Residency
Why Do We Collect Residency Information?
Under state law (MCA 37-103-3), the Mississippi Community College Board requires our college to collect residency information on our students. Upon review of your admission application and admission-related documents, your residency will be determined. Students classified as a Non-Mississippi Resident and/or a Non-US Resident will be subject to out-of-state tuition and fees.
Potential Reasons for a Non-resident Status
- You have or had an address outside of Mississippi.
- You attended any school outside of Mississippi or received an equivalency diploma outside of Mississippi.
- You are under the age of 21 and listed a parent who lives outside of Mississippi.
- You are under the age of 21 and listed a guardian other than your mother or father.
- You were not born in the United States of America.
Deadline to Establish Residency
- The deadline each semester to establish residency and be billed in-state tuition is mid-term of your first day of classes.
- If you establish Mississippi residency after the mid-term of your first day of classes, you will not be rebilled for the current semester’s courses. Your residency and ability to pay in-state tuition will go into effect in the following semester.
- Once you establish Mississippi residency, you must also always maintain a Mississippi physical address to remain classified as a Mississippi resident.
- If you change to a non-Mississippi address after your first day of classes, you be will classified as a Non-Resident in the following semester.
How to Establish Mississippi Residency
- View a list of approved residency documents below to see if you can submit the appropriate items. Be sure to note the difference in documents for students age 20 or younger since those items must be submitted in the name of the parent or legal guardian.
- If you can submit the approved and current residency documents, please send copies for us to review by the deadline each semester to Records@hindscc.edu, and we will review them within several business days.
For questions or assistance, please contact the Office of Admissions at 601-857-3212 or Records@hindscc.edu.
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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi Department 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 Mississippi on a permanent basis have 30 days per state law to register vehicles).
- Current employment documents (last pay stub, employment contract)
- Current utility bills (this includes water, electric, gas, internet, cable, landline phone, and cell phones) with a matching address to your other residency documentation. All other bills are not accepted such as car notes, insurance, credit card bills, medical bills, etc.
- Lease agreement signed by a lessor and lessee (cannot be from a private homeowner)
- A signed statement by the Mississippi Department 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 Mississippi active military personnel
- Official high school transcript verifying four full years of attendance and graduation from a Mississippi high school. This is only accepted for applicants under the age of 21 who have never attended an out-of-state school and had an out-of-state address in their history.
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 Mississippi 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
- Prior or Prior-prior year State income tax return
- Current Mississippi Voter Registration Card
- Current motor vehicle registration (Persons moving into Mississippi on a permanent basis have 30 days per state law to register vehicles)
- Current employment documents (last pay stub, employment contract)
- Current utility bills (this includes water, electric, gas, internet, cable, landline phone, and cell phones) with a matching address to your other residency documentation. All other bills are not accepted such as car notes, insurance, credit card bills, medical bills, etc.
- Lease agreement signed by a lessor and lessee (cannot be from a private homeowner)
- Signed statement by the Mississippi Department 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi active military personnel
Establishing U.S. Residency (Citizenship)
If you were born outside of the United States of America or indicated a residency status on your application other than U.S. citizen, 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:
- Certificate of Citizenship
- Green card (permanent resident card)
- Naturalization Certificate
- Current U.S. Passport
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.