Residency Information for Current Students

If you are under the age of 23, unless you meet the criteria as a Qualified Person which is outlined below, you must use the domicile information of a parent or court-appointed legal guardian to determine residency status. An dependent minor’s parent must have a legal domicile in Colorado for one year or more before the minor student may be classified as an in-state student for tuition purposes. This means that if at least one parent or legal guardian does not meet the requirements as a Colorado resident, the student will be classified as a non-resident.

A dependent child of divorced or separated parents can be immediately classified as in-state if either parent has been domiciled in Colorado the requisite period of time, regardless of which parent was granted custody or duty to support the minor by court decree.

A dependent student may qualify for Colorado residency based on the domicile of their court appointed legal guardian if the guardianship has been in effect for at least one year. Please note that a “Power of Attorney” is not guardianship.

If you are 23 or older, you as the student are eligible to complete the petition with supporting documentation that outlines your continuous presence in Colorado for at least 12 months before the first day of the term you are petitioning for.

You are a qualified individual and eligible to establish domicile separate from your parents if, at the beginning of the 12-month domicile year, you were one of the following:

• 22  years of age or older. You must turn 23 before the first day of the semester for which you’re petitioning.
• Married
• Active or veteran member of armed forces, exceptions apply
• A graduate student
• Emancipated minor

You must be a qualified person for at least one year preceding the beginning of the term for which in-state classification is being sought in order to be eligible to establish a Colorado domicile on your own and begin the one year domicile period necessary to qualify for in-state tuition.

Marriage to a Colorado resident does not automatically qualify a student for in-state tuition. Colorado has passed a State Equal Rights Amendment to the Colorado Constitution, which means that each person is treated equally.

Domicile is used to describe the place where an individual has demonstrated intent to make a permanent home and legal residence. Colorado residency requires a domicile in Colorado for 12 continuous months on or prior to the first day of classes of each semester.

To demonstrate Colorado Domicile, you first must demonstrate physical presence in the state. Physical presence refers to the place where a person lives. There are several ways to provide proof of your physical presence.

• Homeownership
• A lease agreement
• Rent receipts
• A notarized statement from a landlord

Having a domicile in Colorado involves more than mere physical presence in the state. In addition to demonstrating physical presence, you must also demonstrate intent to make Colorado your permanent home. Any connections maintained with any other state during the 12-month period for establishing domicile may be viewed as negative intent to make Colorado one’s permanent home.

Evidence of intent to make Colorado your permanent home and legal residence is demonstrated by giving up all your legal ties with any prior state and establishing them with Colorado for at least 12 continuous months. Intent is demonstrated by completing all applicable actions to legally tie yourself to the State as would be expected of any other Colorado resident.

Examples of Qualifying Colorado Domicile

Proof that demonstrates evidence of intent includes:

• Colorado driver’s license or valid Colorado ID
• Colorado motor vehicle registration
• Colorado voter registration
• Permanent employment in Colorado
• Payment of Colorado state income taxes as a Colorado resident
• Ownership of, and residence in, a residential property in Colorado
• Graduation from a Colorado high school and/or continued presence in Colorado during periods when not enrolled in college, or during periods between academic sessions

Evidence Indicating Domicile Outside of Colorado

• Failure to pay Colorado state income tax (if your income is sufficient to be taxed)
• Filing a Colorado state income tax return as a non-resident or filing with an out-of-state address
• Failure to obtain a Colorado driver’s license or Colorado ID
• Residing in another state between academic terms or when not enrolled as a student
• Maintenance of a home in another state
• Prolonged absence from Colorado, except for military or civilian government service or for temporary absences required by an employer
• Being registered to vote in another state
• Any other factor particular to your situation that indicates non-Colorado domicile

Bank accounts, seeking dental or medical care, and marrying or divorcing in the state are matters of convenience because one happens to be present in the state and are therefore not the kinds of connections with the state that show intent to make Colorado one’s permanent home.

The requirements for establishing residency for tuition purposes are defined by Colorado law (Colorado Revised Statutes 23-7-101 et. Seq), and the tuition classification statutes apply to all state-funded institutions in Colorado. Institutions are bound by the provisions of this statute and are not free to make exceptions to the rules. The Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) also has information regarding the residency classification rules.

