Support Tuition Equity in Colorado

  • March 16, 2009

CONTACT YOUR STATE LEGISLATOR TODAY! Please contact your Colorado Senator and Representative to urge them to support tuition equity!

ADL’s Mountain States Region supports Colorado Senate Bill 170, sponsored by Sen. Chris Romer and Rep. Joe Miklosi, which would extend in-state tuition to Colorado residents regardless of immigration status. Under the bill, all students who have lived in Colorado and attended a Colorado high school for at least three years would be eligible for in-state tuition. This would give opportunities for a more affordable college education for undocumented students, who now must pay out-of-state tuition rates to attend Colorado’s public universities and community colleges – a difference of tens of thousands of dollars.

This bill would benefit Colorado and its economy by providing an opportunity for a college education for more of its residents. We will benefit from a more educated workforce. The bill will provide hope to students who too often drop out of high school because they see an insurmountable barrier to their aspirations to higher education.

Affected students have done nothing wrong; they came to the United States as children who had no say in where they were living. They have worked hard and want to work even harder to achieve a college education. Once the U.S. Congress passes the DREAM Act, a college education can give them a path to legal status in this country.

Ten states have already passed tuition equity legislation, including Texas and California and our neighboring states of Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, and New Mexico.

This measure will not cost Colorado taxpayers; in fact, it will provide more funds to Colorado’s institutions of higher education because more students are projected to attend if they are charged only in-state tuition rates.