Policies

The Colorado Department of Health and Environment requires any student who 1) is enrolled for one or more classes at a college or university, 2) is physically present at the institution, including auditing classes but excluding correspondence/ distance learning classes, and 3) was born January 1, 1957 or later, to be immunized against Rubeola measles, Rubella, measles and mumps (MMR), or provide documented proof of immunity to all three. Individuals born before January 1, 1957 are presumed immune and are exempt from the immunization requirement. See the Student Health Center under the Student Services Section for further information.

A student is initially classified as an in-state or out-of-state registrant for tuition purposes at the time an application and all supporting credentials have been received in the Office of Admissions Services. The classification is based upon information furnished by the student and from other relevant sources. After the student’s status is determined, it remains unchanged in the absence of satisfactory evidence to the contrary. A student who, due to subsequent events, becomes eligible for a change in tuition classification, whether from out-of-state to in-state or the reverse, has the responsibility of informing the tuition classification officer, Office of Records and Registration, in writing within 15 days after such a change occurs. If adult students, or emancipated minors, establish domicile outside Colorado, they are to send written notification within 15 days to the tuition classification officer.

Instructions as to the procedure to follow for residency classification change, the necessary petition forms, and detailed information regarding the statute are available from the tuition classification officer in the Records and Registration Office and on the Web. Complete petitions forms to apply for a change of status are due and must be submitted no later than the end of the first week of the semester for which a change of status is sought.

Classification Notes

1. Petitions will not be acted upon until an application for admission to the university and complete supporting credentials have been received.
2. Changes in classification are made effective at the time of the student’s next registration.
3. A student who willfully gives wrong information to evade payment of the out-of-state tuition is subject to legal and disciplinary action.
4. Petitions and all required documents must be submitted no later than the end of the first week of classes (see Academic Calendar) for the term a change in status is sought. Late or incomplete petitions will not be considered until the next semester.

Special rules for residency apply to active duty members of the U.S., Colorado National Guard and Canadian Armed Forces permanently stationed in Colorado and their dependents and Olympic athletes in training. Strict deadlines of certification for each term that one enrolls are enforced for these individuals. Members of the U.S. and Canadian Military and their family members and Olympic Athletes who are undergraduate students and qualify for a waiver of nonresident tuition ARE eligible for the College Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend. Please contact the tuition classification officer in Admissions and Records for details. Canadian Military and members of the Colorado National Guard and their family members who are undergraduate students and qualify for a waiver of nonresident tuition ARE NOT eligible for the College Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend and pay the Total Cost of Tuition.

The definitions for full-time/part-time enrollment are as follows:

A full-time undergraduate degree student is one who is enrolled for at least 12 credit hours. Undergraduate degree students are considered part-time when they are enrolled for fewer than 12 hours. These criteria also apply to unclassified students without a degree.

All credentials (high school and/or college transcripts, test reports, etc.) used for admission become the property of the University of Colorado. When a student has been out of school for four years, the file is destroyed. The Permanent Record Card showing all academic work done at any of the University of Colorado campuses, including credit courses through the Division of Extended Studies, will be maintained in perpetuity.

Policy of the Board of Regents requires that students declare a major by the time they have 60 hours towards their degree— by the start of their junior year.

Transfer students who graduated from high school in 2010 or later are subject to the same Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS) as those required of all first-year students. Students with less than 13 credit hours to transfer will be treated as Freshman Admission. Students should be careful to note the different requirements in particular colleges and plan their academic preparation accordingly. Students may be admitted even though they have not met all the MAPS requirements. If that is the case, they are required to make up any deficiencies once enrolled. All MAPS deficiencies must be completed prior to graduation from UCCS.

Student Bill of Rights

The General Assembly implemented the Student Bill of Rights (C.R.S.23-1-125) to assure that students enrolled in public institutions of higher education have the following rights: 

1. A quality general education experience that develops competencies in reading, writing, mathematics, technology and critical thinking through an integrated arts and science experience.
2. Students should be able to complete their associate of arts and associate of science degree programs in no more than sixty credit hours or their baccalaureate programs in no more than one hundred twenty credit hours unless there are additional degree requirements recognized by the commission;
3. A student can sign a two-year or four-year graduation agreement that formalizes a plan for that student to obtain a degree in two or four years, unless there are additional degree requirements recognized by the commission;
4. Students have a right to clear and concise information concerning which courses must be completed successfully to complete their degrees;
5. Students have a right to know which courses are transferable among the state public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education;
6. Students, upon completion of core general education courses, regardless of the delivery method, should have those courses satisfy the core course requirements of all Colorado public institutions of higher education;
7. Students have a right to know if courses from one or more public higher education institutions satisfy the students' degree requirements;
8. A student's credit for the completion of the core requirements and core courses shall not expire for ten years from the date of initial enrollment and shall be transferable.

The State of Colorado offers a robust guaranteed transfer resource, as well as guided pathways to help students navigate the transfer process.

Explore resources here.