Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3333.31 – Rules for determining student residency

(A) For state subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes, status as a resident of Ohio shall be defined by the chancellor of the Ohio board of regents by rule promulgated pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. No adjudication as to the status of any person under such rule, however, shall be required to be made pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. The term "resident" for these purposes shall not be equated with the definition of that term as it is employed elsewhere under the laws of this state and other states, and shall not carry with it any of the legal connotations appurtenant thereto. Rather, except as provided in divisions (B) and (D) of this section, for such purposes, the rule promulgated under this section shall have the objective of excluding from treatment as residents those who are present in the state primarily for the purpose of attending a state-supported or state-assisted institution of higher education, and may prescribe presumptive rules, rebuttable or conclusive, as to such purpose based upon the source or sources of support of the student, residence prior to first enrollment, evidence of intention to remain in the state after completion of studies, or such other factors as the chancellor deems relevant.
(B) The rules of the chancellor for determining student residency shall grant residency status to a veteran and to the veteran's spouse and any dependent of the veteran, if both of the following conditions are met:
1. (1) The veteran either:
  1. (a) Served one or more years on active military duty and was honorably discharged or received a medical discharge that was related to the military service;
  2. (b) Was killed while serving on active military duty or has been declared to be missing in action or a prisoner of war.
2. (2) If the veteran seeks residency status for tuition surcharge purposes, the veteran has established domicile in this state as of the first day of a term of enrollment in an institution of higher education. If the spouse or a dependent of the veteran seeks residency status for tuition surcharge purposes, the veteran and the spouse or dependent seeking residency status have established domicile in this state as of the first day of a term of enrollment in an institution of higher education, except that if the veteran was killed while serving on active military duty, has been declared to be missing in action or a prisoner of war, or is deceased after discharge, only the spouse or dependent seeking residency status shall be required to have established domicile in accordance with this division.
(C) The rules of the chancellor for determining student residency shall not deny residency status to a student who is either a dependent child of a parent, or the spouse of a person who, as of the first day of a term of enrollment in an institution of higher education, has accepted full-time employment and established domicile in this state for reasons other than gaining the benefit of favorable tuition rates. Documentation of full-time employment and domicile shall include both of the following documents:
1. (1) A sworn statement from the employer or the employer's representative on the letterhead of the employer or the employer's representative certifying that the parent or spouse of the student is employed full-time in Ohio;
2. (2) A copy of the lease under which the parent or spouse is the lessee and occupant of rented residential property in the state, a copy of the closing statement on residential real property of which the parent or spouse is the owner and occupant in this state or, if the parent or spouse is not the lessee or owner of the residence in which the parent or spouse has established domicile, a letter from the owner of the residence certifying that the parent or spouse resides at that residence. Residency officers may also evaluate, in accordance with the chancellor's rule, requests for immediate residency status from dependent students whose parents are not living and whose domicile follows that of a legal guardian who has accepted full-time employment and established domicile in the state for reasons other than gaining the benefit of favorable tuition rates.
(D)
1. (1) The rules of the chancellor for determining student residency shall grant residency status to a person who, while a resident of this state for state subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes, graduated from a high school in this state or completed the final year of instruction at home as authorized under section 3321.04 of the Revised Code, if the person enrolls in an institution of higher education and establishes domicile in this state, regardless of the student's residence prior to that enrollment.
2. (2) The rules of the chancellor for determining student residency shall not grant residency status to an alien if the alien is not also an immigrant or a nonimmigrant.
(E) As used in this section:
1. (1) "Dependent," "domicile," "institution of higher education," and "residency officer" have the meanings ascribed in the chancellor's rules adopted under this section.
2. (2) "Alien" means a person who is not a United States citizen or a United States national.
3. (3) "Immigrant" means an alien who has been granted the right by the United States bureau of citizenship and immigration services to reside permanently in the United States and to work without restrictions in the United States.
4. (4) "Nonimmigrant" means an alien who has been granted the right by the United States bureau of citizenship and immigration services to reside temporarily in the United States.