The appeals process is intended to ensure state-mandated policy is applied correctly and consistently; it is not designed to grant exceptions. Students are encouraged to review Residency Requirements for Tuition Purposes before submitting an appeal.
While there is no appeal process for the AB540 / AB2000 / SB68 exemption, a student may submit an online appeal of their residence classification within 30 days
ONLY if the appeal meets the requirements outlined below.
Any student, following a final campus decision concerning the student’s residency determination, may appeal online to the Chancellor’s Office of the California State University
within 30 calendar days of the issuance of the notification of the final campus decision.
Appeal Requirements
Appeals will be accepted
only if at least one of the following applies:
- The decision to classify as a nonresident was based on an error made by the CSU, including:
- a significant error of fact by the campus;
- a significant procedural error by the campus; or
- an incorrect application of law
which, if corrected, would require that the student be reclassified as a California resident; and/or,
- Significant new information, not previously known or available to the student, became available after the date of the campus decision classifying the student as a nonresident and based on the new information, the classification as a nonresident is incorrect.
A student must explain why the appeal meets one or more of the above appeal criteria and provide relevant supporting documentation.
Appeals based solely on disagreement with the campus decision and that do not meet the above criteria will not be accepted. Appeals that fail to provide a clear explanation, fully supported by relevant documentation, will be rejected.
Appeal Rejection Criteria
An appeal will be rejected IF it:
- is not within 30 calendar days
- does not include the campus notification (denial letter) of the student’s
final residency status and/or documentation that supports the basis of the appeal
- is used to correct
student errors (e.g., the student checked the incorrect box on the
CSU Residency Questionnaire form)
- is not submitted
online. Students with a documented disability may contact
residencyappeals@calstate.edu for assistance with submission.
- contains attachments that are in a format other than PDF or Microsoft Word format or the appeal is submitted via email, fax, or U.S. mail
After the appeal is accepted for review, the California State University Chancellor’s Office requests information from the campus. The campus will provide the Chancellor’s Office residency appeals staff with a copy of the student’s file and any documents related to the denial of residency.
Final decision issued from the California State University Chancellor’s Office
Decisions regarding residency status for each term are issued from the Chancellor’s Office. These decisions are
final, with no right to further appeal within the California State University system. Students must contact
the campus for instructions on appeals for a subsequent term.
Instructions to Submit an Appeal:
For detailed instructions on how to file a residency appeal, please refer to the
How to File a Residency Appeal (PDF)