If you're thinking about pulling a quick state-residency switch to get a tuition break, you'd better think again.

"Admissions folks are swifter than you think they are," says Travis Reindl, director of state policy analysis at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. "Honesty is the best policy."

We've all heard friends, co-workers and relatives talk about putting one over on admissions offices. "My daughter will use her grandmother's address on her application," one will say. "We're going to get our son an apartment there after graduation so he'll be considered a resident," boasts another.

With the full cost of nonresident instruction at many colleges and universities typically being four times what residents pay, it's no wonder families may look for a way to buck the system. Between 2000-01 and 2004-05, the national average for nonresident undergraduate tuition and fees at comprehensive colleges and state universities increased by 37.2 percent to $11,351. In-state resident tuition and fees actually increased by a heftier 43.6 percent over that period, but the 2004-05 average was still only $4,545 per year, according to a Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board study.

When states offer residents a substantial tuition benefit, "it becomes very consequential whether you're classified as a resident or not," notes David L. Wright, a senior research analyst at the nonprofit State Higher Education Executive Officers.

But taking a undeserved shot at qualifying for in-state tuition outside your home state is not advisable.

Here are the six most-common myths about in-state residency and the realities behind them:

Myth #1: If you have an address, you're a resident.
Anyone can have an address, and states demand more evidence of permanent residency than a street address or postal box. Proof of voter registration, having a driver's license and car registered, and income tax returns may be required as well. The documents will indicate whether you really live there or if it's just a "storefront," explains Reindl. In some cases, states want to be sure you not only live there now, but intend to stay, regardless of whether you're in school.

A rule of thumb, says Harold M. Simansky, author of the workbook, " College Costs How Much?" is this: "If the child has not been an in-state high school graduate, the hurdle is very high."

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Myth #2: After one year at school, residency will be established.
Home is where you hang your hat -- by sophomore year, in-state tuition will be ours, goes the logic. Not so fast, especially in the world of in-state tuition determinations, where a year of residency is the most common standard but can mean different things. "Twelve months is not 12 months is not 12 months," Reindl points out. A 2003 Florida study of residency criteria concluded that the state's residency rules are ambiguous, with individual institutions being just as individual when evaluating residency claims. It's an issue in other states, too.