A graduate returns to his seat after being recognized on stage and receiving his diploma during the May 2022 Aims Community College Commencement ceremony in the Aims Welcome Center in Greeley May 13, 2022. Colorado students whose families make $90,000 a year or less would be eligible to be reimbursed for two years of in-state tuition at public four-year universities, community colleges and technical schools under a bill awaiting Gov. Jared Polis’ signature.
Legislative sponsors and state higher education leaders said the bill is a boon for middle-income families who may make too much to qualify for significant financial aid but are still burdened by the cost of degree or certificate attainment.Polis is expected to sign the bill, according to a statement from the governor’s office on Friday.
If students receive scholarships or grants, the tax credit would only apply toward any gap left between those and full payment of tuition fees.The rate of Colorado high schoolers going to college was 49.9% in 2021, more than 10% lower than the national average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“We want to make sure students see the value of going to college,” Paccione said. “This helps get them there.”Larry Pakowski is vice president for student engagement, inclusion and success at Aims Community College, which has multiple locations in northern Colorado. Pakowski said Aims anticipates the tax credit will impact middle-income families most since low-income students at Aims tend to have their costs covered by financial aid.
Then, he said, it’s important to recognize that taking care of tuition and fees obviously lightens the load of collegiate financial barriers, but costs like room and board, as well as books and supplies, are still big barriers to access.How did an out-of-state white guy win over a rural Colorado college with a dark, racist past? Ask Fort Lewis’s outgoing president.