Grants

Grants are a type of financial aid award that you don’t need to repay. Students must be enrolled at least half-time to receive the grant unless specified.

Federal Grants

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
• Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship
• Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant
  • In order for CU Denver to determine your eligibility for the TEACH Grant, complete the Federal TEACH Grant Interest form located on our forms page under miscellaneous forms

State

• Colorado Student Grant - Awarded to eligible undergraduate students who are Colorado residents with documented financial need as demonstrated through the FAFSA.
• Colorado Graduate Grant - Awarded to eligible graduate/professional students who are Colorado residents with documented financial need as demonstrated through the FAFSA.

Institutional Grants

• University Need ​Grant - Awarded to eligible CU Denver undergraduate students with documented financial need as demonstrated through the FAFSA.​ 
• Lynx Grant - Awarded to eligible CU Denver undergraduate students with documented financial need as demonstrated through the FAFSA. 

Please note: The Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, Colorado Graduate Grant, Colorado Student Grant, University Need Grant, and Lynx Grant are offered based on funding availability and are not guaranteed. 

Work-Study 

Work-study is a financial aid award that allows undergraduate and graduate students to work part-time to earn money to pay for educational expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to the recipient's course of study. Students earning work-study funds are paid bi-weekly. If awarded work-study, students may search open positions on the Handshake Job Board

Scholarships

Scholarship opportunities are both need-based (documented financial need as demonstrated through the FAFSA) and merit-based. 

For more information on scholarships, please visit Scholarships (ucdenver.edu).

Educational Loans 

Educational Loans are funds that have to be repaid.

• Federal Direct Subsidized Loan - The Federal Direct Subsidized Loan is a need-based, federally funded loan. Interest on the Subsidized Loan is paid by the federal government during certain periods. Borrowers receive a six-month grace period before entering repayment. The grace period begins six-months after the student ceases to be enrolled at least half-time, discontinues their program of study or graduates.
• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan - The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan is a non-need based, federally funded loan. Borrowers receive a six-month grace period before entering repayment. The grace period begins six-months after the student ceases to be enrolled at least half-time, discontinues their program of study or graduates.
• Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan - The Parent PLUS Loan is a federally funded loan, available to parents of dependent students. The Parent PLUS Loan is credit-based and begins to accrue interest from the date of disbursement. If a parent cannot secure a PLUS Loan due to credit, the undergraduate student may qualify for additional Unsubsidized Loan. Repayment on the PLUS loan begins almost immediately after disbursement, however a parent may make arrangements to have repayment deferred while the student is enrolled at least half-time. The interest on this loan, even while in deferment, will continue to capitalize on the principle amount.
• Private Student Loan-  Private student loans are educational loan programs established by private lenders to supplement the funding that students and parents receive from federal and state sources. Private loans are credit based and often have different lending criteria than government lending programs.

Financial Aid Policies and Regulations

Enrollment Status

Most undergraduate financial aid programs require at least half-time enrollment (6 credit hours per semester) to be eligible for awards. Higher or lower minimums may be required for specific individual awards (review your award notification for the exact number of credits required for aid eligibility).

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

To continue to be eligible for financial aid, students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress. If a student is not meeting SAP standards, they may be ineligible for financial aid and scholarships. For more information, students should review the Satisfactory Academic Policy by visiting https://www.ucdenver.edu/student-finances/financial-aid/eligible/sap.

A student may appeal financial aid suspension by submitting a SAP Appeal. The SAP appeal should document the extenuating circumstances that led to the student’s suspension. All appeals should include third party supporting documentation.

Course Withdrawals and Repayments

Financial aid is disbursed based on the assumption a student will attend courses for the entire semester and earn passing grades. A student who withdraws or fails all courses and received financial aid must have a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation performed to determine the percentage of aid that was 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, which may create a balance owed to the University.

The University will also determine the earned and unearned portions of any state or institutional aid. This calculation is separate from the R2T4 aid calculation.

If you withdraw on or before the University’s census date, you will be required to return all state and/or institutional aid received for the term. The Bursar’s Office will bill your account for the amount owed.

If you withdraw after the census date, you will be required to repay a portion of any state and institutional received for the term based on your withdrawal date.

CU Denver is required to verify 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.

For more information regarding financial aid policies and regulations, please visit the CU Denver financial Aid website.