Tuition & Paying for College

A college education is one of the most important investments you will make. Colorado Mountain College is committed to providing access to everyone who can benefit from a program of higher education.

The cost of attending Colorado Mountain College varies, depending on residency status, program of study, housing status, and other services needed. The following section covers general tuition and fee costs you may expect by attending Colorado Mountain College during the 2025-2026 academic year.

​Residency Classification

Residency status determines tuition classification, which is governed by Colorado state law. Details can be found on the Colorado Department of Higher Education Residency Requirements page.

To be domiciled in Colorado for tuition classification purposes, the student (or their parent/legal guardian as prescribed by the law) must have physical presence in the state and an intent to maintain that as a true, fixed permanent place of residence. You may be required to furnish the following documents to assist in the verification of residency: Colorado state income tax returns, current driver’s license, motor vehicle registration and voter’s registration; proof of physical presence such as rent receipts, canceled checks, or other acceptable evidence; and a petition for residency classification.

If you feel you have been incorrectly classified, you may request a Tuition Reclassification petition and a copy of the summary of the state statutes, governing tuition classification from the tuition classification officer at any Colorado Mountain College campus. This petition will be processed only if you have an application for admission on file or are currently enrolled. The petition must be submitted no later than 10 working days, after the start of the semester to be considered for the current semester. After 10 working days, the petition is for a subsequent semester.

More information on residency reclassification petitions and forms are available on the Residency Requirements page. 

*Any student who willfully gives wrong or misleading information to avoid paying nonresident tuition is subject to legal and disciplinary action.

Colorado Resident - In-State

To be classified as a Colorado resident for tuition purposes, you must be domiciled in the state for a minimum of 12 months prior to the first day of the semester. If you attend Colorado Mountain College as an out-of-state student and establish domicile during your attendance, you may submit a Tuition Reclassification petition for a subsequent semester. 

An individual 23 years of age or older can qualify as an in-state student for tuition purposes only, if they move to the state to accept employment, the employer is paying the qualified person’s tuition, and the qualified person demonstrates the intent to establish permanent domicile in the state.

If you are under the age of 23, your parent or legal guardian must be domiciled for a minimum of 12 months, or you must prove emancipation from your parents if they are not domiciled residents of the state.

In-District Resident

The Colorado Mountain College district consists of all or part of Garfield, Eagle, Summit, Pitkin, and Lake counties, plus Routt School District RE2 and Salida School District R32-J.

To gain in-district status for tuition purposes, you must be a Colorado state resident and be domiciled in the Colorado Mountain College district for a minimum period of 32 days prior to the first day of the semester. If you are under the age of 23, you must prove emancipation from your parents if they reside out of the district. If you attend CMC as an out-of-state student and gain in-state status while residing in the district, you may earn in-district status at the time of your in-state classification.

Additionally, a student who has been classified as an in-state Colorado resident for tuition purposes and owns a residence (i.e., a second home) in the CMC district or is a dependent of a person who owns a residence in the district shall be classified as an in-district student for tuition purposes.

In-State Resident With Second Home In-District

A student who has been classified as an in-state Colorado resident for tuition purposes and who owns a residence (i.e., a second home) in the CMC district or is a dependent of a person who owns a residence in the district shall be re-classified as an in-district student for tuition purposes. 

Out-of-State Resident

An out-of-state resident is a person who does not meet the Colorado State residency requirements to be eligible for in-state or in-district classification. 

Tuition and Other Costs

Textbooks and Course Materials

Textbooks, e-books or other learning materials*, such as single-use access to online instructional websites, are required for most credit courses.

Required textbooks and learning materials are provided at an affordable rental rate through the Learning Materials Program (LMP). The program automatically provides the materials for classes in which the student is registered at a flat rate access fee per credit hour. Students receive all credit course materials and required textbooks at the start of each semester, usually before the first day of class, depending on the registration date. At the end of the term, students are required to return all materials to the LMP system seven consecutive days after the last day of the semester or choose to purchase them at a discounted “buy out” rate. Students access their Learning Materials dashboard, order summary, return dates, and other information directly from Basecamp.

Students should verify their address prior to every semester, or they will not receive their LMP rental materials. 

Students who select the audit grading option for classes are automatically opted out of the LMP. These students do not receive learning materials and do not incur LMP charges to their accounts. If auditing students wish to acquire textbooks for the class, they can purchase them separately from eCampus or another third party. 

Please visit the CMC LMP page or contact LMP customer service at 844.523.9056 or cmclmp@coloradomtn.edu if you have any questions or concerns.

*Some specialty materials and lab kits are not included in the flat rate program.

