JBC sets higher‑education funding, approves 3.5% resident tuition cap and aligned aid

The Joint Budget Committee on Monday approved the staff funding recommendation for higher education and set limits on resident tuition increases for fiscal year 2025‑26.

The committee approved a funding package totaling $39,800,000 in general funds for institutions of higher education, including a $7,500,000 allocation intended to provide aligned financial aid, primarily for need‑based grants. Members voted to appropriate the funding (motion passed 6‑0) and later voted 6‑0 to cap resident tuition increases at 3.5%.

JBC staff analyst Sarah Bickel recommended a split approach: the committee first choose the general‑fund amount and then specify a tuition cap. Bickel said the institutions’ proposal paired roughly a 3.1% funding increase with a 3% tuition increase; the committee settled on the higher education funding figure and a 3.5% cap on resident rates.

Bickel also recommended that the aligned financial aid be targeted to need‑based grants; the committee appropriated $7,500,000 into need‑based grants to honor the state’s responsibility to provide aligned financial aid for the tuition policy change (motion passed 6‑0).

Members debated whether to attach the general‑fund dollars to specific bills (for strategic passage) or leave them in the long bill; the committee left the money in the long bill but authorized staff to reflect footnotes and technical language consistent with the committee’s actions. Committee members said they expect institutions to manage tuition and financial‑aid pairings, and staff included a nonresident tuition permissible increase of 3.5% for institutions where the state pays some nonresident tuition costs.

Separately, the committee introduced a tuition‑waiver bill for Colorado National Guard members and approved it to run with the long bill; staff estimated full coverage would require a roughly $560,000 appropriation. The waiver draft includes caps and a provision allowing departmental prorating if appropriations fall more than 25% short of obligations.

The committee’s higher‑education actions were part of broader long‑bill figure setting that included multiple other transfers, set‑asides and balancing steps.