1. Apply for Financial Aid
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is usually available on October 1, but for just this year, the application for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 is expected to open in late December. Students will use tax information from 2022 to submit the 2024-2025 FAFSA. Complete your application as soon as possible to be considered for the most financial aid.
Get updates on the 2024-25 Financial Aid Application Delay.
The FAFSA application is required for all federal student aid, state and locate government aid, most institutional aid, and many scholarship providers. There is no cost for filling out the FAFSA, and you should not pay someone to prepare it for you.
After you complete the FAFSA, monitor your UCDAccess student portal To-Do List and CU Denver email for updates. Your To-Do List will identify additional actions you may need to take to complete your application. We will notify you by email if you need to submit any additional paperwork.
A. Log into UCDAccess Student Portal
B. Click Tasks-To-Do Items
C. Select Denver & Financial Aid
D. View Incomplete Items
3. Review Your Cost of Attendance (COA)
Cost of Attendance (COA) is an estimate of how much it will cost a
student to live and attend school for a semester or a nine-month
academic year. The estimate includes both direct and indirect costs of
attending the
university.
Direct costs are expenses students
pay directly to the university, such as
- Tuition and fees
- On-campus housing
Indirect costs are for educational-related expenses,
such as
- Books and supplies
- Transportation
- Medical/dental expenses
- Personal expenses
- Off-campus housing and food
The initial estimated COA for an
academic year assumes you will be enrolled full-time for
fall and spring.
Your estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) may help you determine the amount of loan funds you may need to accept to help meet your expenses.
To
find your cost of attendance (COA), follow these steps:
A. Log into UCDAccess Student Portal
B. Click the Financial Aid Icon
C. Select View Financial Aid
D. Select the Correct Aid Year
E. Click the Financial Aid Summary Button on the Bottom Right
F. Select Dollar Amount Next to Estimated Financial Aid Budget
G. View Estimates by Aid Year and See Total Cost of Attendance
4. Accept Your Financial Aid
The initial financial aid offer for an incoming student is sent to the email address used on your FAFSA.
Once you have applied for financial aid, all future communications about your application will come through your university email account.
Check out detailed information about your application in your UCDAccess student portal:
- Financial
aid is paid into your university account no sooner than ten days prior
to the beginning of each semester, with excess funds being refunded to
you the first ten days of the semester.
- Regularly monitor your UCDAccess To-Do List for possible additional items added throughout the year
- The View Your Financial Aid link allows you to view
your financial aid awards when they become available (we'll send an
email to notify you).
- The Accept/Decline Awards link lets you
view and accept, reduce, or decline the awards you have been offered.
When accepting your award for the aid year, the amount that you accept
will be split in half to cover the fall and the spring semesters.
If you don't know what you'll need for the spring
semester, double the fall amount. The spring amount can be adjusted as
late as early January so that you receive only what you need
Your financial aid
package is subject to change at any time, even after disbursement.
A. Log into UCDAccess Student Portal
B. Click the Financial Aid Icon
C. View Financial Aid or Accept/Decline Awards
5. Confirm Financial Aid has Been Applied
If all items have been successfully completed, financial aid is applied to tuition bills approximately 10 days before the start of the Fall and Spring semesters. If you aid has not been applied to your tuition bill, check your To Do List in your UCDAcess student portal to confirm all items have been completed. Please contact us 1 week after the last item has been completed if your aid has not been applied.
A. Log into UCDAccess Student Portal
B. Click View/Pay My Bill
There are many more resources available to CU Denver students for financial aid and other assistance. Check out some of them below!
ASSET | DACA Students
ASSET and DACA students are both eligible for in-state tuition. Find out more using the link below.
Transfer Students
Learn about the key steps for transfer students for a successful transition to the university.
Veteran & Military
Both veteran benefits and financial aid, can be used to pay tuition at CU Denver.
Parents
This section is to help keep parents informed of the financial aid process and requirements.
Special Circumstances
Have a unique or extenuating circumstance? We might be able to help with that.
Study Abroad
You may be eligible to receive financial aid for authorized study abroad programs.
Summer Aid
Find out what it takes to be awarded for Maymester or summer semester classes.
Single Stop Program
Connecting students to public and community benefits like food assistance and housing resources.