The Army has transferred Colorado natives Eugene and Susan Matthews from state to state during his 23-year career in the Army, but he has always maintained Colorado residency and paid state taxes.
So when their youngest son, Alex, applied for the substantially cheaper in-state tuition, the couple said they were dismayed to be given the runaround.
“It’s a total feeling of frustration in not being able to plan for our son’s future and not being able to reassure him where he’s going to go,” said Susan Matthews, who last lived in Colorado nine years ago and now lives in Missouri. “It has put our lives on hold.”
The Matthewses and dozens of other military families each year have had to face school bureaucracies and a vague state law that addresses who gets in-state tuition and who pays nearly four times as much in nonresident tuition.
State law says that “payment of Colorado income tax is highly persuasive evidence of domicile in Colorado,” but state officials say it is unclear whether a parent who pays in-state taxes can obtain in-state tuition for his or her children.
“I think it is up to interpretation by the institution whether dependents are included,” said Jason Hopfer, spokesman for the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. “It certainly would be beneficial to clarify that distinction.”
Sen. Ron Teck, a Grand Junction Republican, last year successfully sponsored a bill that gives in-state tuition to soldiers who return to the state within six months of discharge. When told of the Matthewses’ situation, he said he will research a possible bill next year to address dependents of military personnel.
“That brings up an interesting question we hadn’t thought of,” he said. “In all fairness, anybody who joins the military, puts their lives on the line … let’s reward them and give them in-state tuition.”
The Matthewses also are frustrated by what they call the lack of communication they found when they asked about in-state tuition at two northern Colorado schools.
They first contacted University of Northern Colorado and were told by the clerk at the front desk that there was no way Alex would get in-state tuition, Susan Matthews said. UNC spokeswoman Gloria Reynolds said that there is no record of the family applying at the school and that they should have been told they had to apply to determine their tuition status.
Then the family went to Colorado State University. After at least 20 calls on the subject, the Matthewses were finally told they would not find out until weeks before school started whether Alex would pay in-state tuition, which is $3,381, nearly $11,000 less than nonresident tuition.
“He had been accepted with out-of-state tuition, but we can’t afford it,” Susan Matthews said.
The family scrambled to find an alterative school in case Alex doesn’t qualify for in-state tuition.
School officials said there was a mistake on the Matthewses’ application, and they called the family to fix it but never heard back. Susan and Eugene Matthews said they never received the call.
CSU spokesman Brad Bohlander attributed the situation to “an error and a miscommunications,” and Sandy Calhoun, director of student financial services at CSU, said the school handles a “handful” of such requests a year.
“If the family military member has maintained Colorado residency, the student is considered a resident in Colorado,” Calhoun said.
No central agency keeps records of how many military families request in-state status because it is up to individual schools to determine whether the student qualifies.
After being contacted about the Matthewses’ situation, CSU officials said they would contact the family.
Friday afternoon, school officials told Susan Matthews Alex would get in-state tuition. “He’s just thrilled,” she said.
Staff writer Arthur Kane can be reached at 303-820-1626 or akane@denverpost.com.
