CMC trustees approve grants for school district partners and inflation-based tuition increases
The Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees held a regularly scheduled meeting at CMC Vail Valley at Edwards on Jan. 20.
Inflation-based tuition rates; modest fee adjustments
At the meeting, trustees unanimously approved tuition increases that reflect an anticipated inflation rate of 2.8%. For the 2026-27 academic year, tuition will increase by $3 per credit hour for all in-district students, by $6 per credit hour for in-state students and by $15 per credit hour for non-resident students. The new rates will be applied in August 2026.
Tuition rates for 2026-27 will be $110/credit for in-district students, $220/credit for in-state students, and $560/credit for non-resident students. Based on preliminary 2026-27 tuition information from other higher education institutions around the country, CMC administrators expect that the college will continue to have among the most affordable tuition and fees in the state and the nation.
Trustees approved an additional differential tuition rate of $79/per credit for three academic programs – nursing, dental hygiene and radiologic technology – due to the higher costs associated with these programs.
Trustees also unanimously approved fee increases regarding room and board for residence halls and learning materials, as well as select course-specific fees. Some fees, such as those for technology and student activities, will not increase during the 2026-27 year.
Strengthening concurrent enrollment
Trustees voted to authorize one-time $50,000 concurrent enrollment grants to each of the nine school districts within CMC’s district. The purpose of the college-financed grants is to help CMC’s partner school districts manage recent fiscal and enrollment challenges while maintaining or growing students’ access to free college credit.
“CMC’s district and the school districts are one and the same,” said CMC President Matt Gianneschi. “These grants are an attempt to help our closest partners and their students manage through an unusually difficult period of change and I applaud the generosity of the CMC trustees for their unanimous support of the allocation.”
Approximately 43% of the college’s total student enrollment are high school CE students.
Funds for this allocation will come from the college’s existing Mountain Promise reserve fund.
Interest in annexation
At the Jan. 20 meeting, CMC trustees voted unanimously to approve a feasibility study on Hayden annexation possibilities.
In early January, the Hayden School District Board of Education voted unanimously to explore joining the CMC district. The Hayden school district is adjacent to the west of the Steamboat Springs school district.
Eric Owen, Hayden’s school district superintendent explained, “Our inquiry regarding the feasibility of annexing into the Colorado Mountain College district reflects the shared interests of the Hayden School District Board of Education and the Hayden Town Council to explore expanded postsecondary access and workforce pathways that align with the long-term needs of Hayden’s students and its broader community. Following a joint work session with the town council on Jan. 8, the Hayden School District Board of Education voted unanimously to support the letter to CMC at its Jan. 13 meeting. We look forward to participating in the feasibility study and learning from its findings.”
Voter approval will be needed regarding annexation decisions.
Trustees also voted unanimously to:
- approve the transfer of a portion of the Smith Duffy property in Glenwood Springs to the CMC Foundation to create permanent community open space, in accordance with the Smith Duffy family’s wishes, donors of the parcel.
- approve sabbatical reports.
- approve CMC Leadville’s lease to the Colorado Workforce office.
- accept the annual financial statement for year 2024-25.