State of residency for military college students?

I hail from California, but the military college I'm attending is in Texas. How does this work for state residency? Do I become a resident of Texas or do I maintain my California residency?

Being in the military does have an impact on your state of residency for tuition purposes. You're typically considered a resident of the state you're stationed in while on active duty. However, the rules can be different if you’re attending school while not on active duty.

In your specific case, if you're an active duty military member attending a college in a different state from your home state, you would typically be charged in-state tuition in the state where you're stationed (i.e., Texas in this case). This is due to the federal “Choice Act,” which requires public schools to offer in-state tuition to all active duty military members and their dependents, regardless of their state of legal residence.

However, this does not necessarily make you a resident of that state for other legal purposes such as taxes, voting, etc., unless you establish residency by meeting certain criteria laid out by the state (e.g., obtaining a driver's license in Texas, registering to vote in Texas, etc.).

For your home state (California), to continue to consider you a resident, you would typically need to make sure that there's a clear intention to return to it after you finish your military duties in Texas.

With residency and tuition situations, there can be exceptions or variations state by state, so I would recommend checking with your college's registrar office or contacting your base's Education and Training Section for the most accurate and personalized advice.