I'm pretty sure you'll have to look at whatever criteria each school has for residency. By the state's standards you could be a resident the day you moved there.

Live + work in CA for a year prior to applying so if your starting in Sept, it may mean 18-19 months to make certain no prob - but is it california - it should be enjoyable -

Hey everyone! I was just admitted to Berkeley OOS and was wondering how easy it would be to apply for residency status starting my second year of M.Arch. 

It seems like it's doable, and the requirements aren't that bad compared to other states (I'm looking at you, Michigan). For people interested in the specific details about requirements, you can find them here: http://www.ucop.edu/general-counsel/guidance/educational-affairs-and-campus-services/10-things-graduate-students-residence-tuition-fees.html. 

What I would like to know is: does anyone actually have EXPERIENCE trying this as an OOS applicant to a California school for their second year? And were you successful/unsuccessful? I've found a lot of "advice" on these forums and others, mostly from people who actually live in California, but so far haven't heard anything from anyone who's actually been through the process. 

Even as a non-resident, Berkeley's much cheaper tuition rates compared to east coast private schools make it AWFULLY tempting. :)

You're basically considered financially independent as a graduate student so all that's left is to fulfill the residency stay requirement and do some address/ID paperwork. Assuming all is right, it's a pretty straightforward process.

On the Berkeley site, they basically spell out that you can't be considered a resident if you visit home for the holidays. They also make a big deal about "intent to stay in CA" besides just going to school there. 

How exactly would they know if I buy a plane ticket home??

I'm currently a first year student at Berkeley, from out of state, and going through the process to apply for residency for my second year.

It is doable, from what I have experienced so far. A tricky thing to work around is claiming financial independence - if you are 24 or older you are automatically deemed financially independent, even if you receive support from parents. If you are under 24, you either have to be financially independent [ha...] or have a certain percentage of time appointment as a Graduate Student Instructor/Graduate Student Researcher. Or, if you have neither, you can just have your parents not claim you as a dependent on their taxes and file your own. 

You also have to make sure you arrive in the state of California by a certain date [they will tell you which date], transfer IDs/vehicle registrations/voter registrations within 10 days of arriving, and relinquish any other ties to states other than California. 

To prove your 'intent to stay in CA', you cannot leave the state of California for more than 6 weeks total, during your first year of establishing residency. This means the summer after your first year it would be wise to get an internship in state.

You must submit credit card/debit card records for your entire first year in California, which is how they deduct how long you were outside the state. You can waive travels outside the state if they are for academic reasons, such as a site visit or a conference, etc., as long as the school provides a letter vouching for the dates you were out of state.

Also, if you are unable to attain an internship in state for the first summer, you can work out of state and have it not reflect negatively against you in your application for residency if you prove you tried to get internships in California but you were denied.

If you are worried about leaving the state and going over the 6 week limit, you can potentially just pay in cash and automate payments in the state of California. I went to Nevada for a weekend, and only used cash so it wouldn't count against me. I would be careful how much you do this though - I think they can request further information or audit your records, if things aren't lining up for them. 

I went to UCLA and most people qualified as a "resident" (coming in from out of state) after the first year. You technically are NOT supposed to leave CA to become a resident but as mentioned above, they'd be hard pressed to find out. It's the rule though so there's always potential for you to be caught but I've never heard of anyone being caught for that in my experience. Definitely work the summer after the first year in-state so you pay taxes as well. And do all the usual utility paying and bank account holding from an address in-state.

@upperslope and @Center for Ants

This was really helpful! Thanks!!