FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado State University (CSU) will waive undergraduate application fees for all Colorado residents.
The announcement makes the CSU System the first in Colorado to allow students to apply for free to its undergraduate programs. CSU said the decision applies to CSU System’s three campuses: CSU in Fort Collins, CSU Pueblo, and CSU Global.
People who qualify for the program include Colorado high school students, people who currently live in Colorado, Colorado first-year freshmen applicants, Colorado transfer applicants, Colorado second bachelor's applicants and undocumented applicants. The application fee used to be $50.
CSU Pueblo will also join Common App, an organization that allows prospective students to file a single application accepted by more than 1,000 colleges and universities across the country.
“Universities exist to help people unlock their potential,” said Tony Frank, chancellor of the CSU System. “The CSU System offers three very distinct educational options to help people find the program that best fits their needs. Removing the application fee at all of our campuses simply removes one more potential barrier to a better future.”
“We are thrilled to be taking these steps to put a CSU Pueblo education within reach for more students from Colorado and beyond,” said Timothy Mottet, president of CSU Pueblo. “Eliminating the in-state undergraduate application fee builds on work we are already doing to help students chart a path toward academic and career success.”
“Since its founding, CSU Global has been a leader in meeting the needs of today’s modern learners and facilitating their professional success,” said Becky Takeda-Tinker, president of CSU Global.
“At a time of increasing costs, and given our mission and focus on providing a consistently high return-on-investment for our students’ time and money, we believe that the change to free applications for university admission for Colorado residents and our servicemembers and veterans is timely and appropriate.”
“CSU is committed to removing barriers,” said CSU President Amy Parsons. “Free application for admission is part of delivering on our land-grant mission of increasing access to higher education for Coloradans.”
Heather Daniels, the executive director of CSU’s Office of Admissions, said she was inspired to waive application fees by the success of Colorado Free Application Days.
“The idea is that students, at whatever point they’re at in the application cycle, don’t need to worry about the cost of applying to CSU,” Daniels said. “We know that application fees deter some students from applying to college, and we hope that by removing this barrier, more Colorado students will realize higher education is within their reach and choose to stay in the great state of Colorado.”
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