Residency Verification
Tuition rates at Bucks County Community College are based on a student’s legal residency. All applicants and enrolled students are required to certify their county and state of legal residence and are responsible for tuition and fees based on their residency classification.
Bucks County Community College follows the regulations of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, Chapter 35, which govern residency and domicile for community colleges. Domicile is defined as the place where a person intends to and does, in fact, permanently reside. Pennsylvania regulations also establish a presumption of continuous residence in the Commonwealth for a period of 12 months prior to registration as a student. A student may rebut this presumption by providing convincing evidence.
Students may be required to provide documentation to verify or establish residency for tuition purposes, including when the address on a student’s government-issued identification differs from the address provided on the student’s application or College record. Examples of acceptable documentation may include:
- Lease, mortgage statement, deed, or rent receipts
- Personal or real estate tax receipts
- Pennsylvania driver's license or state-issued photo identification card
- Voter registration or vehicle registration
Additional documentation may also be submitted. Complete residency verification requirements are available on the Residency Verification form.
Ownership of property or a business in Bucks County, without actual residence in the county, does not qualify a student for in-county tuition.
Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents may be required to provide immigration documentation to determine residency status and applicable tuition rates.
A student in attendance under the Foreign Student classification requiring an I-20 Form for student visa purposes cannot be classified as a legal resident of Pennsylvania. For more information on immigration categories, contact admissions@bucks.edu.
Residency is determined based on information available at the time of application, readmission, or registration. The College reserves the right to review or challenge a student’s residency classification at any time if there is reason to believe the residency information provided is inaccurate.
Residency classification or reclassification as a Bucks County resident must be approved by Enrollment Services before the end of the third week of classes in the applicable standard academic period.
Questions regarding residency classification or residency verification requirements should be directed to Enrollment Services at enrollmgmt@bucks.edu.