Tuition, Fees and Financial Aid - Financial Aid

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At CU Denver, we have a longstanding belief that finances should never stand in the way of motivated, talented individuals who want to better themselves and make a positive impact on the world around them. Through a tradition providing strong financial assistance and aid programs, we enforce this belief every day.

Financial Aid

Director of Financial Aid: Justin Jaramillo
Office: Student Commons Building, 5105
Telephone: 303-315-1850
E-mail: financialaid@ucdenver.edu
Website: www.ucdenver.edu/finaid

Student Financial Aid Information

The Financial Aid & Scholarships Office delivers more than $128 million in financial aid awards to qualified students at the Denver Campus each year.   Graduate Students will be considered for a financial aid award package primarily made up of student loans with a limited number of grant funds awarded to students enrolled in specific graduate programs.  Some work-study funding is available to graduate students as well.  

Applying 

All financial aid applicants must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.FAFSA.gov and any additional items required by the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office before financial aid eligibility can be determined.  Required items are listed in initiated status on the UCD Access Portal at www.ucdenver.edu/ucdaccess under the student’s “to do list”.  

Students must complete a new FAFSA every year to be considered for financial aid for the upcoming academic year.  Graduate students are considered independent for federal student aid purposes, therefore; no parental information is required on the FAFSA.

It is the student’s responsibility to make sure his/her financial aid application is complete. Students are encouraged to check their UCD Access Portal and their assigned University email account regularly for important updates and additional information required by the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office.  Students are also encouraged to contact the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office with questions. Students may also obtain important information on-line at www.ucdenver.edu/finaid. All financial aid policies and procedures are subject to change due to revisions in federal and state laws, regulations, guidelines and applicable institution policies.

Eligibility

Each student must meet the following eligibility criteria to quality for financial aid:

1. Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.
2. Have a valid social security number (exceptions for students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau).
3. Be classified as a degree-seeking student by the University of Colorado Denver Office of Admissions
4. Be enrolled at least half-time which is 3 credits hours for graduate students.
5. Meet financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards.
6. Not be in default on any student loan or owe a refund on any educational grant.
7. Male applicants must be registered with the Selective Service.
8. Sign the statement of educational purposes on the FAFSA application.

Qualifying

Financial Aid eligibility is largely based on the concept of financial need. Financial need is calculated as the Cost of Attendance (tuition, fees, books, and living expenses) minus the Expected Family Contribution or EFC (student and spouse contributions towards the education). A student’s EFC is assigned directly from the information provided on the FAFSA application.

The Cost of Attendance, or COA, is the estimated annual cost to attend CU Denver, including tuition and fees, room, board, books and supplies, transportation and personal expenses. The Financial Aid & Scholarships Office determines standard COA based upon average tuition and fees charged and other budget items established by the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE). Current COA figures are available on the website www.ucdenver.edu/finaid. 

The contributions from the student and spouse (if applicable) are calculated by a standardized formula that is determined by the FAFSA data and is required by federal law. The formula considers income, savings and other assets, family size, number of children in postsecondary school and other factors and then assigns a student an EFC.

Financial Aid is intended to supplement and not replace financial contributions from the student/spouse. If the EFC is equal to or greater than the COA, then the student will not qualify for need-based financial aid, but can still receive non-need based financial aid such as Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Student Loans or Direct Graduate PLUS Loans up to but not exceeding their COA.  Please note that Unsubsidized Stafford Student Loans and Direct Graduate PLUS Loans comprise the majority of all graduate students’ financial aid award packages regardless of financial need.  

Graduate students will be sent an email notification to their secure University email account when their award package is available. The email notice advises students to review the award on the UCD Access Portal. The information provided includes the types and amounts of aid awarded and the minimum number of semester hours required each term to receive the awards.  

All student loans will be in offered status and a student must accept any that he or she would like to receive on the UCD Access Portal.  Students who have not borrowed a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan or Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan since July 1, 2010 will be required to complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling at www.StudentLoans.gov before the loans will disburse. Graduate PLUS loans are credit based and if this loan is denied, an email will be sent to the student informing them. 

Graduate students must be enrolled in at least 3 credit hours per semester in order to be eligible for most financial aid awards including the Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan and the Direct Graduate PLUS Loan.

