State board approval ensures tuition will remain flat at 13 institutions.

April 14, 2021 (Denver) — Today, the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE) voted to set tuition for the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) 2021-22 academic year. Under the approved structure, tuition will remain flat at all 13 CCCS institutions, despite rising costs and declining enrollment across the system.

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.
- Chancellor Joe Garcia

“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.”

Chancellor Garcia also noted that CCCS was able to hold tuition flat 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.

As the state’s largest provider of undergraduate education and workforce training, CCCS has worked aggressively to contain costs while maintaining its academic excellence. The system’s priorities of affordability, access, and graduating more students are at the forefront when setting tuition rates.

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.

###

About Colorado Community College System
The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the state’s largest system of higher education, delivering more than 1,000 programs to over 125,000 students annually through 13 colleges and 38 locations across Colorado. Its open-access mission ensures all Coloradans who aspire to enrich their lives have access to quality higher education opportunities. The System Office provides leadership, advocacy and support to the colleges under the direction of the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE). Join us in changing the way Colorado goes to college. Learn more at www.cccs.edu.