Residency Requirements

Certificate of Residence

All students who reside in New York must submit a Certificate of Residence for each academic year (Fall through Summer). Failure to submit a Certificate of Residence will result in the student being charged the non-resident tuition rate.

Submitting the Certificate of Residence

Submitting the Certificate of Residence

The New York State Education Law requires that all students file proof of residence upon enrollment with a community college. Students will qualify for NY resident tuition rates if they have maintained a permanent residence in NYS for one full year and in their county for 6 months prior to the first day of classes.

A student must prove residency within 30 days after the start of class or be responsible for paying the non-resident fee. 

You must obtain the certificate of residence no more than sixty (60) days prior to registering for the semester/term in which you are utilizing the certificate, and no later than 30 days after the start of classes. A certificate of residence is valid for one (1) year from the date of issuance and will be valid for every term that commences within that one year. You must obtain another certificate of residence after it expires (e.g. each year) through this same process.

Counties will not issue a certificate more than 30 days after classes begin.  The Chief Fiscal Officer in the county – often the County Treasurer – of permanent residence issues the certificates.   Click here for the list of all the Counties within the State and how to obtain the Certificate of Residence.

Students living in Columbia or Greene County should review and fill out the Affidavit Affirmation and Application for Certification of Residence. Columbia and Greene County residents can show proof of residency at the Bursar’s Office, but in some instances, may be required to go to the County Treasurer’s Office.

Students may show residency through ANY ONE of the options below:

 1. One piece of documentation which shows both one year of residency in New York State from the date of this application and six months residency in your home county from the date of this application. (For example, this could take the form of a driver’s license that was issued at least a year ago showing that the student’s address is both in the county and in the State of New York.)

2. Two pieces of documentation:

• • One piece showing residency in New York State for a year from the date of this application
  • One piece showing residency in your home county for six months from the date of this application

3. Alternative Means of Providing Proof of Residency

• • Parental Documentation:
    • If a student is a dependent aged 24 or younger, they may utilize documentation from their parent(s) or guardian(s) to show proof of residency. Please follow the documentation instructions as above.
  • High School Documentation:
    • If a student begins at a community college within one year from the date of graduation from a New York public school district which is located solely within the county limits of a single county, then such county must accept such public school district attendance as acceptable proof of residence for the purpose of this application.
    • If a student enrolls in a community college while still in high school, then confirmation from the high school of the student’s address of record must be accepted as proof of residence for the purpose of this application.

ACCEPTABLE IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS

• Driver’s license or other state or federally issued I.D. which lists address
• USPS Change of Address form
• Voter Registration Card
• Form IT-201 NYS resident income tax form
• FAFSA or NYS TAP documentation if address is listed
• Car registration
• Property tax bill or other tax bill showing proof of address
• High school transcript
• Bank statement
• Prior year income tax return
• Utility bill
• School Tool Profile
• Social Services Documentation if address is listed
• VISA or other immigration documentation showing U.S. citizenship/New York domicile

Counties may accept other documents not listed, such as official mail from other businesses or entities, to show proof of residence.

NOTE: Proof of address on the above documentation must be a physical address; P.O. Boxes are not sufficient to show residency.  If you have your mail sent to a P.O. Box, you may need different documentation to show residency.

International Students

One year after showing intent to make New York State their permanent domicile, international students will be considered New York State residents; for example, a passport stamped “Application for Permanent Residency Status Pending.”  Note: certain visa types preclude the ability to show such intent.

Appeal Information:

If a Columbia-Greene Community College student is denied a certificate of residence from their home county, such student may appeal to SUNY System Administration for reversal. Such appeal communication should contain the student’s contact information and details about the denial from the county. Please note that denials can only be reversed if either the county or the college made an error or did not follow relevant legal requirements.

Students can submit appeals by email to CCLegalLiaison@suny.edu.

Please contact the Student Accounts/Bursar’s Office at 518.697.6300 or bursar@sunycgcc.edu with any questions or for more information.