Residency FAQs

Providing Residency Information

Proving Domicile (Students Aged 22 & Younger)

No, it does not. All non-emancipated undergraduate students who attend CU from Western states are assumed to be nonresidents unless they have a parent living in Colorado who meets Colorado residency requirements.

Probably not. Unless you qualify for a domicile exception or you're an adult student or emancipated student, your residency for tuition classification purposes is determined by your parents' .

In some cases, the Tuition Classification Office may request more information or ask you to submit a petition to verify your parents' qualifications for residency.

You'll likely qualify for in-state tuition, as long as:

  • You're a U.S. citizen or a U.S. permanent or undocumented resident
  • You attended three years of Colorado high school
  • You graduated or will graduate from a Colorado high school
  • You were accepted to CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ within one year of graduating high school​

Additional verification may be needed. Address specific questions to tuitclass@colorado.edu.

Probably not. If you have an F-1, F-2, H-3, M-1, M-2 or J-1 visa, you'll have restricted ability to establish residence in Colorado for tuition purposes.

A J-1 visa holder or their J-2 dependent may qualify for in-state tuition if the J-1 holder isn't a student or trainee, but all other domicile requirements also apply.

If you hold a visa in another category (e.g., H-1B, L, K, V, E, O, P), email tuitclass@colorado.edu for specific requirements and qualifications.

See the Establishing Legal Ties section of our residency guidelines for details.

The only way for a student who is 22 years old or younger to petition for residency themselves is by proving they're fully emancipated. If you're emancipated, you don't receive any financial support from your parents, family, friends or other such sources, including from funds they established for you previously.

If you think you qualify as an emancipated student, review our emancipation residency information carefully, then complete a TC 101 training session to access the petition.

Proving Domicile (Students Aged 23 & Older)

No. You do not become a resident for tuition purposes simply by living in Colorado, attending college, obtaining a Colorado driver's license or renting an apartment.

According to Colorado residency statutes, you must:

  1. Be qualified to establish residency. If you've moved to Colorado primarily to attend the University of Colorado, then you're here for educational purposes and may not be eligible to establish residency.
  2. Take action to create legal ties to Colorado in the grace periods allowed. If you intend to make Colorado your true, fixed and permanent home, then you must prove that you've taken the necessary steps to do so.

As outlined in the state statutes, you must have taken action to create legal ties to Colorado in the grace periods allowed, such as:

  • Securing permanent housing in Colorado. A lease or deed must show that you have lived in Colorado for one full year prior to the first day of the term for which you wish to prove residency. Actions like returning to a former home during school breaks or seeking employment out of state are inconsistent with that of a Colorado resident.
  • Obtaining a Colorado driver’s license or state-issued ID within 120 days of moving to the state.
  • Registering to vote in Colorado if you plan to vote anywhere.
  • Registering your vehicle(s) in Colorado within 180 days of moving to the state.
  • Filing and paying Colorado income taxes as a part-year or full-year resident depending upon when you moved to the state.
  • Securing employment in Colorado to provide additional evidence of residency.
  • Severing your ties to your former state.

Since Colorado law governs Colorado residency status, the fact that you might not qualify for resident status in any other state does not guarantee resident status in Colorado.

Moreover, if you're classified as a nonresident at the time of matriculation and you seek to establish Colorado domicile while registered at CU, we must presume that you're seeking Colorado domicile solely for tuition purposes. You can rebut this presumption and be deemed a Colorado resident only by a showing of clear and convincing evidence of your eligibility for resident status.