According to regulations of the State of New Jersey (N.J.A.C.9A:5), tuition charges are determined by the student’s permanent place of residency, or domicile (home). A residence established solely for the purpose of attending a particular college cannot be defined as a person’s true, permanent domicile.

The Office of Admissions and Registration of Bergen Community College must make a determination of the residency status of students, and as such, reserves the right to require students to show proof of residency when asked.

Deliberate misrepresentation of an address may result in the student’s registration activity being temporarily suspended and may be subject to the College’s student disciplinary process.

Definitions

  • To be considered a resident of the state, a student must have resided in New Jersey for one year before enrolling at a public college in this state.
  • To be considered a resident of Bergen County, a student must be a state resident as defined above, and must show proof of having a permanent residence in the county.
  • Recent” is defined as date of document being within five (5) months from the start of the term.
  • Discrepancy” is defined as one document’s address (information) not being aligned with another documentation.

*Notes: Bergen Community College reserves the right to require students to present additional documentation attesting to their residency when a discrepancy is noted.

When Do You Prove Residency?

Residency should be provided through the mailing address provided on the Application for Admission.  Students may be required to validate their address at time of registration and/or prior to the start of the semester/session.
If residency is not proven, students may be charged at rate other than in-county and based on the information on record provided by the student.
Once the add/drop period has concluded for a given term, changes to residency may only be submitted for the subsequent semester/session. Please review the registration calendar for important dates and deadlines.
Bergen Community College may require proof of residency after a term begins to ensure that the proper address is being used for the following term.
Mail being returned to the College as being undeliverable may require the student to validate their address for proper billing.

How Do You Prove Permanent Residency?

In County to In County

  • Residents must complete the Change of Student Data (online form) AND submit the supporting documentation.
  • Acceptable documents include the following:
    • Valid Driver’s License/Permit or NJ – DMV non-Driver identification or State-issued ID.

Out of County to In-County

  • Residents must complete the Change of Student Data (online form) AND submit two documents:
    • (1)  establishing residency in Bergen County;
    • (2) showing at least one year of residency in the state of New Jersey for Out of State to In-County.
  • Acceptable documents include the following:

A- Valid Driver’s License/Permit or NJ – DMV non-Driver identification [Stronger proof];

B- Tax Return [Strongest Proof]-Please submit only the page that includes the address:

    • If an independent student: A copy of the most current 1040 Income tax form that the student filed.
    • If a dependent student: A copy of the most current parents’ or legal guardian’s 1040 Income Tax form.
      Notes: Student will need to be claimed by their parent/guardian as residing at the address provided on the return.

C- Auto insurance, and/or auto registration [Weaker proof which may require additional proof];

D-Proof of Income

E- Utilities/Cell Phone Bill.

Notes: Please only upload the document’s page that displays the address.

Tuition Adjustment

  • Tuition charges will not be adjusted for a term in session if the add/drop period has concluded for that term.
  • Tuition adjustments for prior terms is not permitted.

Change of Address from Out-of State to In-County

  • Tuition rate will be adjusted after one (1) year residency requirement has been met based on the effective date of residency change/update in the student’s academic records.

Change of Address from Out-of County to In-County

  • Tuition rate will be adjusted up to the last date of Add/Drop period for the current term registered.
    Please review the registration calendar for critical dates and deadlines.

Notes: Tuition rates can be found at the Bursar/Tuition and Fees Information Web page.