The long and short of it:

-Fiancee` is a SC resident (may or may not get MA residency, depending on rules up there, this is something else you all may be able to answer)

-Will be moving to Boston area for 2 years to complete medical residency

-Will be renting an apartment

-Does not have a SC carry permit

-Wants to be able to have a self-defense tool while in MA. Pistol preferred.

-The whole FID thing is confusing. Especially anything pertaining to non-resident people.

Help inform me!

You have a lot of questions, the. Eat place to get the best answers is at more of a local forum here...
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/forum.php

Yes, she can get a non-resident license but good luck getting a non restricted in Boston. Go for the class A license. If she gets restricted she won't be able to carry but could have it for home defense. Pepper spray is allowed as long as she is 18 but some schools don't allow it so don't get caught.

There is a lot of info to read about so grab a bottle of aspirin and enjoy northeastshooters.com
You will get a ton more activity over there than the typical 6 of us on arfcom.

Non-resident licenses are processed by FRB on behalf of MSP (who is the named/ statutory issuing authority). The process is the same regardless of what town you live in. One of the underlying requirements is to possess a home state license to carry if such is issued. Both restricted and ALP licenses are issued, though they do require an individualized reason why an individual is at greater risk than the general population for ALP. The application and annual process are cumbersome- yearly renewals are $100 per (initial and 6 year intervals are in person, renewals between years are by mail). One of the benefits of the non-resident process is that FRB does not add a lot onerous requirements (e.g. range qualifications, reference letters, only accepting certain courses, odd background investigation practices, etc...) to the statutorily prescribed ones (though appointment scheduling is a pain). Non-resident licenses are not valid to purchase firearms or ammunition in the Commonwealth.  As somebody with a non-resident LTC, if I were in a position to apply for a town license, I would do it in a second. There are viable ways to get an ALP license in the City of Boston (and to upgrade a restricted license) [see the threads on NES]. The Boston area suburbs range in attitude greatly from grudgingly issuing restricted licenses (except to LE and politically connected individuals) to issuing ALP universally. Look at Comm2A's statistical data for the specific towns you are considering.  

That is a statement that I always disagree with and hate when people post. Unless restricted to not allow any carry, Restricted licenses do allow carry, but only within the confines of the restriction imposed by the issuing authority. Also, while I don't encourage anybody to carry outside of restriction, one of the benefits of having in effect a license to carry does allow an individual to avoid the criminal liability. (Carrying outside of restriction is a civil infraction punishable by a $1000 to $10000 fine and is grounds for revocation)

I would not encourage anybody to  carry spray (or any other weapon) on any school grounds without written permission from the school do to the possibility of application of c. 269 s. 10(j)

JAD did a good job covering a lot of the info.

You need to NOT live in Boston (or Brookline or Watertown)!!!! She will NOT be allowed to "carry" even if issued a resident LTC by those cities/towns. Look for housing in Arlington or Quincy (maybe as <25yo get restricted LTCs there too last I knew), easily commutable, cheaper rent and less hassle getting a LTC.

She should NOT mention that she's a student when applying or may well be denied as a Non-Resident. I have a friend who rented in Quincy from VA, had moved to MA for graduate school and was able to receive an unrestricted LTC.

NR LTC is a nuisance and no guarantee of getting unrestricted (have to have articulable reasons beyond average citizen why you are at risk), expensive as well and have to go to NH to buy ammo.

She'll need to take a course given by a Mass State Police Certified instructor (I offer those courses), pay $100 application fee (Resident good for 6 yrs, NR good for 1 year). If a resident of Boston/Brookline she'll have to take the Moon Island test (revolver, 30 rds, score 210/300), no other town requires this.  Application process varies by town from 1 month to 6 months, NR LTC process takes 4-6 months as of now.

Illegal to carry a firearm on school property (includes grades 1-12 and all colleges), and most also ban OC/sprays as well (legality is questionable without a letter of authorization from the school).

No so-called "Assault weapons" or large capacity mags (unless made on/before 9/13/1994) are legal in Mass. AG has declared all ARs and AKs illegal except those made on/before 9/13/1994 and there are pending lawsuits about this, however it will be 3-5 years before these get adjudicated. Boston has its own AWB, with NO grandfather clause mags/guns (listed models) allowed in the city and its neighborhoods (e.g. Allston, Brighton, etc.).

Go to NortheastShooters.com and read the stickies in the Mass Gun Law sub-forum. I also have some other legal info in my own training sub-forum there where I locked the threads so you can easily find the real info without sifting thru 100s of irrelevant posts. I am known as "Len-2A Training" on that forum.


ETA: In MA to get a LTC one must be at least 21 yrs old. To possess OC (no permit needed) one must be at least 18 yrs old (15-17 yo with written parental permission can get a restricted FID card to possess OC). Since FID cards are only good for OC and low-capacity long guns, they are useless for self protection.