Residency Determination Service Residency Determination Service Background Session

Residency Determination Service

Residency Determination Service Background ü Session Law 2013 – 360 directed the UNC, NCCCS, NCICU, and SEAA to create a centralized, uniform process for determining residency for tuition purposes and for administration of State-funded financial aid. ü Session Law 2015 -241 designated NC State Education Assistance Authority as key responsible entity, advised by Higher Education Collaborative Advisory Committee (HECAC) on purpose, function and development of RDS – representatives from NCCCS, UNC, NCICU, SEAA, and CFI.

Residency Determination Service Purpose -- Consistency ü Students use one residency determination to seek in state tuition to North Carolina public schools and to establish eligibility for in state financial aid. ü Residency Determination Service streamlines the process to determine residency through a standardized online interview process accessible from campus admission applications, CFNC, and directly on the RDS website.

Residency Determination Service History and Statistics ü RDS Implementation began in December of 2016 for undergraduates ü All graduate and professional programs were implemented in Fall 2018 ü Focus is now on working with students and campuses on system enhancements and implementing any legislative or rules changes

Residency Determination Service History and Statistics ü Sinception, 1, 347, 905 students have completed the RDS process as of March 31, 2021 ü Current Active Determinations as of March 31, 2021: • • • 412, 341 Resident In State Determinations 6, 040 Non Resident In State Determinations (Military) 52, 660 Non Resident Our of State

Residency Determination Service Key Principles ü RDS informs Grant system of residency as eligibility for grant consideration ü RDS uses SSN for student, parent(s), spouse as identifier for data matching ü “Trust But Validate” strategy uses data matching with various state & federal databases such as the NC Department of Revenue and NC Division of Motor Vehicles

The RDS Online Interview Student Experience

RDS Online Interview – Student Experience Why complete an Initial Consideration Initial consideration is the primary step student takes to request residency ü Students complete an online interview with skip logic ü Student receives a Residency Certification Number (RCN) to supply to any NC college and university to which they apply ü Initial consideration classification is downloaded by college campuses and to state grants system ü

RDS Online Interview – Student Experience Initial Classification -- Outcome Information Needed to Complete FAFSA and Residency Determination Service (RDS) INFORMATION NEEDED FAFSA Residency (RDS) Student’s Personal Identifying information (SSN, ARN, USCIS, or ITIN) YES Parent’s Personal Identifying information (SSN, ARN, USCIS, or ITIN) YES Student and/or Parent’s Federal Tax information YES Potentially Student and/or Parent’s State Tax Information NO YES Permanent Residence Information YES Vehicle or Driver License Information YES Military Information (if applicable) YES US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Documentation (if applicable) NO YES Where Do I Go To Complete the Process Fafsa. gov ncresidency. org What Information Should I Save *FSA ID **RCN Is Residency Information Needed YES

RDS Online Interview – Student Experience Initial Classification -- Outcome ü At submission, RDS provides student immediate residency classification and Residency Certification Number (RCN) ü Student provides the RCN to the college(s) as requested ü Student may log back in at any point to upload documentation, review their information, and request an appeal or reconsideration

RDS Online Interview – Student Experience Status Page – Documents Due

RDS Online Interview – Student Experience Status Page – Documents Complete

Residency Determination Service Student Notifications ü Students will receive email and text reminders (students must opt-in to receive the texts) ü In-Progress Applications § Day 8, Day 15, Day 24 § If student does not complete within 25 days, student can start over § If student does not complete appeal within 25 days, student must submit reconsideration first before another appeal ü Documentation Deadlines § Day 8, Day 15, Day 24 § Student can log back in at any time to submit the documentation § Can be uploaded, faxed, or mailed

RDS Online Interview – Student Experience Reconsideration Process RDS Reconsideration is for students who: ü Need to correct certain errors in the data submitted during the RDS online interview ü Have had a change in personal circumstances since completing their current determination ü Did not submit the required documentation within the initial consideration timelines ü Are requested by campus to complete a new determination

RDS Online Interview – Student Experience Why complete an RDS Appeal? ü Appeal provides a student access to the human side of the residency process, if the computerized RDS Online Interview yields a residency determination that a student believes is incorrect. ü RDS Appeal process is for students who have ability or need to provide additional information and documentation to their claim of residency. ü Students have 10 days to submit a notification to appeal; 25 days to complete the appeal.

RDS Online Interview – Student Experience Why complete an SEAA Appeal? ü The SEAA Appeal Level 2 process is available to students who remain non-resident following an RDS Appeal. ü Students, and RDS, are unable to submit additional information or documentation to support the appeal. ü The SEAA Appeal reviews student appeals to ensure the process is conducted fairly and correctly, and the outcome is correct based on the information provided ü 40 students who completed RDS Appeal have requested an SEAA Appeal

Residency Determination Service A Few Basic Concepts – Residency Law & Policy ü Must be domiciled in North Carolina at least 12 months ü Residency is based on the parent’s domicile unless the student can prove otherwise ü Non-US citizens with certain visa and immigration statuses are eligible for in-state tuition and state financial aid; DACA and undocumented students are not eligible ü Students classified as Mc. Kinney-Vento are not automatically considered residents for tuition and state aid purposes

Residency Determination Service RDS, Clearinghouse, Continuous Enrollment ü Beginning for Fall term of 2019, RDS requests a file from the Clearinghouse in December and May of students that have an unexpired RDS determination and consented to RDS obtaining the information (consent added to interview in July 2019). ü In December 2020, 129, 988 in state determinations were extended based on Fall 2020 enrollment. ü Next file will be requested in May for Spring 2021 enrollment.

