Westchester County residents may obtain a "Certificate of Residence", for free, to reduce their tuition costs while attending community colleges outside of Westchester County.
Any student who is a resident of Westchester County, and who wishes to reduce their tuition cost while attending a community college outside of Westchester County, may submit a  Certificate of Residence issued yearly by the Westchester County Commissioner of Finance.  
The certificate is used at registration at the chosen community college.

For convenience, the Instructions and Forms are made available in both Microsoft WORD and in Adobe Acrobat Reader pdf format.
Each version is identical when printed. 
To use the WORD version you must have WORD97 or better on your computer. 
To use the pdf version, you need to install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader by clicking the round blue Adobe icon below

Please print one version of the Instructions, the Application, and possibly the Guardian form, complete them in ink, sign them,  have them notarized, and deliver them as per the instructions. 
All applications must be submitted by mail only, do not visit the office.

Note: Some browsers may show a blank window when you try to view the PDF file.  Normally, when this happens you can click the refresh or reload button on your browser to view the PDF file.
To print a PDF file please use the PRINT ICON  
located in the Acrobat Reader toolbar.

(When clicked, new windows will open with the WORD or pdf document).

Contact us via email:  dept-of-finance@westchestergov.com

   Instructions revised November 2008

Instructions in WORD format                  Instructions in pdf format **

Application in WORD format         Application Form in pdf format **

Guardian Declaration WORD       Guardian Declaration  pdf format **

    **  Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed:  Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) files can be downloaded, displayed, and printed from any computer  that has installed the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program..
The Adobe Acrobat Reader program may be downloaded for free from Adobe by clicking this round blue logo:
   
To print a PDF file please use the PRINT ICON
located in the Acrobat Reader toolbar.

* Education Law, Section 6305, provides: “The chief fiscal officer of each county, as defined in Section 2.00 of the Local Finance Law, shall, upon application and submission to her/him of satisfactory evidence, issue to any person desiring to enroll in a community college as a non-resident student, a certificate of residence showing that said person is a resident of said county.... 
Such person shall, upon his registration for each college year, file with the college a certificate issued not earlier than two months prior thereto, and such certificate of residence shall be valid for a period of one year from the date of issuance. 
Education Law, Section 6301, Paragraph 4, defines:  Resident - person who has resided in the State for a period of at least one year and in the county, city, town, intermediate school district or school district, as the case may be, for a period of at least six months, both immediately preceding the date of such registration in a community college.

this page revised June 2007

Westchester County Department of Finance