Financially Dependent Students
To be considered an Ohio resident for state subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes, you must show that you meet the requirements as defined in the Ohio Administrative Code, Chapter 3333-1-10 and Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 3333.31. You must also be eligible to remain in the United States on a permanent basis. Learn about Eligible Visa and Immigration Statuses. These guidelines are intended, above all, to exclude those persons who are present in the state of Ohio primarily for the purpose of education from treatment as residents.
Residency classification letter and number designations correlate to the specific guidelines of the Ohio Administrative and/or Revised Codes.
Financially Dependent Classifications
Residency Classification C-1
To qualify for the C-1 classification you must satisfy the requirements in one of the categories below and be able to provide documentation to validate ALL the following statements are true:
Dependent on Parent
- have been claimed by a parent or legal guardian on their Federal Income Tax Return for the most recent tax year
- have a parent or legal guardian that provides the majority (51%) of their financial support
- have a parent/legal guardian that has lived in Ohio for the previous 12 consecutive months
- student and parent/legal guardian have all their state specific documents from Ohio, including but not limited to: driver’s license or state ID, voter registration, and vehicle registration
- have not received financial aid that required you to be a resident of another state, including the National Buckeye Scholar Award from The Ohio State University
Dependent on Spouse
- are dependent upon a spouse, that provides the majority (51%) of their financial support
- spouse has lived in Ohio for the previous 12 consecutive months
- spouse has filed Ohio Income Tax Return for the most recent tax year
- student and spouse have all of their state specific documents from Ohio, including but not limited to: driver’s license or state ID, voter registration, and vehicle registration
- have not received financial aid that required you to be a resident of another state, including the National Buckeye Scholar Award from The Ohio State University
Residency Classification C-1 does NOT apply to students who are dependent on a parent, legal guardian, or spouse who have not lived in Ohio for at least 12 consecutive months (see Residency Classification C-3).
The C-1 Classification is applied through the completion of one degree program, provided the student maintains continuous full-time enrollment and does not leave the state for more than a year or take a leave of absence for more than a year. In those cases, a student would no longer be considered an Ohio resident for tuition purposes and they would need to reapply for Ohio residency at that time.
Residency Classification C-3
The C-3 Classification is intended to provide immediate, temporary residency for students whose parent, legal guardian, or spouse moved to the state of Ohio for employment purposes. The C-3 Classification requires completing a reclassification application (the Online Residency Form) each term until the submissions have covered a full 12-month cycle. After this time, Ohio Residency will be granted, and no additional documentation will be required.
To qualify for the C-3 classification you must satisfy the requirements in one of the categories below and be able to provide documentation to validate ALL the following statements are true:
- have been claimed by a parent or legal guardian on their most recent Federal Income Tax Return, or your spouse has filed their Federal Income Tax Return for the most recent tax year
- have a parent, legal guardian, or spouse has accepted full-time, self-sustaining employment prior to the start of the term in which applying
- have a parent, legal guardian, or spouse that has NOT lived in Ohio for the previous 12 consecutive months
- student and parent/legal guardian/spouse have all of their state specific documents from Ohio, including but not limited to: driver’s license or state ID, voter registration, vehicle registration
Residency Classification C-3 does NOT apply to students where ANY of the following apply:
- are dependent upon a parent, legal guardian, or spouse who has accepted full time/self-sustaining employment after the start of the term for which the student is applying
- are dependent upon a parent, legal guardian, or spouse who moved to Ohio for reasons other than Ohio employment. For this purpose, self-employment or out of state remote employment is excluded from this category.
Documentation for Financially Dependent Students
All reclassification applications require supporting evidentiary documentation. If you submit incomplete or incorrect documentation, your reclassification application will not be approved.
Keep in mind, documentation is not limited to the Documents Requested for Ohio Residency for Tuition Purposes list and your individual document list may not include all items listed here. It is important that any uncommon situations be supported with documentation as well. The onus will be on the student to ensure that all income and expenses are clearly supported with documentation.