Standard Tuition Rates for 2025-2026

The charts below list in-district, in-state, and out-of-state tuition rates for a single credit at both the associate level (1000-2000) and bachelor’s level (3000-4000). 2025-2026 tuition rates begin in the fall semester of 2025.

Associate and Bachelor’s courses (1000-4000 level)

See the CMC Residency Classification section, earlier in this chapter, for information about in-district and in-state classification.

Differential Rates for Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene 

For the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene, there is an addition to the standard tuition rates shown above. 

State Residency Exceptions

State Law grants some exceptions to the Residency Rule. Please see the CDHE website for complete information. 

CMC Tuition Discounts 

The Board of Trustees has granted a number of available tuition discounts. All discounts are approved by the board of trustees on an annual basis and subject to change or be discontinued at any time. Students are permitted only one tuition discount while enrolled at the institution. 

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) Tuition Discount

The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) tuition program allows students from 14 western states to attend Colorado Mountain College by paying one and one-half the cost of in-state tuition instead of the full out-of-state tuition rate. Students who are residents of the states listed below are considered for the award; however, acceptance into WUE is not guaranteed, and WUE awards are limited. 

WUE Eligible States

Residents of the following states may be eligible for WUE tuition rates: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands, and Guam.

Freshmen and students transferring who are enrolling for the first time at CMC are eligible for WUE consideration.

See the CMC WUE Colleges Discount page for excluded programs.

Through acceptance of the special WUE tuition classification, students acknowledge their intent to maintain their legal domicile in their home state at the time of application. If students desire to change their legal domicile to any other state, including Colorado, they must notify the Registrar’s Office. At that time, a student may be changed to out-of-state tuition rates. Please note that time accrued while participating in the WUE tuition program cannot be used to establish domiciliary intent for purposes of claiming Colorado residency.

WUE Participation Criteria

Students must meet the following criteria to be eligible for participation:

1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the U.S.
2. Maintain enrollment with a minimum of 15 credits for each semester you attend (summer semester is a minimum of six credit hours)
3. Maintain good academic standing with a 2.0 cumulative GPA or higher.
4. Remain a permanent resident of your home WUE state (maintaining your home state driver’s license will be required).

To be considered, students must submit a completed CMC Admissions Application, all applicable transcripts and/or test scores, a copy of a valid WUE state driver’s license, and the CMC WUE Participation form. WUE rates are available to first-time freshmen and transfer students. Eligibility for the WUE discount is available for 1000 through 4000 level courses. Please visit the CMC WUE page and complete the WUE Participation form by July 15 for the fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester. For the summer semester, please contact CMC Admissions.

Continuing WUE students do not need to re-submit the WUE Participation form each semester, but they must register during early registration to keep their WUE status. Students who fail to register during early registration will forfeit their WUE discount and will be re-classified as out-of-state students.  

Please contact the Central Admissions Office at 970.947.8327 for more information.

CMC Veterans and Active-Duty Military Tuition Discount

Active-duty military, veterans, their spouses and dependents (under the age of 23) may be eligible for a tuition discount. To be considered for this discount, see the criteria below. More information may be found on the CMC Veterans and Active-Duty Military page.

To apply for this discount, you must provide the following;

1. A complete CMC Admissions Application, indicating your military affiliation under the “Veteran Military Service” section of the application.

2. A copy of a DD-214 showing any discharge status other than dishonorable.

This discount is not available for online programs or a semester of all online courses. This discount was approved by the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees to honor U.S. Veterans, active-duty military, and their families.

Please contact our coordinator of military benefits at military@coloradomtn.edu for more information.

CMC Continuing Opportunity Tuition Discount

Students who have continuously resided in the CMC service area for at least 12 consecutive months and have successfully completed ESL 9018 and ESL 9020 OR who successfully take the EAP placement assessment, as attested by CMC staff, will be charged the current in-district tuition rate for the courses in which they enroll as a part of their bachelor’s, associate, or certificate degree programs. Qualifying students must be 23 years of age or older and must not be a resident or have domicile in a region outside of the CMC service area.

See the CMC Tuition and Costs page for more information about Colorado Mountain College Special Rates. 

CMC Ute Nation Tuition Discount

Students who provide proof of membership with the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservations are eligible for the in-district rate.

CMC District Employer Sponsored Tuition Discount

The District Employer Sponsored Rate enables Colorado Mountain College to provide educational services for local tax-paying businesses that are paying for their employees’ credit courses who do not meet state residency requirements, without penalizing them. Under this classification, the employer paying the tuition of the student must be an employer in our district and set up as a third-party organization for billing purposes. The employer can then pay the in-district rate for employees who are in-state or out-of-state residents involved in job-related training activities.  

