School of Medicine & School of Dental Medicine Non-Resident & Accountable Students
Tuition and fees for non-resident students enrolled in the University of Colorado School of Medicine M.D. program and School of Dental Medicine D.D.S. program are governed by special Colorado legislation.
Initial Tuition Classification & Residency
Both the School of Medicine and the School of Dental Medicine accept Colorado residents and non-residents. Students are classified for tuition purposes at the time they are admitted to a University of Colorado professional program. For more information regarding Colorado residency for tuition purposes please see the Colorado Department of Higher Education’s [residency] Classification Guidelines or Colorado State Statute C.R.S. 23-7-101.
Unique to the M.D. and D.D.S. programs, in addition to being classified as resident or non-residents, students may also be classified as accountable students.
Who is an Accountable Student?
According to Colorado State Statute C.R.S. 23-20-138 an accountable student is “a person who, as of the date of his or her selection for admission into a university of Colorado at Denver and health sciences center professional health care program, will not be receiving funding from the state of Colorado or a cooperative state for any portion of the costs incurred in participating in a university of Colorado at Denver and health sciences center professional health care program.”
Students admitted to the School of Medicine or the School of Dental Medicine who have been classified as Colorado non-residents as of their date of selection who are not sponsored through the WICHE Professional Student Exchange Program are considered accountable students.
Students who are admitted to the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) are not considered accountable students, regardless of their tuition classification as resident or non-resident.
What are the Responsibilities of an Accountable Student?
Accountable students are required to pay a special support fee to the university each year as a condition of their continued enrollment in the University of Colorado School of Medicine or School of Dental Medicine. This special support fee is also known as an accountable student fee, and is listed an itemized part of a student’s bill each semester.
A student may petition to change their tuition classification after establishing Colorado domicile. However, once a student has been classified as an accountable student, this classification cannot be changed, and they are responsible for continuing to pay the special support or accountable student fee for each year of continued enrollment. Additionally, according to Colorado State Statute:
“If after the first year the accountable student ceases to participate in his or her university of Colorado at Denver and health sciences center professional health care program for reasons other than a medical disability, he or she shall repay to the university of Colorado at Denver and health sciences center professional health care program the difference between the amount paid for the special support fee and the amount of tuition that would have been otherwise assessed to the accountable student.”
To read the full legislation regarding the accountable student program at the University of Colorado please see C.R.S. 23-20-138.
For a list of tuition and fees please consult the tuition and fees schedule for the School of Medicine and the School of Dental Medicine.
What is the Date of Selection?
The date of selection is the uniformly applied date by which accountable student status is determined for each admitted cohort. The date of selection is the date by which students must have established at least one year of Colorado domicile. The date of selection is applied during the same year the student intends to matriculate.
The date of selection for the School of Medicine & School of Dental Medicine is July 1st.
For example, if a student has applied to matriculate in 2025, then the date of selection would be observed as July 1, 2025.
What is a Cooperative State & the WICHE Professional Student Exchange Program?
A cooperative state is “a state that has entered into a cooperative agreement with the state of Colorado.” Currently, the only states engaged in such agreements with the State of Colorado regarding medical education are the member states and territories of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE).
WICHE oversees the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP). Students must apply for consideration for PSEP support through their home state’s WICHE office. PSEP funding is competitive, and students should seek more information from their WICHE home state office as soon as possible.
Final confirmation of WICHE home state support for the Professional Student Exchange Program typically arrives in July or August preceding a student’s matriculation. It is a student’s responsibility to keep in touch with their home state’s WICHE office to check on the status of their WICHE PSEP application.
For more information about WICHE and PSEP please visit the WICHE website.
Active Duty Military, Honorably Discharged Veterans & Their Dependents
Students who are current active duty members of the U.S. military, honorably discharged U.S. military veterans or the dependents of U.S. military active duty members or honorably discharged veterans may qualify as Colorado residents without meeting 12 months of continuous domicile in the state of Colorado.
Those active duty U.S. military members, honorably discharged veterans and eligible dependents who do qualify for Colorado residency under state statute and federal law will not be classified as accountable students at the time of matriculation.
For more information please visit Veteran and Military Student Services Residency. You may also contact Veteran and Military Student Services directly at vmss@ucdenver.edu.