I am trying to gain California residency in order to apply to Berkeley 
under a lower tuition rate than the out-of-state rate. The rule is 
that you have to be physically present in California at least a full 
year before enrollment. However, I will not be able to PHYSICALLY live 
in CA a full year before my intended enrollment next fall. On the 
other hand, even though I am a resident of Kentucky, I attended 
Stanford University for almost 5 years. I am wondering if these 
5 years might count towards a CA residency? Thanks very much.

Dear tmurley:

Thank you for your question. Unfortunately, the answer is no, the 5
years you have spent at Stanford does not count towards a CA
residency.

"To establish residence you must be physically present in California
for more than one year and you must have come here with the intent to
make California your home as opposed to coming to this state to go to
school. ***Physical presence within the state solely for educational
purposes does not constitute the establishment of California
residence, regardless of the length of your stay.***  You must
demonstrate your intention to make California your home by severing
your residential ties with your former state of residence and
establishing those ties with California. "
Source: http://registrar.ucsd.edu/residency/textpage.html

Even if these five years did count as "resident" years, there appears
to be no exception to the physical presence in CA for one full year
rule. Here are some things that are used to establish this:

    *  California driver's license for the prior year.
    * California voter registration.
    * California automobile registration.
    * California State income tax obligations on total income.
    * Ownership of residential property or continuous occupancy or
renting of an apartment on a lease basis where your personal
belongings are kept.
    * Active savings and/or checking accounts in a California bank for
the prior year.
    * Immigration status with legal capacity to establish California
residency.
    * Maintaining a permanent military address and home of record in
California.
    * Military leave and earning statements showing California as
legal residence for the prior year.
* Financial independence from parents for the current year and for the
three years prior to the current year.
http://www.sfsu.edu/~gadmit/faqs/faqsResidency.html


Google Search Strategy:

"California Residency"


I hope this helps!

Best Regards,
blader-ga

Blader-ga provided some good, detailed information. Now, let me just
take a moment and give you some strategy, ok?

If you are a student at a California school, do get your CA drivers
license, and register to vote in CA.

But, here's the big thing that will establish you as a California
resident:
File a RESIDENT tax return every year you are here. With that in hand,
you can demonstrate to the people reviewing your admissions
application that you are a California resident for each of those
years.

Generally, unless they get complaints about you, they won't dig any
further.