Dear Students and Families,
At Colorado College, our mission is to provide the finest liberal arts education available, taught through the academically rigorous, immersive, and flexible Block Plan. Delivering this unique educational experience requires significant resources. Tuition and fees are a primary resource to support the CC experience, and the earnings from our endowment further support this opportunity for each of our students.
Each year, the faculty, staff, and students on our Campus Budget Committee develop a budget recommendation for the president and the Board of Trustees. For the 2024-25 academic year, the CBC recommended the trustees set tuition at $70,224, and the comprehensive fee (inclusive of tuition, room, board, and mandatory student fee) at $86,754. This is a total increase of 4.32%. For full details, visit our tuition and fees webpage.
I supported the CBC’s recommendation, and last week the Board of Trustees approved the tuition and comprehensive fee changes.
We know that a CC education is a significant investment, and increases can present a hardship to students and their families. This is why CC is one of only 70 institutions nationwide that meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for all admitted students with a combination of scholarships, student loans, and work-study options. The college provides $60 million per year in financial aid, and more than a third of this increase will fund financial aid.
This increase is broken down as follows:
- Tuition will be $70,224, an increase of 4.1%. This is less than the rate of inflation and the college’s average increase over the last six years.
- Standard room rates are increasing by 3.5% to $8,928.
- Standard meal plans are increasing by 7.5% to $7,092.
- Student fees are increasing by 7.59% to $510.
These changes support the following needs and priorities:
- Tuition increases support faculty, staff, and student compensation, with an emphasis on paying a living wage to all employees and bringing staff salaries closer to market rate. This has been a key initiative of Project 2024 and our commitment to valuing our people. In addition, the increases will assist in addressing deferred maintenance in college facilities.
- Room rates are increasing in order to meet the rising costs of wages, benefits, operations, and maintenance in the housing program.
- Meal plans are increasing to cover the rising cost of food and labor in our dining operations, as well as federal financial aid requirements for greater meal capacity in the college’s standard meal plan.
- Mandatory fees are increasing for the first time in several years to reinforce financial support for very popular student activities and traditions such as Llamapalooza and Dance Workshop, and to continue the PikeRide program.
We remain committed to expanding access for students across the income spectrum, maximizing the Block Plan through immersive learning opportunities, offering lifelong value and connection to our alumni, and attracting and supporting exceptional faculty and staff. As always, we view this work through our lenses of mental health and well-being, sustainability, and antiracism.
Our educational experience is transformative, and our graduates prove this in the visionary work they do every day. Thank you for supporting this remarkable place.
Sincerely,
L. Song Richardson
President
Colorado College Board of Trustees
Colorado College Campus Budget Committee
