Establishing residency for college is an important factor in deciding where to attend and how much you'll be expected to pay for school. In order to establish residency, students cannot have ties to another state. Then you must prove you have the legal ability to establish a permanent docile in the U.S., meaning that you are a citizen or permanent resident or hold a non-immigrant visa. If you are an undergraduate student under the age of 24, your parents must be Alabama residents. Otherwise, you will likely not qualify as a resident.