Pay in-state by getting a license/job in the state?

Applying to College
1

I live in Illinois and want to go to UW Madison. We can’t afford out of state tuition so my cousin is thinking of putting me on his payroll at his company in Wisconsin and getting me a Wisconsin drivers license. I will still live here and go to school here. Is this legal? Will it work?

2

That won’t work.

3

https://www.wisconsin.edu/undergraduate-education/residency/
https://registrar.wisc.edu/residence.htm

4

Your state of residency refers to where you live, not where you work. In the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT) many people live in one state but work in another. They pay taxes in both, but they’re considered residents of the state in which they reside, not where they work. Even if you worked online from home for your cousin, you’d still be an IL resident.

You might be able to get residency if you move to WI right after your high school graduation and work for your cousin, then apply for school. (See the residency requirements above). That’s risky though. Suppose you move there but aren’t accepted at the school or don’t get enough aid to attend? You’d be OOS for any schools near your current home. You’re better off applying to schools your family can afford.

5

Even if you work and live there, there’s usually a time period required. You’ll see WI says 12 months. For any lurkers (CC gets a lot of this question,) go read the particular explanation for that state school. It’s just not so easy to game.

6

. . . and were you to be listed as an employee (MANDATORY Federal, Wisconsin and potentially local tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare deductions, and possibly heath insurance under Obamacare – how would these be paid?) and not actually work for the company, that would likely be felonious fraud for you both. I recently read about a Florida man who was incarcerated for seven years for a very similar in-state-tuition educational fraud. It’s a shameful idea, corrupt, illegal, and probably quite easily detected (how would all those required deductions be paid and, if they were not, isn’t that likely to invite inquiries?).

7

“Is this legal?”

Really? You even have to ASK this? You’re basically looking to steal $16K per year for four years from the taxpayers of Wisconsin.