Virginia Residency and Your Application

This morning, I have some information from the Office of Virginia Status at UVa. The folks in this office make residency determinations for the entire university, from undergraduate admission to the graduate schools. They're involved in every admission process we have here. Clearly, undergraduate admission season is a busy time in their office.

Here are some things to know about the process of being deemed a Virginia resident:

1. The Common App asks most of the questions.
For many of you, the residency questions on the Common App provide the information needed to deem you domiciled in Virginia. Do not fill out the Application for Virginia Status that's on the OVS website. That's not for you! The Common App is exactly what they need in many cases.


2. A few of you need to provide documentation.
There are a few cases where you might have to provide some documentation to support your case. Two common cases (and what to do if one applies to you):

a. Military families - fax one parent's active duty orders, Leave and Earnings Statement, or proof of separation.

b. Permanent residents, visa holders, asylees, or those with immigrations statuses pending - fax documentation for you and a parent

Outside of those situations, you will get an email asking for documents if your case needs supporting documentation.


3. The Office of Virginia Status prefers faxed documents over email.
They communicate with applicants via email, but like documents to come via fax. Their fax number is 434-982-2663.


4. The Office of Virginia Status doesn't confirmation receipt of documents.
The volume of items coming into the OVS is too great for them to respond to every fax, but you will be emailed repeatedly if the documents they requested haven't arrived. Check your email. This is really important for the admission process and for your tuition bill!


Now, here's the tricky part. I can't really answer questions about Virginia Status. I can, of course, reiterate that being a Virginia resident is a big advantage in our process, point you to past admission statistics to show this, and promise you that within Virginia there are no quotas.

So I fear to ask...what are your questions?

Virginia Gentleman