Establishing Residency in California?

[Corbett]

You would have to earn at least $55K, on your own, to pay for your tuition, while going to school. How can you do that, on your own, AND file state taxes in California?

And even if you did, you would have to be self-supporting for at least two years before qualifying for in-state tuition:

If you’re an unmarried undergraduate under the age of 24 and your parent(s) are not California residents, you must be able to document (for example, using tax returns, W-2 forms, bank statements) that you have been totally self-sufficient for two full years prior to the residence determination date, supporting yourself, for example, through jobs, financial aid, commercial/institutional loans in your name only, and documentable savings from your earnings. This also means you can’t have been claimed as an income tax dependent by any individual or have accepted gifts (cash or other support) that contributed to your subsistence for two tax years immediately preceding the term.

This requirement makes it extremely difficult for most undergraduates who are not financially dependent on a California-resident parent to qualify for classification as a California resident.

http://www.ucop.edu/residency/establishing-residency.html