Colorado Resident Financial Resources

Free College for Colorado Students: Expanded Program Details

Starting in Fall 2024, Colorado students with family incomes of $90,000 or less can get their out-of-pocket tuition and fees fully reimbursed through a refundable tax credit when attending Colorado public institutions of higher education.

Eligible students can receive the tax credit for any semester or term in which they meet the following criteria:

• Enroll in postsecondary education within two years of high school graduation
• Be degree or credential-seeking
• Complete the current FAFSA or CASFA
• Enroll in and complete at least six credits per semester
• Maintain a 2.5 semester GPA

For more details, visit the Colorado Department of Higher Education website to learn more about Colorado Promise: Two Free Years of College Expanded program.

CSU Global expands beyond this by ensuring continued financial assistance to eligible Colorado students through the CSU Global Promise Grant to help narrow the gap between Pell Grant funds and the cost of attendance. Residents will continue to benefit from this award in subsequent trimesters as long as they meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Maintain residency in the state of Colorado
• Continue to qualify for Pell Grant funds in future FAFSA years
• Stay enrolled in an eligible undergraduate certificate or bachelor’s degree program
• Maintain enrollment at a half-time rate or higher each trimester
• Maintain good academic and financial standing with the university
  • Achieve a 2.00 GPA or higher
  • Maintain a completion rate of 66.66% or higher
  • Must not exceed the maximum time frame for their program.

Awarding Process & Start Dates

No separate application is required to receive the CSU Global Promise Grant. Students will be automatically reviewed for eligibility each trimester and awarded as long as grant funds remain available. To see if you qualify for the CSU Global Colorado Promise Grant, visit our detailed scholarship page for more information.

Colorado Educator Recruitment and Retention Program

To help tackle the teacher shortage in Colorado, the state has introduced the Educator Recruitment and Retention Financial Assistance Program. This initiative offers $10,000 stipends to aspiring educators who are currently teaching under alternative licenses while working towards their teaching degrees.

To qualify for the stipend, applicants must be enrolled in an educator preparation program and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Have earned a bachelor’s degree and secured a position as an alternative teacher or temporary educator in an area with a teacher shortage
• Work as a paraprofessional in a school district or charter school
• Been hired as a career or technical education instructor in a rural school district

The application for the stipend is currently open and will close on September 30, 2024. Stipends are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. A second round of applications will open on December 2, 2024.

To apply, visit the Colorado Department of Higher Education website and follow the instructions.

Colorado Department of Higher Education’s EmpowerEd Program

To support students impacted by homelessness while enrolled in a Colorado high school, the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) has established funding that supports a student’s remaining balance of the total cost of attendance after any private, state, or federal financial aid has been exhausted. These costs are split 50/50 by the institution and state.

To qualify, students must meet the following criteria as defined by CDHE:

Identified by designated school personnel as a homeless child or youth under the Federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, while residing in Colorado anytime between the start of 9th-grade and end of 12th-grade,

• Is at least 17 years of age, and not yet 27 years old,
• Is a current Colorado resident,
• Has been accepted into an in-state, public institution of higher education, local district college or area technical college,
• Is enrolled in courses leading towards the qualifying student’s first bachelor’s degree, associate degree, or certificate of completion at an accredited institution of higher education, and
• Has completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the applicable school year.

To apply, visit CDHE’s EmpowerEd website and follow the instructions.

Colorado Department of Higher Education’s FosterEd Program

To support students who were in foster care or in non-certified kinship care in Colorado on or after their 13th birthday, the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) has established funding that pays for the total cost of attendance for qualifying students who attend public institutions of higher education within Colorado. This state-funding pays for the remaining balance of the total cost of attendance after scholarships, grants, and other financial aid funding has been applied.

To qualify, students must meet the following criteria as defined by CDHE:

• Current Colorado resident
• Was in foster care from age 13+ in Colorado or in non-certified kinship care from age 13+ in Colorado and was, at any time, adjudicated neglected or dependent pursuant to Article 3 of Title 19
• Attending a state public institution of higher education, local district college, or area technical college
• Currently enrolled in courses leading toward a certificate of completion, associate, bachelor’s, or postgraduate degree and in satisfactory academic standing as defined by the institution of attendance
• Complete the FAFSA
• Complete the Education and Training Voucher (ETV) application, if eligible
• Complete and submit a FERPA Consent Form to the institution the student is attending
• Self-identify with the FosterEd Liaison or financial aid office at the institution the student is attending.

** FosterEd will cover up to 132 semester credit hours or 198 quarter credit hours starting from the time you join this program. Credits earned prior to joining this program will not count towards the credit limit

** Please note, there is no age limit on this program.

To apply, visit CDHE’s FosterEd website and follow the instructions.

Additional Financial Resources

We encourage all students–including Coloradans–to log into CSU Global’s Scholarship Universe page to receive a curated list of scholarships for which they are eligible. Just login with your CSU Global email address to get started.