it is not just h1b that guarantees your in state tuition at the universiyt.after having h1 status or permanent resident card one should have dweling in the desired state for at least 1 year which can confirm that the person chooses to make the state his permanent stay .. and it is strickly no for a 2-3 yrs leave from a company and b studying ... coz h1b status in itself not a looooooong term visa status in USA ,while F1 has status till duration. In theory, the maximum duration of the H-1B visa is six years (ten years for exceptional Defense Department project-related work). H-1B holders who want to continue to work in the U.S. after six years, but who have not obtained permanent residency status, must remain outside of the U.S. for one year before reapplying for another H-1B visa. There are generally two exceptions to the 6 year duration of the H-1B visa: If a visa holder has submitted an I-140 immigrant petition or a labor certification prior to his 5th year anniversary of having the H-1B visa, he is entitled to renew his H-1B visa in 1 year increments until a decision has been rendered on his application for permanent residence. If the visa holder has an approved I-140 immigrant petition, but is unable to initiate the final step of the green card process due to his priority date not being current, he may be entitled to a 3 year extension of his H-1B visa. This exception originated with the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act of 2000.[11] more can be found out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H1B_visa