Residency

Why Do We Collect Residency Information?

The Mississippi Community College Board requires our college to collect residency information on our students. Upon review of your admission application, your state residency will be determined. Students who are classified as non-Mississippi residents will be subject to out-of-state tuition and fees.

  • Residency of minors (students under 21 years of age) is determined upon the residency of your parent or legal guardian. If parents of minors move out-of-state during a student’s enrollment, the student will be classified as an out-of-state student.
  • If you are currently a Mississippi resident, but the last school you attended was out of state, you will be classified as an out-of-state student until you submit residency documents.
  • If you were born outside of the U.S., you will be classified as an out-of-state student until you prove both Mississippi and U.S. residency.
  • If you are classified as an out-of-state student, the Office of Admissions and Records will notify you by email and provide you with the opportunity to prove Mississippi residency no later than mid-term of the semester in which you enroll. You will be charged out-of-state tuition and fees until you prove residency.
  • However, establishing Mississippi residency after mid-term of the semester in which you are enrolled will not affect your tuition and fees. Residency must be established before mid-term in order to qualify you for in-state tuition and fees.

Residency documents may be emailed to records@hindscc.edu or brought to an Admissions Office at any Hinds location.

For questions or assistance, please call our Office of Admissions and Records at 601-857-3212 or refer to our online college catalog.

Establishing Mississippi Residency: 20 or Younger

Important: a student under the age of 21 at the time of application must not submit residency documents in their own name. The student must submit two (2) of the following documents in the name of their biological parent who was listed on the admission application/onboarding. If the student listed “other” guardian on the application/onboarding instead of a biological parent, then the student must submit Mississippi court-ordered legal guardianship papers, plus two (2) documents listed below in the name of the court-ordered legal guardian:

  • Current Mississippi Driver’s License or State-Issued ID (Persons moving into MS on a permanent basis have 60 days per state law to acquire a driver’s license)
  • Mortgage document with matching address
  • Homestead exemption with matching address
  • Guardianship documents (issued by a Mississippi Court or the MS Dept. of Human Services
    Emancipation documents
  • Prior or Prior-prior year State income tax return
  • Current Mississippi Voter Registration Card
  • Current motor vehicle registration (Persons moving into MS on a permanent basis have 30 days per state law to register vehicles).
  • Current employment documents (last pay stub, employment contract)
  • Current utility bills (including cell phones) with matching address
  • Lease agreement signed by a lessor and lessee (cannot be from a private homeowner)
  • A signed statement by the MS Dept. of Human Services or a certified letter from a recognized relief agency (such as the Salvation Army) certifying that the student is receiving services as a homeless MS resident.

Please note: if you wish to establish residency under a biological parent you did not list on your application/onboarding, then you may submit a birth certificate establishing parentage, in addition to two (2) approved Mississippi documents listed above.

The following documents can stand by themselves, meaning you may submit one (1) of these instead of two (2) of the above-mentioned documents:

  • Current signed letter or form from the Veterans Affairs School Certifying Officer
  • Current Military orders for MS active military personnel
  • Official high school transcript for an applicant under the age of 21 verifying four years of attendance and graduation from a Mississippi high school.

 

Establishing Mississippi Residency: 21 or Older

Submit two (2) of the following documents

  • Current Mississippi Driver’s License or State-Issued ID (Persons moving into MS on a permanent basis have 60 days per state law to acquire a driver’s license)
  • Mortgage document with matching address
  • Homestead exemption with matching address
  • Guardianship documents (issued by a Mississippi Court or the MS Dept. of Human Services Emancipation documents
  • Prior or Prior-prior year State income tax return
  • Current Mississippi Voter Registration Card
  • Current motor vehicle registration (Persons moving into MS on a permanent basis have 30 days per state law to register vehicles)
  • Current employment documents (last pay stub, employment contract)
  • Current utility bills (including cell phones) with matching address
  • Lease agreement signed by a lessor and lessee (cannot be from a private homeowner)
  • For students admitted Fall 2013 or after, letters or affidavits from private homeowners, even if notarized, will not suffice as a residency document.
  • Signed statement by the MS Dept. of Human Services or a certified letter from recognized relief agency (such as the Salvation Army) certifying that the student is receiving services as a homeless MS resident

The following documents can stand alone, meaning you may submit one (1) of these instead of two (2) of the above-mentioned documents:

  • Current signed letter or form from the Veterans Affairs School Certifying Officer
  • Current Military orders for MS active military personnel

 

Establishing U.S. Residency (Citizenship)

If you were born outside of the United States of America, you will be coded as Out-of-Country and Out-of-State until you establish both U.S. citizenship and MS residency. Please note: if you are under the age of 21, U.S. citizenship must be established in the name of your biological parent or in the name of your Mississippi court-ordered legal guardian. If you are 21 or older, citizenship may be established in your name.

1. Submit one (1) of the following documents:

    • Green card (permanent resident card)
    • Naturalization papers

2. Submit two (2) forms of Mississippi residency. See the appropriate “Establishing Mississippi Residency” sections above for a list of approved documents according to your age.

Contact

Communications Center
Admissions
601-857-3539
Financial Aid
601-857-3605