Participation from Colorado students during the annual Colorado Free Application Day was up 10% compared to 2020, the Colorado Department of Higher Education announced Tuesday.

In all, 62,679 students submitted their college and university applications without fees between Oct. 19 and Oct. 21, saving students more than $2.5 million in waived application fees.

“It’s exciting to see this program continue to grow and expand each year, saving students even more money,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a release. “As we continue to recover from the pandemic, and prepare for the jobs of the future, we need to ensure our students have the education and skills that make them workforce-ready.”

This year, more than 30% of the applications submitted were to Colorado State University and the University of Colorado Boulder.

Colorado Free Application Day is designed to boost the state’s college-going rate. This year, two groups — students of color and first-generation students — accounted for nearly half and more than a third of the applications submitted, respectively, officials said.

Since the application day began in 2018, more than $8.4 million in application fees have been saved.

“We want to thank our colleges and universities for putting students first and continuing to support this effort,” said Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

For more information on Colorado Applies Month and Colorado Free Application Days, click here.