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This memorandum presents the 2025 Legislative Council Staff forecast for the state public institutions of higher education. The forecast provides projections of resident and nonresident full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment and College Opportunity Fund (COF) FTE enrollment for the current fiscal year (FY 2024-25) and budget year (FY 2025-26). The forecast also includes projected tuition revenue for FY 2024-25.

This memorandum presents the 2024 Legislative Council Staff forecast for the state public institutions of higher education. The forecast provides projections of resident and nonresident full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment and College Opportunity Fund (COF) FTE enrollment for the current year (FY 2023-24) and budget year (FY 2024-25). The forecast also includes projected tuition revenue for FY 2023-24.

During the 2024 legislative session, the General Assembly passed several pieces of legislation related to higher education, including financial assistance, workforce programs, and governance and administration.

During the 2025 legislative session, the General Assembly considered a variety of measures related to higher education in Colorado. Specifically, the legislature adopted bills related to workforce development, credentials and degrees, pathways to student success, and student athlete compensation.

Accreditation refers to an external review process used to analyze colleges, universities, and other educational programs for academic quality and accountability. For institutions and programs of higher education in the United States, accreditation is a voluntary process; however, it is also the primary method by which students, families, policymakers, and the public know that an institution or program offers a quality education.

State-supported institutions of higher education rely on tuition revenue and public funding to pay for operating expenses.  State funding for higher education is provided to the institutions based partly on each institution’s role and mission, the number of resident students the school enrolls, and how the school meets certain performance benchmarks. Tuition revenue is paid by students and families.  This memorandum examines tuition funding for the schools, and explains the difference between resident and nonresident tuition.

Approximately one-third of new students entering Colorado’s public four-year institutions of higher education are transfer students from another school.  This issue brief provides an overview of credit transfers between public institutions of higher education in Colorado, including the guaranteed transfer pathways (gtPathways) program, statewide transfer articulation agreements, and other options available to students.

During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to higher education.  Specifically, bills related to scholarships, grants, and financial assistance; pathways to student success; degrees and workforce development; and administration and governance.

Report No. 2022-TE1

Report No. 2022-TE6

Report No. 2022-TE7

During the 2019 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to higher education.  Specifically, the measures concern student loans and financial aid, college and career access and readiness, teacher preparation and retention, and the administration and governance of state institutions of higher education.

During the 2021 legislative session, the General Assembly considered several measures related to higher education. Specifically, the legislature considered bills related to the accreditation, administration, and governance of state institutions of higher education; student admissions; student loan protections; support services for displaced workers through higher education institutions; and in-state tuition for American Indian tribal members with historical ties to Colorado.

Report No. 2020-TE12

The General Assembly considered multiple bills related to higher education, including legislation focused on financial aid and loan forgiveness, credentials and workforce development, health and wellness, faculty, and governance and administration.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted almost every facet of the education system, including standardized tests and college entrance examinations. This memorandum provides scheduling updates on some of the country’s most relied upon placement and college entrance examinations and will be updated as more information becomes available.

2014 Summary of Major Higher Education Legislation

During the 2020 legislative session, the General Assembly considered several measures related to scholarships and financial assistance; student compensation and academic credit; concurrent enrollment; admission requirements; and higher education funding.

The General Assembly distributes state operating funding to public institutions of higher education (IHEs) in Colorado primarily based on a formula. This issue brief provides an overview of the formula and mechanisms for distributing state funds from the General Assembly to public IHEs in Colorado.  IHEs also receive revenue from tuition and fees and state grants for capital construction projects, allocations for student financial aid, and funding to implement specific legislative initiatives.

Summary Report for the Making Higher Education Attainable Interim Study Committee.