CMC Out of State Second Homeowner Tuition Discount

Students who are classified as nonresidents (Out of State) but own a residence in the Colorado Mountain College district are allowed to register for up to three credits per semester at a rate equivalent to in-state, or they may enroll in a single four- or five-credit course at this rate. Students cannot take a series of courses that add up to either four or five credits with this rate. If an out-of-state resident student takes more than the allowed number of credits within one semester, all credits (including the original credits) will be charged at the regular out-of-state rate. The tuition reduction cannot be used for online courses exclusively. This discounted rate is reserved for homeowners, not dependents of homeowners.   

CMC Senior Grant Tuition Discount

Colorado Mountain College provides grants for 50% of the tuition charge for district residents who are 62 years old or older. This policy applies to credit courses only. Rate determination is based on the date of birth and age at the date of registration.

Miscellaneous Charges

Students may incur additional charges not listed on this page. Below are some examples of miscellaneous charges:

• Bad check or ACH ($25 per occurrence)
• Enrollment in a Payment Plan, if needed ($25 per semester)
• Library fines
• Charges when an official CMC transcript is requested

Program and Course Specific Fees

Course specific fees and instructional program fees are mandatory fees, approved by the Board of Trustees. 

Instructional program fees are supplemental fees carried out by several programs, in addition to other instructional costs, due to special requirements for laboratories, specialized equipment, and materials. Course specific fees are listed in the course schedule. Some programs may require you to purchase professional equipment. Check with your student success team to determine if program fees apply to your course of study. 

The college also makes consumable course materials available to its students through a course section charge, when necessary. These consumables are officially called supplies, and tax charges apply. A student supply list is available at registration desks for student inspection, and the charges are summarized in the applicable course descriptions in Student Planning. Section charges may also include travel, access, certifications, and equipment rental as these are a cost beyond tuition. The student is not obligated to purchase these things from the college, but the college reserves the right to exclude a student from a class if appropriate alternate arrangements have not been made prior to the beginning of the class. 

Technology Fees

To address the constantly changing technology environment and associated costs, the college charges a Technology Fee based on enrollment. The approved technology fees for 2025-2026 are charged at $5 per enrolled credit hour, with a maximum charge of 15 credits or $75. 

Cost Summary Table

This table offers a side-by-side comparison of most conceivable costs and fees associated with attending a commuter or residential campus.

Since many of our campuses are located in resort communities with high rent and food costs, the residence hall with food service at $17,420 for eight months, is an affordable option for full-time students.

*Some courses and programs have additional fees for supplies and materials. Please see the CMC Tuition and Costs page for a link to Course and Program Fees. 

**Varies by campus. 

***In some cases, the Learning Materials Program (LMP) fee is not applicable, and specialized course and/or program fees apply.

Student Activity Fees

All Colorado Mountain College students who are enrolled at residential campuses are required to pay a student activity fee each semester. Students who pay the fee may attend social, athletic, and cultural events on campus free of charge or with a minimal fee. In addition, the fee also funds student organizations and clubs. All events are planned and supervised by campus student government and the student activities coordinator. The Steamboat fee includes a $25 portion dedicated to an approved health, wellness, and recreational program.  

Spring Valley Fees for the Field House

Spring Valley students enrolled in 6 credits or more are required to pay a $100 fee for the CMC Field House each semester.

Payment Plan

Paying for the rising costs of a college education is a concern for everyone. Colorado Mountain College offers a number of different options for obtaining financial assistance associated with education costs. Among these options are payment plans, grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study.

Colorado Mountain College has partnered with TouchNet to offer a convenient solution for our students: a payment plan designed to distribute expenses throughout the semester evenly. There are no interest or finance charges involved, nor is there any requirement for a credit check. Enrollment in this monthly payment plan incurs a modest, non-refundable fee of $25 per semester. The amount of the down payment varies between 0% and 25% of the charges at the time of enrollment, depending on when a plan is activated. It is essential to note this plan is not a loan program.

To be eligible, students must have a minimum account balance of $50 in tuition charges. Payments are conveniently processed through either ACH or credit card, with due dates falling on either the 5th or 20th of each month. This system ensures flexibility and ease of management for students as they navigate their academic expenses. Please visit the CMC Payment Plan page for the payment schedule and additional information.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Access, Inclusion & Disability Services

Colorado Mountain College is committed to diversity and attracting and educating students who are representative of the national population. At Colorado Mountain College, Access, Inclusion & Disability services coordinators (access coordinators) work with individuals who have a qualifying disability to create an accessible, inclusive, and supportive learning environment in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2008, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and CMC’s policies and procedures.

Students with disabilities have the right to access any program offered by the college as long as they meet all of the same eligibility requirements and prerequisites for enrollment. Students with disabilities are held to the same financial obligations, academic performance expectations, and consequences for both success and failure as all other students.

