't that big of a deal.
5.  My DS25 is wanting to buy a house.  He was going to live with me to save up a down payment.  If I move, then he could live here, keep an eye on my house, and save up an even larger down payment and also have more flexibility as to when he moves out.  DS25 might be able to avoid PMI.
6.  I'm good at exploiting loopholes / rules / programs.  I could easily, easily do all of the things they list that they look at and keep good records and do everything on the appropriate timeline.  I can also do a lot of the "intent" things, like voting, car registration, library cards, bank accounts, tax filing, job, volunteering, etc.

Questions:

1.  Is in state residency determination like this subjective or objective?  In other words, if I go through the process and do everything they say and check all the checkboxes, is it fairly certain it would be granted?  Or is it subjective / ambiguous where one can't really be sure because it's based on some overall "impression" that some person somewhere decides somehow on the totality of the evidence?

2.  If it were granted for year 3, is it continued to year 4 (and semester 4.5) automatically, or is it reevaluated every year?

3.  How much would me retaining ownership of my ID house be problematic?  Would my DS25 living in it make a difference to the deciders?

4.  For other financial reasons, I may consider slow traveling outside the US for all of calendar year 2023, which would correspond to semesters 6 and 7.  What happens to their in state residency determination in this case?  (I know, that's an awfully specific question.)

5.  Not really expecting an answer to this one, but how can I ask the actual residency people sincere questions about establishing bona fide residency while not damaging our prospects by appearing to be gaming the system (which I sorta am but sorta am not)?

6.  Anything else to watch out for?

Eyeballing things, it'd probably be about a $25K net savings.

Thanks all.

[Cranky]

I think you are going to have to look carefully at the university’s requirements for in state tuition.

In my personal experience, you had to move there, establish residency for a for a year, and then stay there for the duration.

[lhamo]

I moved back to Washington state from China in June 2015. DS started a special pre-college program at the UW in September, and then enrolled as an undergrad Sept 2016.  We were able to qualify for in-state tuition at that point - he did have to pay out-of-state tuition for the UW class he took Spring quarter 2016. 

They did not ask me to prove employment --which was good, because I didn't have any.  One thing that almost tripped us up was that the main credit card I was using for living expenses at the time was billed to my DH's name, and he was still living in China at the time.  Thankfully I had enough regular expenses (gas purchases, groceries and take out here and there) on another card that was billed in my name.   I had to provide documentation to show that we were actually in state during the period claimed -- I assume our application may have gotten closer scrutiny due to the China factor (lots of Chinese parents looking to get in-state tuition by buying a house in WA and pretending to live there).

I have never been asked to provide additional proof of residency once we established it.  But we have never done anything to make them question it, either.

I think as long as you actually do all the stuff to establish residency in WA they can't ding you for keeping your Idaho house, especially if another family member is living there -- you can say you want to keep it for them or as an investment.

Just be sure you do those regular day to day purchases in whatever city you settle in in Washington.

[secondcor521]

Thanks.

Yeah, the plan would be for me to be there for just over a year before applying for in state.  We could have DD18 do a gap year and work, but I'm 99% certain they don't want to do that and I wouldn't push that idea at all.  We'd pay out of state for the first year.

I don't need a job, but I've thought of getting one just for fun and for some spending money.  And it would help with the residency application of course.

Good comments about the credit cards.  If I go forward with this I'll have a mondo checklist to change all the addresses and stuff.  And I'll make sure that I have plenty of regular, ongoing purchases in WA that I can document.

DD18 just finished the UW application tonight.  Fingers crossed.

[cchrissyy]

you should check if they're in this alliance of public schools that give each other in-state rates
https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/

[secondcor521]

you should check if they're in this alliance of public schools that give each other in-state rates
https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/

Unfortunately neither of the two schools my DD18 are applying to are in WICHE/WUE.  Good thought, though.

[MayDay]

Do you have more kids in HS?

You are talking about all the expense of moving, seemingly to a higher COL area, and paying OOS tuition for two years, just to save what, 10k x 2 years of tuition?

If you planned to move anyway maybe it makes sense to move two years earlier. But it doesn't seem worth the bother to do it just for the savings. Moving itself will easily eat up more than 20k if you currently own a home.

[secondcor521]

Do you have more kids in HS?

You are talking about all the expense of moving, seemingly to a higher COL area, and paying OOS tuition for two years, just to save what, 10k x 2 years of tuition?

If you planned to move anyway maybe it makes sense to move two years earlier. But it doesn't seem worth the bother to do it just for the savings. Moving itself will easily eat up more than 20k if you currently own a home.

Nope.  As I noted in the OP, DD18 is my youngest.

Expenses of moving wouldn't be much.  I'd rent a UHaul, buy boxes, and move my own stuff.  Maybe $1000.

COL between here and where I would move are about the same; it may be a bit cheaper in the areas I'd be looking at, actually.

OOS tuition would just be for one year.  Savings on tuition would be either $27K or $25K per year for another two years, so $52K or $50K.

