Lawful Presence Requirement
Colorado Law requires students who are receiving a "public benefit" to prove they are lawfully present in the United States. Public benefits include in-state tuition, WICHE/WUE tuition, College Opportunity Fund stipends, Post-Secondary-Education-Options, Fast-Tracks, Concurrent Registration, ASCENT, military and athletic tuition waivers and any other state or institutionally funded financial benefit. Benefits will be withheld from students who do not verify lawful presence.
+ Who does this include?
All undergraduate, graduate and professional students who are Colorado residents.
All undergraduate students who participate in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program and graduate students who participate in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) program.
All undergraduate, graduate, and professional students classified as non-resident (including international students) who receive state or institutionally funded financial assistance which may include scholarships, work-study awards, fellowships, and need-based grants.
+ Are there any students who will be exempt from having to verify lawful presence?
There are no exemptions from having to verify lawful presence. However, the following students are considered to have met the requirement and do not need to take any action:
- Any student who has completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Colorado State University has received valid results of your FAFSA.
- Any student who has completed the College Opportunity Fund (COF) application process after August 1, 2006 and has been successfully verified by the Colorado Department of Revenue are considered as having completed the process.
+ How often must a student complete this requirement?
Students must complete the process one time, at the point they initially receive a benefit.
How do I know if my student is required to verify lawful presence?
If they are required to verify lawful presence, they will have an alert on their RAMweb homepage. This alert will direct them to complete the lawful presence verification process. Once the verification process is complete, the alert will no longer appear.
+ My student has a Lawful Presence hold on their record. What do I need to do?
Registration holds are placed on students' accounts to assure students verify lawful presence before receiving a state benefit. The student will need to go to their RAMweb home page, click the Lawful Presence alert and complete the process. Their hold will be released once the verification is complete.
+ How does my student complete the lawful presence verification process?
Your student will need to log onto RAMweb, and click on the American Flag in the alert box, they will then need to follow the instructions presented. To satisfy this requirement, your student will need to fulfill the following three steps:
- Complete the affidavit stating that they are a US citizen, a legal permanent resident, or are otherwise lawfully present in the US pursuant to federal law.
- Present a valid form of proof of citizenship or lawful presence.
- Present a valid form of identification.
In some cases, a single document serves as both proof of citizenship/lawful presence and identification. Documents that serve as both Proof of Citizenship/Lawful Presence and Identification are:
- Colorado Driver's License or ID Card
- Driver's License from one of the following states: AL, AZ, AR, CA, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MN, MS, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NY, ND, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, VA, WV, WY
- Certificate of Naturalization
- Certificate of U.S. Citizenship
- U.S. Passport
Documents that serve as only Proof of Citizenship/Lawful Presence are:
- U.S. Public Birth Certificate
- Certification of Report of Birth
- Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen
- Certification of Birth Issued by the Department of State
- U.S. Citizen ID Card
- Northern Mariana ID Card
- American Indian Card
- Final Adoption Decree
- Evidence of U.S. Civil Service Employment before June 1, 1976
- U.S. Military Record
and
Documents that serve as only Identification are:
- A Driver's License or ID Card
- School ID Card w/ Photograph
- U.S. Military ID Card or Draft Record
- U.S. Military Dependent ID Card
- U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner ID Card
- ID Card Issued by Federal, State, or Local Government
- Other ID Described in 8 CFR 247a.2(b)(1)(v)(B)(1)
- Why is proof of lawful presence required?
As of August 1, 2006, Colorado House Bill 06S- 1023 requires state agencies verify the lawful presence of all applicants for public benefits.
+ Who do I contact if I have questions about lawful presence requirements?
Registrar’s Office, Centennial Hall; registraroffice@colostate.edu; (970) 491-4860.