Residency Determination Service RDS, Clearinghouse, Continuous Enrollment ü Clearinghouse reports to RDS students enrolled in an NC college ü RDS extends expiration dates for enrolled students ü As long as students that completed RDS after July 2019 remain continuously enrolled in an NC college (no gap of 2 or more terms), RDS determination will not expire.

Working with RDS Campus Information

RDS Information – Another View Cross Connect While most campuses will use the Grants system as their main source of information; campus staff may also access the RDS search on Cross Connect to review a student’s current status.

RDS Information – Information for Campuses School Administrators Information Repository ü At ncresidency. org, Resources Tab ü Scroll down to access the repository

RDS Information – Information for Campuses School Administrators Information Repository ü Links to All and Campus Specific Information ü Contact RDS for the login information

RDS and the State Grants Portal ü No “grace period” in residency eligibility for grant consideration ü Grant dollars go ONLY to NC residents ü RDS is authority for residency eligibility for grant consideration ü If school has information that student is “non-resident” of NC, school must report student as “ineligible” for grant in current term

RDS and the State Grants Portal State Grants, RDS, and Continuous Enrollment In order to receive a State Grant, a student must be an NC resident. A student will be considered a resident for grants purposes if: 1 - The student’s most recent ISIR and the ISIR on which the grant is being awarded reflect NC residency AND….

RDS and the State Grants Portal State Grants, RDS, and Continuous Enrollment 2. There is a current RDS determination of NC resident, OR The student has been continuously enrolled since being determined an NC resident by RDS, or by the school for determinations that took place prior to RDS implementation. Continuous enrollment definition for the purposes of state grants will mirror continuous enrollment as defined by Residency Determination Service (RDS)

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency Related Flags in Portal RDS Flag: Y (yes)= in-state E (expired)= in-state, but determination expired. N (no)= out-of-state U (unknown)=student has not completed RDS Val Flag: The RDS result of Y or N has been validated (student has returned requested documents or validation has been completed). Validated determinations are final unless the student seeks reconsideration or appeal.

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency Related Flags in Portal CGF Flag: Continuous Granting Flag. This flag set to Y indicates a student has received state grants at your college in at least one of the past two semesters and therefore has already been determined to be a NC resident ü Y = student has received state grants at your college in at least one of the past two major terms (fall, winter, spring). ü N = student has not received a state grant at your college for the past two terms.

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency Related Flags in Portal Residency Discrepancy Flag: If this flag is set to a Y, CFI has found a negative discrepancy related to residency and removed the student’s state grant A student may be flagged for discrepant information if: ü The student completes RDS and is found to be nonresident (RDS flag also flips to ‘N’) ü The student updates the FAFSA to show non-NC residency

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency Discrepancy If CFI finds a negative discrepancy related to residency for a grant eligible student: ü The residency discrepancy flag is set to Y and student appears on Residency Discrepancy report. ü An alert is placed on the dashboard IF the grant has been certified If the grant that was removed has had funds disbursed to the school: ü Email alert to school ü Create adjustment record on grants portal ü An alert is placed on the dashboard

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency Discrepancy If a student with a residency discrepancy clears the issue by: ü Submitting a FAFSA correction or ü Requesting appeal or reconsideration through RDS and being determined to be an NC resident CFI will: ü Put alert on dashboard that the grant has been restored ü Send email notification that grant is restored

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency Discrepancy – Hold Harmless Dates Fall: 10/1 Spring: 3/1 Negative discrepancy information effective after the Hold Harmless date will not affect the student for that term, but it will affect the next term. The Effective Date is the date the student started the RDS process.

RDS and the State Grants Portal Alert on Dashboard - Grant Removed . Student data in this presentation does not contain actual student information

RDS and the State Grants Portal Alert on Dashboard – Grant Reinstated

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency Discrepancy Email Alerts Email alert occurs when: ü A student’s grant is removed AFTER funds have already disbursed to the college ü A student’s grant is reinstated after being removed due to adverse residency information.

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency Discrepancy Email Alerts To receive email alerts, School Contacts should add the Residency Conflict and/or Residency Conflict Resolved notifications to their Contact Profile.

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency Discrepancy Email Alerts To receive email alerts, School Contacts should add the Residency Conflict and/or Residency Conflict Resolved notifications to their Contact Profile.

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency Discrepancy Report

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency Changes Report

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency Changes Report Change Date is the date the Current RDS or the RDS Val flag was last changed. Effective date of RDS Result is the date the student began RDS.

RDS and the State Grants Portal Residency In-State Report RDS Expiration date: Only significant if the expiration date is near and student has not been continuously enrolled since RDS was last done.

Residency Determination Service Assistance RDS Help– www. ncresidency. org üStudent Help Line: 844. 319. 3640 üStudent Email: rdsinfo@ncresidency. org üCampus Help: 844. 417. 0164** üCampus Email: rds@cfi. org ** Grant System Help üTraci Mitchell: üMeredith Etheridge: 919 -835 -2364 919 -835 -2384 **Campus phone line and email address are for campus staff only. Please do not provide to students. This will slow our ability to help campuses in a timely manner.

Residency Determination Service Questions and Discussion