Tuition Classification: Out-of-State and In-State
Students who are classified as in-state are permitted to enroll at the University at a significantly lower tuition rate because the University is assisted by the taxpayers of Colorado in addition to the student tuition and fees. The determination of a student's tuition status is provided for under State Law Title 23, Article 7, Colorado Revised Statutes 1997 Repl. Vol., 1994 Supplement.
A person who has been domiciled in Colorado for one year or more immediately preceding the start or an academic term may be eligible for in-state tuition classification. A domicile is a person's true, fixed and permanent home and place of habitation. It is the place where the student intends to remain and where he/she expects to return to when he/she leaves, without intending to establish a new domicile elsewhere. It differs from the notion of residence or mere physical presence within the state. A person may have several places of residence, but may have only one true domicile at a given time.
A person is capable to begin establishment of a Colorado domicile if he/she is 22 years of age or if he/she has been emancipated. Evidence of emancipation includes the person's ability to meet all financial obligations including the cost of education, along with an affidavit from the student's parents stating their relinquishment of any claim or right to the care, custody and earnings of the minor.
Evidence that a Colorado domicile has been established includes the observance of all mandatory duties imposed on domiciliaries. State requirements concerning auto registration, driver's license and payment of state income tax must be met for the full one-year period.
A student's tuition classification is determined before or at the time of admission. If at a later date, the student thinks the classification is no longer correct, he/she must petition for a change in tuition classification.
Petitions can be submitted to the Tuition Classification Specialist in the Registrar’s Office (Carter 3002) no later than the first day of classes for the given school term that the student desires a change in classification. Any student who is denied in-state classification after petitioning may appeal that decision in writing to the Tuition Classification Appeals Committee. The appeal must be submitted to the Tuition Classification Specialist no later than 10 days after the denial has been sent to the student. The decision rendered by the Tuition Classification Appeals Committee is the final University determination.
Petitioning for in-state tuition classification requires the student to complete a detailed form available in the Registrar’s Office (Carter 3002) or the Registrar’s Office webpage at www.registrar.unco.edu. This form and other relevant information will be reviewed and a decision rendered in accordance with the state law and authorized procedures.
Armed Forces personnel and their dependents should contact the Tuition Classification Specialist for information regarding qualification for the lower in-state tuition rate.