Higher Education Access Alliance (HEAA)

The Higher Education Access Alliance (HEAA) is committed to increasing higher education opportunities for all Colorado students, regardless of immigration or economic status.

HEAA is led by five Colorado non-profits: The Colorado Education Association; the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition; Metro Organizations for People, Padres y Jóvenes Unidos and the Colorado Catholic Conference.

In-state tuition – allowing all of Colorado’s qualified high school graduates access to in-state tuition and financial aid – is not a matter of generosity. It is an economic development strategy that will help bolster the state’s economy.

Colorado has the second highest percentage of college graduates in the nation, but ranks 32nd in sending our own high school graduates to college. This discrepancy, known as the “Colorado Paradox,” has implications not just for education, but for the need for public benefits and the fitness of our economy.

Research shows that college education yields important social and economic benefits. An educated and skilled local work force attracts jobs, improves productivity, creates a larger tax base and adds wealth to our communities. And students who complete high school and go on to college are less likely to need public assistance in the future, for themselves or for their children.