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Complete the residency section of your admission application so we can determine your tuition classification. We may contact you to request additional documents, such as a Colorado driver's license, tax returns, a lease agreement, or a Residency Form.

Residency document deadlines

Submit all required documents by 5 pm on the applicable deadline:

• Fall 2026: August 3, 2026
• Spring 2027: December 14, 2026
• Summer 2027: April 12, 2027

Appeal your tuition classification

Think your classification is incorrect? Submit a Tuition Classification Petition and supporting documentation by 5 pm on the first day of the semester. Petitions received after the deadline can only be considered for a future term.

We review petitions in the order received and provide a written decision before the term begins.

Tuition classification forms

• Petition for In-state Tuition Classification
• Emancipated Student Petition for In-state Tuition Classification

You have the right to petition to appeal your tuition classification. Continuing students must submit the Petition for In-state Tuition Classification.

Deadlines

Petitions and documentation must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. for the following dates (if the deadline falls on a weekend, you can submit your petition the following Monday):

• Fall Term: August 1
• Spring Term: December 1
• Summer Term: April 1

Our office reviews petitions quickly and in the order they are received. We notify students of our tuition classification petition decision in writing before the start of the term.

Tuition classification forms

• Petition for In-state Tuition Classification
• Emancipated Student Petition for In-state Tuition Classification

Senate Bill 18-087 states that a foreign national admitted to the United States as a refugee or special immigrant who settles in Colorado upon entering the United States is eligible for classification as an in-state student immediately upon settlement in Colorado.

The primary purpose for settlement in Colorado must not be solely for educational purposes. Along with the tuition classification information provided in the application for admission, students will be asked to verify their refugee/asylee immigration status to the United States.

A student should be classified as an in-state student for tuition purposes if the student has been certified by the director of the Peace Corps as having served satisfactorily as a Peace Corps Volunteer. (CRS Article 7, Section 2. 23-7-113)

Stationed in Colorado

Active-duty members of the armed forces of the United States and Canada on duty stationed in Colorado, along with their dependents, are eligible for in-state tuition, regardless of Colorado domicile or length of residence in Colorado. The military member must have active-duty status and report to a duty station in Colorado. This must be certified by the military member’s military education officer in the form of a letter submitted to the Skyhawk Station (1000 Rim Drive, Durango, CO 81301). Should you be unable to obtain a letter from your education officer, please contact residency@fortlewis.edu to get a form to send over to your education officer.

Stationed outside Colorado

To retain a Colorado domicile during an absence from Colorado due to military orders, military members must maintain Colorado as their legal residence for tax purposes and voter registration.

Individuals domiciled in Colorado for one year prior to enlisting in active-duty service who return permanently to Colorado within 6 months of discharge from the military are eligible for in-state tuition.

Members of the Colorado National Guard and their dependents qualify for in-state tuition if the member maintains his or her sole residence in Colorado. This includes having Colorado State taxes withheld from wages, leasing or owning property in Colorado, and maintaining Colorado vehicle registration, Colorado driver's license, and Colorado voter's registration.

All honorably discharged veterans who show established domicile in Colorado immediately preceding the start of the semester, regardless of length of time, shall be granted in-state tuition. Established residency can be documented by:

• Copy of signed lease agreement or rent receipts
• Copy of homeowner warranty deed or tax liability statement
• Colorado state identification or driver’s license
• Colorado vehicle registration

Veterans and dependents of veterans who are considered “covered individuals” and receiving VA educational benefits under Chapter 33 of Title 10 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) are eligible for in-state tuition, regardless of Colorado domicile or length of residence in Colorado.

A “covered individual” is defined in section 702 of the “Veteran Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014”, 38 U.S.C. sec. 3679, as:

• A Veteran who lives in the state in which the institution of higher learning is located (regardless of his/her formal state of residence) and enrolls in the school within three years of discharge from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.
• A spouse or child using transferred benefits who lives in the state in which the institution of higher learning is located (regardless of his/her formal state of residence) and enrolls in the school within 3 years of the transferor’s discharge from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.

A spouse or child using benefits under the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship who lives in the state in which the institution of higher learning is located (regardless of his/her formal state of residence) and enrolls in the school within three years of the Service member’s death in the line of duty following a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.

We may consider documents such as:

• Colorado driver's license or state ID
• Colorado vehicle registrationColorado voter registration
• Colorado state income tax filings
• Permanent, full-time employment in Colorado
• Ownership of residential property in Colorado
• Lease agreements or rent receipts

The following may suggest that your permanent residence is outside Colorado:

• Filing taxes as a resident of another state
• Maintaining a driver's license or vehicle registration in another state
• Maintaining a home in another state
• Living outside Colorado for extended periods
• Returning to another state during breaks when not enrolled

Students under age 23 are generally classified based on the residency of their parent or court-appointed legal guardian.

If you are financially independent and no longer supported by a parent or guardian, you may qualify as an emancipated student and establish residency based on your own circumstances.

Apply as an emancipated student

Submit the Petition for In-State Tuition Classification and supporting documentation to Skyhawk Station by the first day of classes.

Emancipated Student Petition for In-state Tuition Classification

• Under age 23: Your residency determination is generally based on your parent or legal guardian's residency information unless you qualify as an emancipated student.
• Age 23 or older: Your residency determination is based on your own residency information and supporting documentation.