Coloradans are now eligible for in-state college tuition after only one year of residency – thanks to new legislation signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday.

House Bill 1155 shortened Colorado’s residency requirement for in-state tuition from three years to one year prior to enrollment, effective immediately. Students also need to have graduated from a high school or completed a high school equivalency exam in Colorado to be eligible. 

“My administration is committed to continuing to save people money and make Colorado the best place to live, learn and teach,” Polis said. “This legislation will support students, educators and increase access to a great education.”

More than 200 additional students will be eligible for in-state tuition each year under the bill, according to state estimates.

This comes as Colorado’s annual college enrollment has decreased each year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, falling by 5.2% from 2019 to 2020 alone, according to data from the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

The bipartisan-sponsored bill passed the Senate in a 25-9 vote and the House in a 41-19 vote in April. In both chambers, only Republicans voted against the bill.

Some opposed the measure because it builds off of the ASSET Bill passed in 2013, which allowed undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition. The new bill removes ASSET’s requirement that undocumented students be admitted to college within one year of graduating high school in order to receive in-state tuition.

“Access to higher education can be transformational for a young person’s life,” said Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, who sponsored the bill. “Immigrant Colorado high school graduates should be able to access our public higher education institutions in the same manner as their U.S. citizen friends and neighbors.”

Eight Republican lawmakers voted in support of the bill – including bill sponsor Rep. Perry Will, R-New Castle – saying it will bolster the state’s workforce to make sure local businesses can find and retain employees who already live in their communities.

Republican opponents argued that expanding in-state tuition could push the cost difference onto other Coloradans.

The state’s nonpartisan analysts estimate, however, that the bill would increase the number of students enrolled in higher education, increasing the amount of tuition revenue collected and spent by schools.