Residency Requirements

California Residents

Generally, California residence is established by one of the following:

If the applicant is under the age of 18, his or her parents must have had legal residence within California for 12 consecutive months preceding the first day of the semester.
If the applicant is 18, but not yet 19 years of age, the applicant and the applicant's parents must have had legal residence within California for 12 consecutive months preceding the first day of the semester.
If the applicant is 19 years of age or older, the applicant must have had legal residence within the state of California for 12 consecutive months preceding the first day of the semester.

This notice has been prepared in accordance with Education Code Section 25505.5 and shall remain in effect until further written notice.

Active Duty Military

Stationed in California? Know your options.

Serving the Military for more than 30 years, Coastline is dedicated to serving the unique and mobile lifestyle of our military students.

Service members originally from or currently stationed in California may be eligible for a discounted tuition rate of $46 per unit when enrolling in Coastline College classes.

Active Duty students and their dependents, who are stationed in the state of California, can be granted a resident classification (for tuition calculation only) by submitting a Statement of Residence and a copy of their Leave and Earning Statement (with state taxes affiliated with California) OR a copy of orders demonstrating that they are stationed in California.
Current California residents who meet state residency requirements and who apply online through OpenCCC are usually classified as California Residents at the time they apply to Coastline.

Students can view their current residency status by accessing their MyCoast portal and visiting the Banner Self-Service Student Records "View Student Information" menu.

Please submit residency documents to residency@coastline.edu.

Non-California Residents

An individual who does not meet the California residency requirements may be admitted to Coastline under the following conditions:

Students who are not residents of California as of the day immediately preceding the first day of classes, in any given semester or summer session, will be required to pay an out-of-state tuition fee and a capital outlay fee.
Active military personnel are exempt from nonresident tuition fees provided they are in California for a purpose other than attending a state-supported institution of higher education.
Dependents (natural or adopted child, stepchild, or spouse) of a member of the armed forces of the United States stationed in California on active duty shall be entitled to resident classification only for the purpose of determining the amount of tuition and fees. If that member of the armed forces on active duty is thereafter transferred to a location outside the state, or retires from active duty, the student dependent shall not lose his or her resident classification until he or she has resided in the state the minimum time necessary to become a resident (Title V, Section 68074).
Minors (under 18 years of age and not married) will be required to pay the out-of-state tuition fee and capital outlay fee if their parents or legal guardians reside outside the state, even though such minors may have lived in California for one year or more.
Students who are financially dependent on their parents or legal guardians will be required to pay out-of-state tuition if their parents or legal guardians reside outside the state, even though such students may have lived in California for one year or more.
Students who have paid the out-of-state tuition fee and find it necessary to withdraw from college will be given refunds according to the refund policy.

Nonresident Tuition Exemptions

Nonresident active duty military personnel stationed in California for a purpose other than that of attending a state-supported institution of higher learning.
Dependents of active military personnel stationed in California.
In accordance with AB540, students other than a nonimmigrant alien who attended a California high school for a minimum of three years, graduated from a California high school, or attained the equivalent, may be eligible for an exemption from the nonresident tuition fee. Persons without lawful immigration status are required to file an affidavit to verify that they have filed an application to legalize his or her immigration status, or will file an application as soon as they are eligible to do so.

Note: Students who are nonimmigrant aliens (e.g., F series student visas or B series visitor visas) are not eligible for this AB 540 exemption unless they have applied to INS for a change of status to other than nonimmigrant status and meet all other requirements for the exemption.

Special Immigrant Visa

Education Code section 68075.6 grants an immediate nonresident tuition fee exemption to eligible Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders and refugee students who settled in California upon entering the United States. This exemption is granted for one year from the date the student settled in California upon entering the United States.

Iraqi citizens or nationals (and their spouses and children) who were employed by or on behalf of the United States Government in Iraq (Pub.L. No. 110-181, § 1244)
Afghan and Iraqi translators (and their spouses and children) who worked directly with the United States Armed Forces (Pub.L. No. 109- 163, § 1059)
Afghanistan nationals who were employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government or in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan (Pub.L. No. 111-8, § 602)
Refugee students admitted to the United States under Section 1157 of Title 8 of the United States Code

International Students

Coastline is authorized by the United States Immigration Naturalization service to enroll International Students (F-1).

For more information, please visit the International Students web page.

Nonimmigrant Aliens

Nonimmigrant Aliens with the types of visas listed below, otherwise eligible for admission, may enroll for a maximum of 6.0 units provided they are proficient in English and have visas that do not expire before the end of the term for which they are enrolling.

A: Career Diplomat
E: Foreign Investor
G: International Treaty Organization Representative and Dependents
H: Temporary Worker and Dependents
I: Foreign Press
J: Exchange Visitor
K: Fiance
L: Intra-Company Transferee and Dependents
- An nonimmigrant alien who is precluded from establishing domicile in the United States shall not be classified as a resident unless and until he or she has been granted a change in status by the INS to a classification which permits establishing domicile and has met other residency requirements.