<?xml version="1.0"?>
<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>70324</law_id><section_number>23.1-503</section_number><catch_line>Determination of domicile; rules; presumptions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="23.1">Institutions of Higher Education; Other Educational and Cultural Institutions</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="II">Students and Campus</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="5">In-State Tuition and Reduced Rate Tuition Eligibility</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Students shall not ordinarily establish <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> by the performance of acts that are auxiliary to fulfilling educational objectives or are required or routinely performed by temporary residents of the Commonwealth. Students shall not establish <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> by mere physical presence or residence primarily for educational purposes. <a id="paragraph-253872" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-503/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> A married individual may establish <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> in the same manner as an unmarried individual. <a id="paragraph-253873" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-503/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> A nonmilitary student whose parent or spouse is a member of the Armed Forces of the United States may establish <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> in the same manner as any other student. <a id="paragraph-253874" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-503/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> Any alien holding an immigration visa or classified as a political refugee may establish <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> in the same manner as any other student. However, absent congressional <span class="dictionary">intent</span> to the contrary, any individual holding a student visa or another temporary visa does not have the capacity to intend to remain in the Commonwealth indefinitely and is therefore ineligible to establish <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> and receive in-state tuition charges. <a id="paragraph-253875" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-503/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> The <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> of a <span class="dictionary">dependent student</span> shall be rebuttably presumed to be the <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> of the parent or legal guardian (i) claiming him as an exemption on federal or state income tax returns currently and for the tax year prior to the <span class="dictionary">date of the alleged entitlement</span> or (ii) providing him with <span class="dictionary">substantial financial support</span>. The spouse of an active duty military service member, if such spouse has established <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> and claimed the <span class="dictionary">dependent student</span> on federal or state income tax returns, is not subject to minimum income tests or requirements. <a id="paragraph-253876" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-503/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="F"><p><span class="prefix-number">F.</span> The <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> of an <span class="dictionary">unemancipated minor</span> or a <span class="dictionary">dependent student</span> 18 years old or older may be the <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> of either the parent with whom he resides, the parent who claims the student as a dependent for federal or Virginia income tax purposes for the tax year prior to the <span class="dictionary">date of the alleged entitlement</span> and is currently so claiming the student, or the parent who provides the student with <span class="dictionary">substantial financial support</span>. If there is no surviving parent or the whereabouts of the parents are unknown, then the <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> of an <span class="dictionary">unemancipated minor</span> shall be the <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> of the legal guardian of such <span class="dictionary">unemancipated minor</span> unless circumstances indicate that such guardianship was created primarily for the purpose of establishing <span class="dictionary">domicile</span>. <a id="paragraph-253877" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-503/#F"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="G"><p><span class="prefix-number">G.</span> Continuously enrolled <span class="dictionary">non-<span class="dictionary">Virginia students</span></span> shall be presumed to be in the Commonwealth for educational purposes unless they rebut such <span class="dictionary">presumption</span> with clear and convincing <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> of <span class="dictionary">domicile</span>. <a id="paragraph-253878" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-503/#G"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="H"><p><span class="prefix-number">H.</span> A <span class="dictionary">non-<span class="dictionary">Virginia student</span></span> is not eligible for reclassification as a <span class="dictionary">Virginia student</span> unless he applies for and is approved for such reclassification. Any such reclassification shall only be granted prospectively from the date such application is received. <a id="paragraph-253879" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-503/#H"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="I"><p><span class="prefix-number">I.</span> A student who knowingly provides erroneous information in an attempt to evade payment of out-of-state tuition charges shall be charged out-of-state tuition for each term, semester, or quarter attended and may be subject to <span class="dictionary">dismissal</span> from the institution. All disputes relating to the veracity of information provided to establish <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> in the Commonwealth are appealable as set forth in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Determinations of eligibility; appeals and guidelines" href="/23.1-510/">23.1-510</a>. <a id="paragraph-253880" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-503/#I"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="J"><p><span class="prefix-number">J.</span> No student shall be deemed ineligible to establish <span class="dictionary">domicile</span> and receive in-state tuition charges solely on the basis of the immigration status of his parent. <a id="paragraph-253881" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-503/#J"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1984, c. 422, &#xA7; 23-7.4; 1985, cc. 179, 572; 1988, c. 124; 1989, c. 371; 1990, c. 680; 1991, c. 590; 1996, cc. 931, 981; 1999, c. 439; 2006, cc. 783, 797, 806; 2007, cc. 108, 491; 2008, c. 723; 2011, cc. 38, 44, 782, 860; 2013, cc. 139, 166, 243; 2014, c. 341; 2016, c. 588; 2020, c. 512.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
