Colorado set to offer 2 years of free college

DENVER (KDVR) — A bipartisan bill that would reduce the cost of college is headed for Gov. Jared Polis’ signature.

House Bill 24-1340 will offer two years of free college for Colorado families earning less than $90,000 annually. It would apply to community colleges, technical colleges and four-year universities.

The way it would work is it would create a refundable income tax credit which would cover the cost of tuition for at least two years.

Polis said it “will open the door of opportunity for so many Coloradans who either couldn’t attend, or had to put off being able to attend college or community college because they had to work part-time and could only take a couple classes at a time.”

High school students with their sights set on college are excited by the opportunity for reduced costs. Raymond Grimes, a senior at Contemporary Learning Academy, said he is the sole provider for his mother and little brother, so receiving some help in this way would be a big benefit.

“Two years of college, that would just be a blessing,” Grimes said. “It’ll make things a lot easier. Make my choices on where I would want to go a lot greater.”

Grimes said he wants to study psychology with a focus on pediatric and family counseling. He has been looking out of state but recently decided to stay local.

“That out-of-state tuition is hitting,” he said. “As of right now, my plan is to go to CSU (Colorado State University) in the fall.”

Janiya Shaw, a sophomore at Bear Creek High School, said deciding whether or not she goes to college depends on the cost. But if the new law goes into effect, it would help push her toward higher education.

“That would actually mean a lot, because I know it’d be hard for my mom to pay for college,” Shaw said. “I have a little brother. Like, he does football … it’s a lot on her just to pay for both of us and to go to college.”

‘Focus on their education, focus on their future’

If the law goes into effect, Grimes said he imagined it would mean more students would be incentivized to attend college.

“Especially when it comes to my little siblings,” he said. “I hope they have the opportunity to go to college and not have to stress and not have to worry about the paying part, and focus on their education. Focus on their future.”

Polis, who said he looks forward to signing the bill, said more people heading to college could also benefit the Colorado economy.

“It’ll also help make sure they have the skills they need to power our economic growth and fill jobs that we know are open today in the private sector,” Polis said.

Once signed into law, the new benefits would take effect starting Jan. 31, 2026.

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