DENVER — The State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE) voted on Wednesday to freeze tuition rates for all 13 community colleagues across Colorado despite the rising cost and declining enrollment.
The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the state's largest provider of undergraduate education and workforce training.
“The pandemic has hit our students particularly hard,” said Joe Garcia, chancellor of the Colorado Community College System. “Our State Board, recognizing that we cannot ask our students and their families to shoulder a greater share of the burden during these difficult times, made the wise but difficult decision to freeze tuition for the upcoming academic year. Our colleges are the most affordable, accessible options to obtain a high-quality education and workforce training – and we intend to keep it that way.”
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Garcia also noted that CCCS was able to implement the tuition freeze thanks to Colorado’s governor and Joint Budget Committee providing increased state funding to higher education this year and for prioritizing resources to students who were most negatively affected by the pandemic, including first-generation and minority students.
“While our needs remain substantial and fall enrollments are far from certain, we are grateful for the state’s demonstrated commitment to higher education quality, access, and affordability,” said Garcia.
CCCS’s average annual tuition this year for a full-time student, taking 30 credits, is $4,470. Many paid less because of financial aid or scholarships. Of students who apply for financial aid, 63 percent pay no tuition costs, allowing them to graduate debt-free.
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