I do currently own a home (as noted in the  OP), but I'll probably keep it for reasons, so no selling costs.  If I do sell it, that would be for other reasons, and I'd incur those selling costs either way so not really a delta.

I figure the net savings over the entire time frame would be about $30K for WA and $37K for OR.  For me that may be in the hazy ballpark of "not enough to bother with - just pay the tuition" and "worth it for not much hassle"

[Sibley]

I think I'm going to be the Debbie Downer here. Your 18yo is in school for music ed. What's that job market like, now and projected for the future? Just because your 18yo loves music doesn't mean that they're setting themselves to be able to support themselves. And you don't have to enable it. Music is a great hobby, but the odds of making it work for a living are very much against you. Your 18yo may need a reality check. You, as parent, can't provide that. But you might be able to connect the kid to an adult who is in or used to be in that field, who can provide that reality check. In the meantime, if you want to move, then move. Otherwise, don't. And you also don't have to pay for school elsewhere when the kid currently has what sounds like a free ride.

[secondcor521]

I think I'm going to be the Debbie Downer here. Your 18yo is in school for music ed. What's that job market like, now and projected for the future? Just because your 18yo loves music doesn't mean that they're setting themselves to be able to support themselves. And you don't have to enable it. Music is a great hobby, but the odds of making it work for a living are very much against you. Your 18yo may need a reality check. You, as parent, can't provide that. But you might be able to connect the kid to an adult who is in or used to be in that field, who can provide that reality check. In the meantime, if you want to move, then move. Otherwise, don't. And you also don't have to pay for school elsewhere when the kid currently has what sounds like a free ride.

I appreciate the Debbie Downer input.  Truly.

I've always told all three of my kids that they should get a marketable degree that they can support themselves with, and that they should do research into careers first, including salaries and grownup budgets as to what that really means.  It is surprising to me when doing that research - degrees that I think aren't very marketable are, and vice versa.  My oldest started as a Chemistry major and then switched to English.  I thought that would be a step down for marketability, but research showed otherwise.

The market demand for music teachers is actually quite strong around here.  The pay is better in WA and OR than ID.  DD18 fortunately doesn't have a lot of material desires and is naturally quite frugal.  They have already done multiple real world budgets and it's quite doable.  They have also discussed their career plans with multiple people already in the field and has a pretty good understanding of what it takes and whether they have it.  (I've also done my own research behind the scenes independently and found the same results.)

Yes, you're right - they have more than a free ride now which would probably continue if they stay at the current school - all of the scholarships are renewable for four years.  We'll wait and see what the financial landscape is when the dust settles in the spring, and we'll do the math and have them answer the question "Is it worth $X to shift schools?"  $X might be $0, it might be $150K, it'll probably be somewhere in the middle.  I don't like to waste money, but I'm OK spending money to support my kids' educational goals.  Once the goal is there, I'm also willing to do stuff to get the same thing for less.

[Sibley]

Ok, that's good. Music ed is not necessarily a good choice everywhere.

Regarding the school choice - if the kid wants to switch, it needs to be for a good reason. Measurably good reason. You don't throw away a free ride lightly. And I would be very cautious about offering to pay for it. At least have them come up with a plan for paying for it, then you can choose to help later.

Still, don't move unless YOU want to. Your kids are adults and are leaving the nest. Put yourself first.

[secondcor521]

Ok, that's good. Music ed is not necessarily a good choice everywhere.

Regarding the school choice - if the kid wants to switch, it needs to be for a good reason. Measurably good reason. You don't throw away a free ride lightly. And I would be very cautious about offering to pay for it. At least have them come up with a plan for paying for it, then you can choose to help later.

Still, don't move unless YOU want to. Your kids are adults and are leaving the nest. Put yourself first.

Right.  The kid and I have discussed the reasons.  I think they're valid and worth something.  We'll wait and see what the price difference is between here and there once we get there, and then see if the reasons are worth the $$$.

Parents' ideas about their kids college funding varies widely, as I'm sure you've noticed.  Personally, I think the most important thing is that the kids know what the deal is early on so they can make decisions based on solid information and not get the rug pulled out from under them when Mom and Dad won't pay for Dream School.

I've had a documented "college deal" that I've gone over with each of my three kids on a number of occasions while they were in high school.  The deal roughly means that I'll cover their bachelor's degree as long as they make good decisions, and any leftover money will be divvied up based on how much they each spent relative to the total pool.  This balances for me providing what I want to provide and holding them to some account.

I won't move if I don't want to.  But however much I want to or don't want to move and in addition to all the other pros and cons, there may be 30,000 rea$on$ more for me to move depending on how things turn out.  I understand that this is a consequence of my DD's and my decisions (and actually to some extent the decisions of my 2xDS as well), and I'm OK with that.

Thanks again for the commentary and feedback.  Even if I don't end up agreeing with you, I do really consider what you're saying and appreciate the process of going through the thought process and making sure it is solid.  Also, even if it doesn't change my mind, it does provide fertile ground for other ideas and other options and things to think about and make sure I've covered.  I'm taking notes on a lot of this stuff.  Thanks.