President Stephen Jordan’s testimony Wednesday, Jan. 30, before the Colorado Legislature’s State, Veteran and Military Affairs Committee may help pave the way for a clearer definition of in-state tuition eligibility requirements for students at Colorado’s public colleges and universities.

Senate Bill 79 sponsored by Sen. Paula Sandoval provides a definition that eliminates the parents’ Colorado residency status as a requirement for in-state tuition rates for students who are U.S. citizens, under the age of 23 and have attended for the final three years and graduated from a Colorado high school.

While addressing issues surrounding students whose parents are undocumented, the legislation would also help those who are dealing with other unique circumstances that prevent proving their parents’ domicile in Colorado. For example, one Metro State student was born in the U.S. and attended for four years and graduated from a Colorado high school, but is unsure of his/her parents’ status. This student does not communicate with the mother, has never met the father and, therefore, is unable to prove legal residency by either.

“This legislation will correct a host of situations that prevent a student from taking advantage of in-state tuition rates for college,” Jordan said. “Making these students prove their parents’ residency status simply adds one more barrier to the process of getting an education.”

Discussions about in-state tuition surfaced last fall in the wake of House Bill 1023, which mandates that anyone over the age of 18 must prove legal citizenship for receipt of state benefits, including in-state tuition. At the same time, admission requirements call for unemancipated students under 23 years old to provide proof of their parents’ residency to qualify for in-state tuition. Some colleges charged out-of-state tuition if the parents’ residency couldn’t be proven, while others charged in-state rates.

Last August, Attorney General John Suthers issued a ruling that students who are legal residents of the state qualify for in-state tuition regardless of their parents’ status. But he also said that parents must prove they were residents of Colorado during the past year.

Sandoval’s legislation seeks to clarify Suthers’ opinion.

“This legislation will simplify the process for determining in-state tuition eligibility for all U.S. citizens,” says Sandoval. “Many of these students faced unique life challenges that jeopardized their success in high school. As a state, it is important that we remove this additional layer of uncertainty [regarding tuition status] that has the potential to deter or prevent them from attending college.”