All domestic students who are not residents of Colorado must apply for in-state residency in the spring of their first year. Similar to most universities, the University of Colorado has a large discrepancy between resident and non-resident tuition. It is possible for U.S. students arriving from out-of-state to acquire resident status after one calendar year. To begin the one-year waiting period, the student must establish as many connections with the State as possible in the individual circumstances. Examples include: being physically present in the state with the intent to make your permanent home in Colorado; payment of Colorado state income taxes; application to the State for a Colorado driver’s license or Colorado identification card; registration of motor vehicles in the State of Colorado; registration to vote in Colorado. These connections should be established as soon as possible, ideally within 30 days after moving to the state. Eligibility for a change to resident status is determined from a written petition with documentation. The deadline is generally April – August. The petition and instructions are found here: http://www.colorado.edu/registrar/state-tuition.
The MSE program will not pay nonresident tuition for domestic students beyond one year.
The following are basic rules of thumb to follow with regard to signing up for thesis credit hours before and after the comprehensive examination. Consult with your advisor.
Prior to completing the comprehensive exam:
- Zero credits of dissertation if signed up for five or more class credits (which make the students full time)
- One credit of dissertation if signed up for a three-credit class (that one credit makes the students full time)
- Three credits of dissertation if signed up for no classes (since 1-3 credits all cost the same) or nine credits of classes (since 9-15 credits all cost the same)
- No more than 10 pre-comp thesis hours may be counted towards the total number needed for graduation
After the comprehensive exam: Students are required to take five credits of dissertation, but can take up to 10 credits if he/she is getting close to graduating and short of the 30 required. Students are encouraged to register for the minimum number of Doctoral Thesis Hours needed to complete the degree.
The Time-Off Program provides an opportunity for students to take a leave from the university for a semester or a year without losing his/her place in his/her current college or school. The following guidelines are used to determine eligibility:
- Graduate students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA.
- Doctoral candidates who have passed their comprehensive examinations and concurrent degree students (B.A./M.A./M.S.) are not eligible for the Time Out Program.
Download the application from http://www.colorado.edu/registrar/withdrawls/time-program.
PhD students are eligible to apply for a Master’s degree along the way. The requirements are:
1. Complete all 30 coursework hours
2. Apply online to graduate through MyCUinfo by the deadline
3. Fill out candidacy application and get your advisor’s signature
4. Fill out Degree plan approval form and get your advisor’s signature
5. Return all completed and signed forms to me and I will submit them to the graduate school
The deadlines for these forms depend on the semester you want to “graduate" with the Master’s degree. The dates are posted on the Graduate School website. For example, if you want to receive the Master’s degree in May, you need to apply online to graduate and complete the forms by February 1st. You will receive the Master’s degree in May and it will appear on your transcript by mid-June.