Residency question. Does the state I go to college in count if I live at the school in the summer, or is it still a my old state?

[MichaelMc · Accepted solution]

Living in a particular state only for the purpose of attending school probably will not establish residency in that state. You may still have to file a tax return in that state if you have taxable income there, but you would file as a non-resident.

Residency is based on the concept of domicile. Your domicile is the place where you have family connections, lived and/or worked, belong to a house of worship, and, most importantly, the place to which you intend to return after you have been away. Once you have domicile somewhere, it remains until you move away and abandon the intent to return. 

So, if your domicile was the state that you moved from to attend school, and you intend to return there, barring future events (such as a post-graduation job offer), then that state is still you domicile, and is the place where you are a resident for tax purposes.