State University of New York

Determination of Student Residency Status for Assessing Tuition Charges (Follow-Up Report)

Out-of-State residents attending schools within the State University of New York (SUNY) are charged a higher rate of tuition than State residents. Students must meet certain requirements to qualify for State residency, and SUNY schools are expected to obtain appropriate documentation when determining whether students have met these requirements. However, in audit report 2003-S-28, we found indications that such documentation may not be obtained in many instances, and as a result, students who fail to meet State residency requirements may be charged the lower in-State tuition rate. We recommended that SUNY’s residency verification process be strengthened and verification practices at individual schools be monitored more closely by SUNY System Administration. When we followed up on our audit recommendations, we found that they had generally been implemented.

For a complete copy of Report 2006-F-4 click here.