SB 18-206

Senate Bill 18-206, also known as "Research Institutions Affordability For Residents," aims to make higher education more accessible and affordable for Colorado residents. The bill requires public research universities like the University of Colorado (CU), Colorado State University (CSU), the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), and the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) to admit all academically qualified Colorado freshmen and ensure that at least 55% of their students are from Colorado, excluding foreign and online-only students. It also increases the cap on foreign student enrollment to 15%. The bill has been signed into law, meaning these requirements will now be enforced, helping more Colorado residents attend these institutions.

Official Summary

Under current law, the number of in-state students enrolled at public institutions of higher education is governed by various percentage limits and requirements. The bill standardizes the calculation for public research institutions in the following ways: Requires the university of northern Colorado (UNC) and the Colorado school of mines (CSM), in addition to the university of Colorado (CU) and Colorado state university (CSU), to admit 100% of academically qualified Colorado first-time freshman students; Reduces the various percentages so that in-state students make up no less than 55% of total enrollments at each campus of CU and at CSU, UNC, and CSM, excluding foreign students and students enrolled solely in online courses; and Increases the cap on foreign students enrolled at CU and CSU to 15% of total student enrollment and includes UNC and CSM in the percentage limit. The department of higher education shall submit an annual report to specified committees of the general assembly demonstrating that the institutions included in the bill have met resident admission and enrollment requirements. The department and the public research institutions shall ensure that necessary data is available for the report. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

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