Please see our exceptions for Military-Connected residency (veteran, active-duty, Colorado National Guard, etc) here - VA & Military Education Benefits

Colorado Employment and Relocation by Parents of Dependent Student

In-state residency status may be granted to a student who moves to Colorado during the student’s senior year of high school as the result of the parent or legal guardian taking a job in the state that requires relocating to Colorado. The company must have relocated to Colorado as a result of receiving an incentive from the Colorado Office of Economic Development. Additional criteria also applies.

• The student’s parent or legal guardian moved their family to Colorado for the purpose of accepting a job in the state during the student’s senior year of high school.
• The student moved with the parent or legal guardian to Colorado during the child’s senior year of high school and they graduated from a Colorado public high school.
• The student must be a legal resident of the U.S.

The parent/legal guardian must provide documentation that the company moved to Colorado based on the above criteria and that the parent was employed prior to the relocation.

Colorado Employment and Relocation by a Student

Employees whose employer moved their company operations to Colorado as a result of receiving an incentive from the Colorado Office of Economic Development are eligible for Colorado residency for tuition purposes. The employee must have been employed by the employer prior to the relocation. The student must provide documentation that the company moved to Colorado based on the above criteria and that the student was employed prior to the relocation.

Students granted in-state tuition under the Economic Incentive Program provisions are not eligible for state financial aid, and the student is not eligible to receive a COF stipend for the first year the student is enrolled at a Colorado institution of higher education.

A student may be eligible for in-state tuition if they graduated from a Colorado high school and have been living in Colorado for at least 12 months. The 12-month period must be met by the first day of classes for the semester they wish to attend.

Students who are lawful permanent residents or who are admitted as refugees are eligible to establish domicile for tuition purposes.

Nonimmigrant aliens who are residing in Colorado for purposes other than education may qualify for in-state status after one year of Colorado residence. 

Nonimmigrants in the following categories cannot qualify for in-state tuition: F-1, F-2, H-3, H-4 (if the visa holder is the spouse or child of an H-3), J-1 and J-2 (if the J-1 visa holder is a student or trainee), M-1, and M-2. 

Information from College Department of Higher Education (CDHE)

Under the Colorado American Indian Tribes In-State Tuition Act (effective Fall 2021), a student who would not otherwise qualify for in-state tuition and who is a registered member of one of the federally recognized American Indian tribes with historical ties to Colorado, as designated by the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs in partnership with History Colorado (see list below), is eligible to be classified as an in-state student for tuition purposes.

List of Eligible Tribes:

Documentation

Current Students

If you believe you qualify for resident status based on this information, please complete the Colorado American Indian Tribal Verification Form. 

Please make sure to upload either:

• A copy of your tribal citizenship card (front and back)
  
            OR
• A copy of Certificate of Indian Blood (CDIB), which must contain a tribal seal or be on tribal letterhead, and must include the student’s official identification number (e.g., census number, tribal citizenship number, enrollment number, certified tribal council number)

If approved, the student is:

• Eligible to apply for the College Opportunity Fund
• Eligible to apply for resident financial aid
   

The dependent child of a new faculty member, but not the faculty member or the spouse, at a state-supported institution of higher education is eligible for Colorado residency for tuition purposes. A faculty member is defined as academic faculty with regular and special appointments of 50% time or greater. A dependent child is an unmarried undergraduate student under the age of 23 on or before the first day of class.

Under the Colorado Tuition Classification for Peace Corps Volunteers Act (effective Fall 2023), a student who would not otherwise qualify for in-state tuition and who was certified by the director of the Peace Corps as having served satisfactorily as a Peace Corps Volunteer , is eligible to be classified as an in-state student for tuition purposes.

Documentation

Incoming/Future Students

All new, admitted students are required to complete an Initial Verification of Colorado Residency form; this form allows students to self-identify as having completed service as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Students must upload the following documentation in order to qualify for resident tuition classification status under the aforementioned legislation:

• Certification of Service for Employment Purposes (available via the Peace Corps RPCV Portal)

Current Students

Current students who believe they qualify for resident tuition as a result of this information should email a copy of their Certification of Service for Employment Purposes to residency@ucdenver.edu.

If approved, the student is:

• Eligible to apply for the College Opportunity Fund
• Eligible to apply for resident financial aid