Krissy Stout

On Dec.12 Isaac Boczkiewicz points to Florida as he is going to Florida tech and Delaney Loper points to Colorado as she is going to UCCS.

The difference between tuition prices in Colorado versus out of state tuitions can be drastically different with schools like UCCS being about $9,712 per year and Western Colorado University being around $11,511 per year for in-state students while out-of-state schools can be more expensive like Florida Tech which has a tuition of around $44,360 per year for out-of-state students.

  According to Delaney Loper(12), staying in-state has its benefits. “I get to stay close to family and friends and it is also less expensive than going to an out-of-state college,” Loper said. 

Loper looked into only two colleges before deciding on UCCS, one of them being UCCS and the other being CSU. She made this decision based on the UCCS’s great dance program. “UCCS has a good dance program and it will allow me to focus on something that I’m passionate about,” Loper said. 

Delaney Bartko is a junior at Western Colorado University and graduates in May of 2027. She looked at 8 different schools all within Colorado. “I looked at all in-state colleges because I knew I wanted to stay in Colorado. I visited all of the schools that I was interested in,” Bartko said.

A big part of Bartko’s decision to stay in-state was being able to stay in Colorado and staying close to family. “I am a Colorado native, and I have always loved Colorado. I am close with my family, and I wanted to be close enough to home that I could drive home for the weekend if I wanted to,” Bartko said.

While Western Colorado University has options for Bartko’s major which is Business Administration with minors in law and communications, she didn’t fully choose the university for just that. “My major is broad enough that I didn’t necessarily pick Western because of my degree; however, I stayed at Western because of the teachers I met there through my major. Western is small, but we have a lot of excellent and experienced teachers in all fields of study,” she said. 

Part of choosing in state was the location in general, while the tuition was cheaper and she’d be closer to family she also loves Colorado’s weather and activities. “I knew I wanted to ski and be outdoors, where else is better to do that than in Colorado,” Bartko said.

One thing that Bartko is appreciative about is the fact that Western’s parking on campus is free. “Most colleges have to spend $100-$400 per semester to park on campus,” she said.

Western Colorado University requires students for the first two years to live on campus. “As long as you live on campus, you have to have a meal plan that is included. If you use the campus rec center there is a fee included in tuition for that but you can also opt out of that if you do not use the campus Rec center,” Bartko said. 

Bartko feels that no matter where you go, tuition is going to be expensive; but based on other factors, she believes she is paying just right for what she gets. “I do feel like I am getting value out of the education at Western Colorado, as well as the experience and opportunities Western has granted me. For in-state tuition and the amazing teachers that I have, I do feel as though I am paying just right,” Bartko said.

Isaac Boczkiewicz (12) is going to Florida Institute of Technology. He is going to study Aerospace Engineering. He looked at one other college before deciding on Florida Tech and believes that it will be a fresh beginning for him. “I think the best part of going to school out-of-state is the new opportunities and the change in living style,” Boczkiewicz said. “Florida Tech is a partner with NASA , has internships with them and is near rocket launch sites.”

Boczkiewicz chose Florida Tech because it has a good aerospace program. “My major is the reason I chose to go out-of-state because Colorado just doesn’t have what I need in terms of space study,” he said.

Boczkiewicz is excited to start anew.  “I am most excited about a new chapter in my life, living alone and the opportunities that you get because of the location of the college,” he said. 

Boczkiewicz is excited to go to Florida Tech. But he does feel like he is paying a little too much for what his tuition includes but knows that there isn’t really a college that charges reasonably. “My tuition includes housing, food, classes and I think textbooks,” Boczkiewicz said. “I feel like I’m paying too much, but at the same time, there isn’t really any college that charges a reasonable amount.”