Colorado Residency Reminder (Targeted Message)
We sent this email at 9 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, to first-semester graduate and law students who were classified as nonresidents for tuition purposes.
Dear [first],
According to our records, you’re currently classified as a nonresident (out-of-state) for tuition purposes. As a graduate or law student, you may be eligible to petition for a change to resident (in-state) tuition classification for Fall 2025, provided you established physical presence in Colorado on or before August 20, 2024, and take the necessary steps to establish legal ties by the time periods outlined below.
To be eligible for a change to resident classification for any term, you must demonstrate at least 12 months of Colorado domicile before the term start. Domicile is your true, fixed and permanent home of habitation. Establishing domicile requires physical presence (living in Colorado), severing legal ties to your former state and establishing new legal ties to Colorado in a timely manner after moving to the state.
Your Next Steps to Qualify for Fall 2025
If you moved to Colorado on or before August 20, 2024, and you’d like to petition for a change to resident classification for Fall 2025:
- Take action now to establish legal ties to Colorado.
- Get a Colorado driver’s license or state ID within 120 days of moving to the state.
- Change your voter registration to Colorado if you are a registered voter.
- Register your vehicle in Colorado within 180 days of moving to the state.
- File income taxes as a Colorado resident.
Review our adult petition information, and graduate student handout for detailed requirements expected of a Colorado resident. It is your responsibility to review the requirements and ensure you have met them.
- Submit your completed Adult Residency Petition between March 3, 2025 and July 18, 2025 (5 p.m.). Mark the final deadline on your calendar now.
If you fail to take the required steps by the deadlines outlined above, your petition will be denied and you will be continue to be assessed out-of-state tuition.
If you maintain legal ties to another state, your petition will be denied and you will continue to be assessed out-of-state tuition.
If you have individual questions about the petition process, please email the tuition classification office at tuitclass@colorado.edu.
Considerations for International Students & WRGP Participants
International students with student visas (e.g., F-1, F-2, H-3, J-1, M-1, M-2) do not typically qualify for in-state tuition and should not submit a petition without first contacting the tuition classification office at tuitclass@colorado.edu.
Graduate students who qualify for in-state tuition rates under the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) should not make changes to their domicile and should not petition for in-state tuition. WRGP applies to select academic programs only.
Office of the Registrar | University of Colorado Boulder
303-492-6970 (option 3) | tuitclass@colorado.edu