The College Opportunity Fund is a Colorado state benefit for in-state undergraduate students enrolled in college classes that reduces Colorado residents' college tuition. Just like a grant, you don't have to pay it back.
COF provides students with 145 credit hours to use at any Colorado college. If a student exceeds that amount, they can submit an appeal for a one-year extension by completing the COF Limit Waiver. Students requiring additional credits after the Fort Lewis College appeal process can submit an appeal through the State of Colorado.
Colorado state statutes define tuition classification and place the residency burden of proof on the student. Fort Lewis College cannot make exceptions to state law. We determine tuition classification based on your evidence of Colorado residency eligibility for in-state tuition in your admission application. Colorado state statute does not allow retroactive compliance. This means if you become a Colorado resident after you've started school, you do not get to go back and change your tuition status. Also, a student who might not qualify for in-state tuition status in any state does not guarantee in-state tuition status in Colorado.
Learn more about in-state tuition classification from the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
Follow the directions in your admission application and provide all required residency information so our office can give you a timely decision on your tuition classification.
Our office might request additional documentation, like a completed Residency Form, copies of your Colorado driver’s license, Colorado State Tax Returns, purchase or lease agreements, or other information.
Petitions
You have the right to petition to appeal your tuition classification decision. You must submit your petition and supporting documentation no later than 5 p.m. on the first day of the semester to be considered. If you miss this deadline, you can petition for a future term.
Our office reviews petitions quickly and in the order they are received. We notify students of our tuition classification petition decision in writing before the start of the term.
You have the right to petition to appeal your tuition classification. Continuing students must submit a petition to request reconsideration for in-state residency.
Petitions and documentation must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. for the following dates (if the deadline falls on a weekend, you can submit your petition the following Monday):
Undocumented students, new or continuing, are eligible for in-state tuition through the ASSET program if they have attended high school in Colorado for at least three years immediately before graduation or completion of a Colorado GED.
You may qualify for Colorado ASSET in-state tuition if you:
Provide at least two of the following documents:
Senate Bill 18-087 states that a foreign national admitted to the United States as a refugee or special immigrant who settles in Colorado upon entering the United States is eligible for classification as an in-state student immediately upon settlement in Colorado.
The primary purpose for settlement in Colorado must not be solely for educational purposes. Along with the tuition classification information provided in the application for admission, students will be asked to verify their refugee/asylee immigration status to the United States.
Active-duty members of the armed forces of the United States and Canada on duty stationed in Colorado, along with their dependents, are eligible for in-state tuition, regardless of Colorado domicile or length of residence in Colorado. The military member must have active-duty status and report to a duty station in Colorado. This must be certified by the military member’s military education officer in the form of a letter submitted to the Admission Office (1000 Rim Drive, Durango, CO 81301).
To retain a Colorado domicile during an absence from Colorado due to military orders, military members must maintain Colorado as their legal residence for tax purposes and voter registration.
Individuals domiciled in Colorado for one year prior to enlisting in active-duty service who return permanently to Colorado within 6 months of discharge from the military are eligible for in-state tuition.
Members of the Colorado National Guard and their dependents qualify for in-state tuition if the member maintains his or her sole residence in Colorado. This includes having Colorado State taxes withheld from wages, leasing or owning property in Colorado, and maintaining Colorado vehicle registration, Colorado driver's license, and Colorado voter's registration.
All honorably discharged veterans who show established domicile in Colorado immediately preceding the start of the semester, regardless of length of time, shall be granted in-state tuition. Established residency can be documented by:
Veterans and dependents of veterans who are considered “covered individuals” and receiving VA educational benefits under Chapter 33 of Title 10 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) are eligible for in-state tuition, regardless of Colorado domicile or length of residence in Colorado.
A “covered individual” is defined in section 702 of the “Veteran Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014”, 38 U.S.C. sec. 3679, as:
A spouse or child using benefits under the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship who lives in the state in which the institution of higher learning is located (regardless of his/her formal state of residence) and enrolls in the school within three years of the Service member’s death in the line of duty following a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.
Intent is demonstrated by several kinds of connections with the state dated one year prior to the beginning of classes. There is no formula or checklist to follow in establishing domicile.
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.
Proof that demonstrates evidence of intent, as specified by the residency statutes, may include all of the following:
The following may be considered as evidence that you do NOT have intent:
Financial emancipation applies to minors under 23 years of age who are no longer considered dependents and are not supported by their parents. An emancipated minor can establish domicile on the date of emancipation.
Submit a Petition for In-State Tuition Classification for proof of emancipation to the Admission Office by the close of business on the first day of classes.
Evidence of legal ties outside of Colorado during the domicile year that demonstrate residency in another state may include the following:
Physical presence is your actual permanent home and legal residence. The following may be considered as evidence of physical presence in Colorado:
The following may be considered as evidence that you do NOT have physical presence in Colorado:
If you are an applicant under 23 years old at the start of the term, your residency determination for tuition will be based on your parent or court-appointed legal guardian's information.
If you are an applicant who will be 23 years of age or older at the start of the term, your residency determination for tuition will be based on your information.