Section 6301. Definitions

As used in this article, unless the context shall
  otherwise require, the following terms shall mean:
    1.  "State  university  trustees."  Board  of  trustees  of  the state
  university.
    2. "Community colleges." Colleges established and operated pursuant to
  the provisions of this  article,  either  individually  or  jointly,  by
  counties,   cities,  intermediate  school  districts,  school  districts
  approved by the state university trustees, or individually by  community
  college regions approved by the state university trustees, and providing
  two-year  post  secondary programs pursuant to regulations prescribed by
  the state university trustees and receiving  financial  assistance  from
  the state therefor.
    3.  "Local  sponsor."  Any city, county, intermediate school district,
  school district approved by the state university trustees, or  community
  college  region approved by the state university trustees, sponsoring or
  participating in the establishment or operation of a community college.
    4. "Community college  region."  A  community  college  local  sponsor
  composed of two or more contiguous counties, cities or school districts,
  or  any  combination thereof, which are eligible to appoint members to a
  community college regional board of trustees.
    5. "Resident." A person who has resided in the state for a  period  of
  at  least  one  year  and in the county, city, town, intermediate school
  district, school district or community college region, as the  case  may
  be,  for a period of at least six months, both immediately preceding the
  date of such person's registration in a community college  or,  for  the
  purposes of section sixty-three hundred five of this article, his or her
  application for a certificate of residence; provided, however, that this
  term  shall include any student who is not a resident of New York state,
  other than a non-immigrant alien within the meaning of paragraph (15) of
  subsection (a) of section 1101 of title 8 of the United States Code,  if
  such student:
    (i)  attended  an approved New York high school for two or more years,
  graduated from  an  approved  New  York  high  school  and  applied  for
  attendance at an institution or educational unit of the state university
  within five years of receiving a New York state high school diploma; or
    (ii)   attended  an  approved  New  York  state  program  for  general
  equivalency diploma exam preparation,  received  a  general  equivalency
  diploma  issued  within  New York state and applied for attendance at an
  institution or educational unit of  the  state  university  within  five
  years  of receiving a general equivalency diploma issued within New York
  state; or
    (iii) was enrolled in an institution or educational unit of the  state
  university  in the fall semester or quarter of the two thousand one--two
  thousand two academic year and was authorized  by  such  institution  or
  educational  unit  to  pay  tuition  at  the  rate or charge imposed for
  students who are residents of the state.
    Provided, further, that a student without  lawful  immigration  status
  shall  also  be  required  to file an affidavit with such institution or
  educational unit stating that the student has filed  an  application  to
  legalize his or her immigration status, or will file such an application
  as soon as he or she is eligible to do so.
    In the event that a person qualified as above for state residence, but
  has  been a resident of two or more counties in the state during the six
  months immediately  preceding  his  application  for  a  certificate  of
  residence  pursuant to section sixty-three hundred five of this chapter,
  the charges to the counties of residence shall be  allocated  among  the
  several counties proportional to the number of months, or major fraction
  thereof, of residence in each county.