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Gaining Residency Status:

It is important to know that gaining residency status is not automatic. There is a petition process and students must meet State law requirements in order to be eligible.

There are many factors that go into determining residency eligibility. According to Colorado state law on Tuition Classification, being in Colorado solely for the purpose of an education does not qualify a student for residency status. Being in Colorado for 12 months also does not qualify a student for residency. The burden of proof is on the student to show clear and convincing evidence they are making Colorado their permanent home 12 months prior to the term they are petitioning for.

Residency matters because for graduate students on a graduate contract at Mines (RA, TA, certain fellowships), coverage of resident tuition is typically included. However, the higher costs of non-resident tuition will only be covered in your first year at Mines. You are expected to take the steps to establish residency at the start of your first year, so you can successfully petition for residency status before the start of your second year. If you do not petition, or if you are denied, you and/or your advisor are likely to become responsible for full costs of non-resident tuition after year one; these costs are approximately double the cost of resident tuition. 

Below is more information on what is required to petition as a graduate student. If questions come up please contact residency@mines.edu.

Graduate students who are part of or are interested in the WICHE / WRGP (Western Regional Graduate Program) cannot petition for residency. Student’s who are in a WICHE program and switch to a thesis based program or move to a PhD program will no longer receive the WICHE tuition rate. Rather, they will be assessed the non-resident rate. Once the non-resident rate takes effect is when students can begin establishing 12 months of domicile and intent in order to petition for residency status the following year. 

 

Domicile & Intent

Colorado State law on Tuition Classification requires a minimum of 12 months of domicile and intent to be established before the the term you are petitioning for. This means you are expected to take action and establish domicile and intent at the beginning of your first year of graduate school in order to be eligible to petition for your second year.

DOMICILE is a person’s permanent home. A person can only have one domicile. Evidence of domicile would be:

  • Signed lease agreements
  • Proof of home ownership (i.e. deed)
  • Notarized statement from landlord including address and dates you lived there

 

INTENT is when a person severs ALL ties from their former state and establishes them in Colorado like any other resident of the state. According to Colorado state law on Tuition Classification, the following are evidence of intent (it is important you review the Graduate Petition Form to determine what documents you must submit):

**Filing taxes does not occur until the beginning of the year. This would not count towards the intent deadline. Proof of employment can also occur at any point in your 12 month period and is not counted towards the intent deadline.

 

Deadlines

Below are important dates and deadlines for the residency petition process.

Intent should be established as soon as a student arrives to the state, but we understand some services can take time. Therefore, establishing intent should be done no later than the ‘Intent Deadlines’ listed. Students DO NOT submit anything by the ‘Intent Deadline’, it is intended to make students aware of when to establish intent by.

First semester of your program:

Intent Deadline:

Students should establish intent as soon as they arrive to the state. This is the latest possible date to establish intent by to be eligible to petition the following year.

Semester you become eligible to petition:

Refer to deadlines in the table below on when to submit your petition.
Fall 2022 Monday, October 31, 2022 Fall 2023
Spring 2023 Friday, March 31, 2023 Spring 2024
Summer 2023 Monday, July 31, 2023 Summer 2024
Fall 2023 Tuesday, October 31, 2023 Fall 2024
Spring 2024 Sunday, March 31, 2024 Spring 2025
Summer 2024 Wednesday, July 31, 2024 Summer 2025
Fall 2024 Thursday, October 31, 2024 Fall 2025

Petition review will begin one month prior to the ‘Petition Submission Deadline’. Late petitions will not be accepted.

Petition Semester: Earliest Petition Submission Date: PETITION SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
Fall 2023 Thursday, June 1, 2023 Tuesday, August 1, 2023
Spring 2024 Wednesday, November 1, 2023 Friday, December 1, 2023
Summer 2024 Friday, March 1, 2024 Monday, April 15, 2024
Fall 2024 Saturday, June 1, 2024 Thursday, August 1, 2024
Spring 2025 Friday, November 1, 2024 Sunday, December 1, 2024
Summer 2025 Saturday, March 1, 2025 Monday, April 15, 2025
Fall 2025 Sunday, June 1, 2025 Thursday, August 1, 2025
Non-Eligible International Visa Types

International students under any one of the following visa types are not eligible to petition for residency status:

    • F-1, F-2, H-3, H-4 (if the visa holder is the spouse or child of an H-3), J-1 and J-2 (if the J-1 visa holder is a student or trainee), M-1, and M-2.

Only after permanent resident status has been officially approved, or a student is officially approved to be on a qualified visa, can they begin to establish 12 months of domicile and intent. Making them eligible to petition the following year.

For more information, please visit the Colorado Department of Higher Education website.

Graduate Petition Form

Before you complete the Graduate Petition, be sure you have read all of the information above to ensure you qualify and meet State law requirements. If you are unsure that you qualify, please reach out to residency@mines.edu.

Graduate  Petition Form

After you submit your petition…

  • You will receive a confirmation email when your petition has been received.
  • Petitions are reviewed in the order they are received. The review process can take up to 4 weeks.
  • Be sure to check your email regularly. You will be notified if additional documentation is needed or of a decision within that time.
  • Submitting the required documentation does not guarantee residency status.
  • If there is insufficient evidence showing a minimum of 12 months domicile and intent has not been established by the start of the term you will be denied.
  • If denied, you will have the option to appeal the decision, and will receive more information on the process at that time.
  • If the appeal is denied, you can petition for a future term.

Summer 2024 Petition Deadline

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