Notice for Graduate Students:  The financial aid definition of half-time enrollment may differ from the academic definition of half-time enrollment based on degree programs. See a financial aid advisor for more information.

Grants, Loans and Work-Study 

Loans:

1. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan - The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan program does not require the student to document financial need, but a valid FAFSA application is required. Eligibility is calculated as the Cost Of Attendance (COA) minus other financial aid awarded. Interest is not paid by the federal government for the Stafford Unsubsidized Loan program and interest begins to accrue after the loan is disbursed. The student may elect to pay the interest now or to allow the interest to capitalize on the total principal loan amount.  The yearly aggregate on this loan is $20,500 and a student cannot be awarded above that in an academic year.
2. Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan- The Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan program does not required the student to document financial need, but a valid FAFSA application is required.  Interest is not paid by the federal government and begins to accrue when the loan is disbursed.  The student may elect to pay the interest now or allow the interest to capitalize on the total principle loan amount. Graduate PLUS Loans are awarded after the full yearly or lifetime (whichever limit is reached first) aggregate amount of the Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan is awarded (see above). The Graduate PLUS Loan is a credit based loan and a student must be approved to receive it. 
3. Federal Perkins Loan-The Perkins Loan is a federally funded need-based loan program with a fixed interest rate currently at 5 percent. No repayment of interest or principal is due until nine months after the student ceases to be enrolled at least half-time or graduates.  Perkins Loan funds are very limited.

Grants:

1. Colorado Graduate Grant (CGG)- The CGG is a state funded grant program awarded to high-need students (determined by the FAFSA application) who are Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) majors.  In order to be considered eligible for this grant, students must be residents of Colorado and enrolled in a minimum of 4 credit hours per semester.  Student eligibility is re-assessed every year.  Amounts vary each year depending on funding and the number of eligible students.
2. Federal Teach Grant- The Teach Grant program is a federally funded grant program available to students enrolled in specific programs who intend to teach in a public or private school that serves students from low-income families. Students can be considered for up to $4000 per academic year, if eligible. More information can be found on the https://teach-ats.ed.gov.

Work-Study:

1. Federal College Work-Study- This is a federally funded, need-based work-study program that allows students to work on a part-time basis (on campus, off campus or at nonprofit agencies) to help meet their educational costs.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

For continued aid eligibility, students must be making satisfactory progress towards graduation. Therefore, students must meet the University of Colorado Denver’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards in compliance with federal regulations and defined by the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office. If a student is not meeting the SAP standard, then they may be ineligible for financial aid and scholarship awards. Therefore, it is important for all students to be familiar with the University of Colorado Denver’s SAP policy. For more information, students should review the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Policy at www.ucdenver.edu/finaid.

A student may appeal a financial aid suspension by submitting a SAP Appeal to the SAP appeals committee located in the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office by mail, fax or in person.  The SAP appeal needs to document the extenuating circumstances that led to the student’s suspension. All appeals must include third party supporting documentation in order to be considered. Appeals will be reviewed within three weeks of receipt and the student will receive a written response of the comittee’s decision by mail or email. The decision of the appeals committee is final.

Withdrawals and Repayments

Federal Financial Aid is disbursed based on the assumption that a student will attend courses for the entire semester and earn passing grades.   A student who withdraws from or fails all courses (for any reason) and received federal financial aid must have a Return of Title IV calculation performed to determine the percentage of aid that was actually earned based on the amount of time the student attended their courses.  Students are entitled to aid that was earned. The University will return any unearned aid to the appropriate Federal Title IV program.  This could create a balance owed to the University of Colorado Denver.  

CU Denver is required to verify that a student began attendance in any course a student withdraws from or fails.  If the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office receives notification that a student never began attendance, or is unable to document that a student began attendance in a course, then their financial aid will be adjusted appropriately.  

Scholarships

The Financial Aid & Scholarships Office awards over $18 million dollars in scholarships annually. For a complete listing of the many scholarships offered at the Denver Campus, go to www.ucdenver.edu/scholarships. In addition, many Internet search programs are available to help students identify scholarships for which they may be eligible. One of the largest is www.FastWeb.com. You may also research www.finaid.org.