Residency Requirements

All students are initially charged non-resident rates (double tuition). In order to qualify for resident tuition rates, New York State Education Law requires you to submit a Certificate of Residence to the Student Accounts Office.

• A Certificate of Residence is required to be on file at Monroe Community College every semester for which you enroll.
• A certificate is valid for 1 year from the date of issuance, and is applicable for all semesters that begin within that year.
• Questions regarding Certificates of Residence can be emailed to Student Accounts (certificateofresidence@60654a.com).

A Certificate of Residence enables MCC to bill your county for part of your tuition costs. Without a valid certificate, you will be considered a non-resident of New York State and will then have to pay double tuition when you register.

The Certificate of Residence is the only document that will permit you to benefit from in-state tuition rates.
Detailed instructions on how to submit your Certificate of Residence Affidavit can be found below.

• Non-Monroe County Residents
• Monroe County Residents

You will need to provide a Certificate of Residence from each county you resided in during the 6 months prior to the semester you are attending.

Undocumented (DACA) students may qualify for resident rates if one of the following applies:

• The student attended an approved New York State high school for 2 or more years, graduated from it, and applied for admission to MCC within 5 years of receiving the New York State high school diploma; or
• The student attended an approved New York State program for a General Equivalency Diploma (GED or TASC) exam preparation, received a GED or TASC diploma, and applied for admission to MCC within 5 years of receiving the GED or TASC

If either of the above apply to you, you then need to submit a notarized affidavit to MCC stating that you will file an application to legalize your immigration status as soon as you are eligible to do so. This can be done at the Admissions Office. Note that your affidavit is kept on file but will not be shared outside the college.

Dependent students (those under the age of 24) must apply for a Certificate of Residence in the county where their legal guardian or the person they are dependent on maintains their permanent residence.

A student who is dependent of a person living outside New York State is a resident of the other state for community college tuition purposes, regardless of where the student resides. These students are not eligible for in-state tuition rates and must pay double the tuition rate.

If you have not been a permanent resident of New York State for at least one year prior to the semester you plan on attending, you must pay non-resident tuition (double tuition).

Non-residents include, but are not limited to, these categories:

• International students holding an F-1 visa
• Temporary residents such as out-of-state students attending another local college or here on short-term job assignments

Immigrants must provide proof of their permanent resident status (official documentation from US Citizenship and Immigration Services) as well as proof that they have been a New York State resident for at least 1 year prior to the start of classes. For additional information relating to which visa categories of non-immigrant aliens may qualify for the resident rate, as well as the documentation required, please email Student Accounts (certificateofresidence@60654a.com).

Students admitted under current or pending Asylum/Refugee status, and those under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), should contact the Student Accounts Office for additional information. 

You can still make payment even without having a Certificate of Residence on file. If you are paying in full, deduct the double part of the tuition (Resident Tuition without COR) and pay the balance. If you are paying online, whether in full or with the payment plan, the system will automatically reduce your bill by the Resident Tuition without COR amount so you can pay at the in-state rates. Just remember to submit the certificate! Otherwise you will be liable for that extra charge.

If you are charged “Non-Resident Tuition” and are a New York State resident, please contact the Student Accounts Office prior to paying.

If a SUNY 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 or by physical mail to:

Johanna Duncan-Poitier
Senior Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges and the Education Pipeline
SUNY H. Carl McCall Building
353 Broadway
Albany, NY 12246