As Colorado high school seniors and their families researched colleges and began the application process for admission this fall, many who would have considered Colorado College out of reach financially had reason to look at CC more closely. In August, the college announced the Colorado Pledge, a pilot initiative designed to make CC as affordable for low- and middle-income Colorado students as the state’s flagship public university.

“Colorado College is one of only a handful of colleges in the nation to consistently meet the full demonstrated need of every admitted student,” said Colorado College President Jill Tiefenthaler, when the announcement was made. “The Colorado Pledge goes one step further and is a bold initiative aimed at making a private education as affordable, or more affordable, than many public universities.”

Currently, about 15 percent of the study body hails from Colorado. Continuing the Colorado Pledge will require raising $20 million to help more Colorado students attend CC beginning with the Class of 2024. The program uses a tiered-income approach for Colorado families with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $200,000 or less.

“We fully recognize that middle- and upper middle-income families have been asked to contribute a high percentage of their take-home pay,” says Mark Hatch, vice president for enrollment management at Colorado College. “The Colorado Pledge, for many families, will reduce this contribution significantly and will make Colorado College an attractive option for many more students.

“Since the announcement in late August, the college has seen an increase of prospects, visitors, and applicants and we expect strong results in May when we announce the composition of the Class of 2024,” Hatch says.

Chloe Brooks-Kistler ’23 grew up in Colorado Springs and always wanted to attend CC, but she says there’s a perception that it isn’t for locals.

Chloe Brooks-Kistler ’23. Photo by Jennifer Coombes

“Kids that grow up here in the Springs, they don’t think they can get into this school. They see that price and it’s like, ‘I can’t afford that. Why even bother?’” Brooks-Kistler says.

But she was not easily daunted. She first applied for an El Pomar Scholarship, which is open to Colorado residents who are eligible for need-based financial aid and are considering a career in public policy or the nonprofit sector.

“I applied for that scholarship before I even applied to the school,” she says.

Each year, two students are awarded the scholarship, and this year, Brooks-Kistler was one of them. It covers her tuition and fees, dorm room, and meal plan. Additionally, she’ll gain hands-on exposure to El Pomar Foundation’s work in the nonprofit sector.

“I always say Colorado College is my dream school, and it’s what I grew up next to. Here, at this school, you meet people from all over, around the world,” she says.

Brooks-Kistler is not alone in thinking about the cost of tuition before applying for colleges. Sara Springer Purviance ’04 is associate director of college counseling at Colorado Academy, an independent Pre-K-12 college preparatory day school in Lakewood, Colorado. When she talks to students about their plans for higher education, cost is a hot topic.

“It’s no longer a conversation that we save for the spring of senior year when they’re making a decision and comparing financial aid offers. Cost is often a driving factor and something that they’re looking at first as they are considering where they want to apply to college,” Purviance says.

She says guidance counselors often encourage students for whom cost is a factor to look to out-of-state schools for better financial aid and merit scholarships. Now that CC has made this commitment, she says the conversation can go differently.

“In college admission, initial perception means the difference between a student researching a college and not. CC has long had a great commitment to making sure it is accessible to a diverse group of students. The pledge strengthens that commitment and adds in middle-income families who will now believe that they can afford a CC education,” she says. “It’s going to keep more talent here in Colorado, which is a great thing because we don’t want talented students leaving purely because of cost.”

Since the pledge was announced, Purviance has noticed an increased buzz about Colorado College among her students and colleagues.

“I am so proud to be a CC alumna as I get a front row seat to see how this commitment is changing the conversation with students and families, and I believe it will allow CC to further its mission to serve an even more diverse group of talented students,” she says.