Students seeking accommodation submit an online CMC Accommodation Request to the access coordinator at their campus. A request for an accommodation initiates the interactive process facilitated by the access coordinator. Access coordinators collaborate with faculty and staff to implement appropriate and reasonable accommodations for qualified students. Approved accommodations and support are individualized to meet specific student, course, and program needs. ADA and FERPA guidelines are followed, and confidentiality is maintained.

Please see the CMC Access, Inclusion & Disability Services page for more information.

ADA Physical and Academic Requirements

Colorado Mountain College certificates and degrees may have certain physical and academic standards for admission. Physical and academic program standards may also be referred to as technical standards, or essential eligibility standards, and are included on specific academic program webpages and/or handbooks. Access coordinators facilitate an interactive process to assess a student’s ability to meet physical and academic standards.

Students with disabilities have the right to access any program offered by the college as long as they meet all of the same eligibility requirements and prerequisites for enrollment. Students with disabilities are held to the same financial obligations, academic performance expectations, and consequences for both success and failure as all other students.

Please contact the access coordinator at the campus you plan to attend, if you have questions about meeting the physical and academic standards. Contact information is found on the CMC Access, Inclusion & Disability Services page.

ADA Statement for Concurrent Enrollment

As a public postsecondary institution, Colorado Mountain College adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA; Pub. L. 101-336, 104 Stat. 327, 42 U.S.C. 12101-12213 and 47 U.S.C. 225 and 611; see the ADA Title II Regulations page). Students enrolled in concurrent enrollment courses with Colorado Mountain College are considered college-level students for purposes of compliance with federal law. This means concurrent enrollment students in need of support or accommodation for physical or mental disabilities will be supported by the college according to the requirements of the ADA as it applies to students in higher education. According to federal law, qualifying disabilities include a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual, a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment. Colorado Mountain College will provide reasonable accommodations for qualifying disabilities sought by the individual (including guardians for minors). Students seeking accommodations should see the information provided on the CMC Notice of Nondiscrimination page.

Living On Campus

Food Service Choices and Costs

When you live in a CMC residence hall, you will automatically participate in the food service program. Other students may purchase food service through a meal program or a la carte. All residential campuses offer different selections in their meal plan programs, depending on your campus location. Prices are subject to change, please see pricing below for the 2025-2026 term.

2025-2026 Food Service Costs per Semester

*Dining Dollars (DD) are available to spend at campus dining halls and cafes (where available).

Housing Choices and Costs

All of our residence halls are modern and comfortable, with high-speed internet access and private bathrooms. As long as you apply early, you will have an opportunity to choose or specify your ideal roommate and living situation. There is the possibility of having a single room (subject to availability).

On-campus housing in residence halls is available at our Steamboat Springs, Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs, and Leadville campuses. 

2025-2026 Housing Rates per Semester (prices are subject to change)

Colorado Mountain College Housing Initiative

Colorado Mountain College offers recently completed apartment style student housing at our Breckenridge, Vail Valley at Edwards, Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs, and Steamboat Springs campuses.

There are studio and two-bedroom units available primarily for upper-division students who reside and work in mountain communities year-round and are finishing their degrees. New students are eligible to apply to the residence halls in Leadville, Steamboat Springs, or Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs campuses. 

Housing Applications and Deposits

Living on campus is a great opportunity to be close to all the action and conveniences college life has to offer. Steamboat Springs, Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs, and Leadville campuses require all new students under the age of 21 to live on campus in the residence halls for their first academic year. Reserve your space by submitting a $300 security deposit and completing the online CMC Housing Application. $50 of the security deposit is non-refundable. Housing is limited and can quickly fill up. Applicants are encouraged to submit their CMC Admissions and Housing Applications, along with the security deposit early.

The CMC Security Deposit Refund Policy and Live-On Policy is available online or by contacting the student services staff at your campus.

Residence Hall Computer Access, Fees, and Hardware Requirements

Students are encouraged to utilize wired connections for faster and more reliable service. Wireless access is available throughout the building. A $100 Residence Hall Technology Fee is charged per semester to all residence hall students. The ResNet will support any device and operating system that complies with the following networking requirements:

Device Networking Requirements
Wireless: 802.11n or higher, WPA2-AES security
Wired: 10/100/1000base-T Ethernet
IPv4 with DHCP
IPv6 (optional)

Security
Up-to-date anti-virus/anti-malware software

Not Permitted
Personal wireless access points or routers
Use of peer-to-peer file sharing such as BitTorrent

Discouraged
Personal mobile hotspots
Wireless printers
Gaming systems on wireless networks
Home automation devices