Many students and parents often discount the possibility of attending an out-of-state public college or university due to the exorbitant cost of non-resident tuition. And who can blame them: why pay full freight out-of-state when Colorado public colleges are strong and considerably cheaper? Well, attending college out-of-state might not be as expensive as many believe. Meet the Western Undergraduate Exchange.

The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE, pronounced “woo-ee”) is a tuition-discount reciprocity agreement administered by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). WUE allows students from 16 western states and territories (including Colorado) to enroll as non-residents in 160+ participating public colleges and universities and pay 150% (or less) of the enrolling school’s resident tuition. On average, this saves families $9,000 annually on the cost of non-resident tuition. Furthermore, at some institutions, the WUE tuition rate may actually cost less than in-state tuition at several Colorado colleges and universities. When families factor in the relatively high cost of living on the Front Range, tuition and room and board at an out-of-state WUE school often come out to significantly less than it wound here at home.

There are some restrictions to the WUE program, however. Students are generally unable to establish residency in the state they are attending school if they begin college paying the WUE nonresident tuition rate. It’s also important to note that at certain universities, not all majors are available at the WUE rate. For example, high demand programs, such as nursing, are sometimes excluded from the WUE discounted rate.

Despite some limitations, WUE offers students considerable out-of-state college options at a cost that’s often comparable (and sometimes cheaper) than their in-state choices. For more information and a list of participating colleges and universities, visit wiche.edu.