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Scholarships and Funding
When you're in college, every little bit helps. We encourage you to do your research and and apply for any scholarships you are eligible for.
Scholarship and Funding Opportunities
CU-Boulder offers a variety of need-based and merit-based scholarships. In addition, you should consider private scholarships provided by organizations outside of the university such as Elks, Rotary, your local high school, national groups, etc. For these scholarships, you will apply directly to the sponsoring organization. There are many scholarship search engines available online. Learn more about scholarships and funding opportunities on the Scholarship Services site.
College Opportunity Fund
College Opportunity Fund (COF) provides direct funding to resident undergraduate students. As a qualified resident undergraduate student you can apply for COF vouchers that will be applied to a portion of your university bill.
CU-Boulder Resident Scholarships
Regent Scholarship is available to entering freshmen who graduate from Colorado high schools. One $ 1,000 Regent Scholarship is awarded each year per Colorado high school, based on high academic achievement as measured by GPA, rank in class, level of course work, and test scores. No application required.
Presidents Leadership Class (PLC) students are selected on the basis of intellectual curiosity, leadership potential, and commitment outside of self and will receive $ 500 - $ 3,000 per year. Complete the PLC application by February 15.
Norlin Scholars Program is an interdisciplinary intellectual community in which students receive an education personally tailored to fit their interests and goals in any of CU-Boulder's undergraduate colleges or schools. Each Norlin Scholar receives a merit-based award of $ 4,000, which is renewable for four years. Norlin Scholars are chosen for their strong academic commitment, exceptional creativity, and intellectual curiosity. The application deadline is February 15.
CU-LEAD Alliance CU Leadership, Excellence, Achievement, and Diversity (CU-LEAD) is a unique set of academic learning communities for underrepresented students. The students, faculty, and staff in these communities work together to help students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds succeed at CU-Boulder. CU-LEAD offers $ 1,500 scholarships, renewable for four years, if students fulfill all program expectations.
Puksta Scholar Program is committed to providing scholarships to students who demonstrate financial need, community involvement, and who will continue to be civically engaged on the Boulder campus or in the local community. This program offers a $ 4,500 annual scholarship renewable for four years. The application deadline is February 2, and you must send your FAFSA as soon after January 1 as possible.
First Generation Grant goes to incoming freshmen who are Colorado residents and whose parents do not have college, occupational, or technical training beyond high school. Eligible students may receive up to $ 2,000 and may renew for up to five years. No additional application is required, but you must submit your FAFSA as soon after January 1 as possible.
Additional scholarships are available as well. Review the Scholarships page on the Office of Financial Aid website for access to a complete list of scholarship options.
Guaranteed Four-Year Tuition
The Guaranteed Four-Year Tuition policy guarantees that your nonresident tuition will be constant for four full years. As a confirmed CU-Boulder student you are automatically awarded the guarantee. Fees, room and board, and other non-tuition expenses are not included in the tuition guarantee.
CU-Boulder Nonresident Scholarships
The Chancellor’s Achievement Scholarship and the Presidential Scholarship are automatic consideration scholarships awarded to out-of-state students applying as freshman for the fall semester.
Both scholarships are merit based and awarded to students who have competitive grade point averages, standardized test scores, and class rank (if applicable). All out-of-state students who are admitted to the University will be automatically reviewed for both scholarships. Notification of scholarship selection will arrive via mail 3-4 weeks after the offer of admissions.
Chancellor's Achievement Scholarship.
The Chancellor’s Achievement Scholarship is available to out-of-state students who are in the top 25% of the admitted non-resident class at CU-Boulder.
The middle 50% of all students admitted to CU-Boulder in 2011:
- 3.2-3.9 grade point average (4.0 scale)
- 65-89 Percentile Rank
- 1070-1270 SAT score (writing not included)
- 23-28 ACT score
In 2011, Recipients of the Chancellor’s Achievement Scholarship typically had above a 3.85 grade point combined with a 29 or higher on the ACT and/or 1300 or higher on the SAT.
The scholarship award is $ 20,000 over four years, which is $ 5,000 per year. In order to be considered for the scholarship, students must submit the admissions application no later than January 15.
The Presidential Scholarship is available to out-of-state students who are in the top 1-3% of the admitted non-resident class at CU-Boulder.
The scholarship award is $ 55,000 over four years, which is $ 15,000 per year for freshman and sophomore years and $ 12,500 per year for junior and senior years. In order to be considered for the scholarship, students must submit the admissions application no later than January 15.
If you are selected to receive the Presidential Scholarship, you are not eligible to receive the Chancellor’s Achievement Scholarship.
Presidents Leadership Class (PLC) students are selected on the basis of intellectual curiosity, leadership potential, and commitment outside of self and will receive $ 500 - $ 3,000 per year. Complete the PLC application by February 15.
Norlin Scholars Program is an interdisciplinary intellectual community in which students receive an education personally tailored to fit their interests and goals in any of CU-Boulder's undergraduate colleges or schools. Each Norlin Scholar receives a merit-based award of $ 4,000, which is renewable for four years. Norlin Scholars are chosen for their strong academic commitment, exceptional creativity, and intellectual curiosity. The application deadline is February 15.
CU-LEAD Alliance CU Leadership, Excellence, Achievement, and Diversity (CU-LEAD) is a unique set of academic learning communities for underrepresented students. The students, faculty, and staff in these communities work together to help students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds succeed at CU-Boulder. CU-LEAD offers 2010,500 scholarships, renewable for four years, if students fulfill all program expectations.
Additional scholarships are available as well. Review the Scholarships page on the Office of Financial Aid website for access to a complete list of scholarship options.
Applying for CU-Boulder Scholarships
Institutional scholarships are provided to CU-Boulder through gifts from corporations, foundations and individual donors. While the donors specify the award criteria, the selection of recipients is made by the appropriate college, school, or department within CU-Boulder. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you don't need to be admitted to CU-Boulder to apply for scholarships.
- Available Scholarships: You can access information on CU-Boulder scholarships at the Office of Financial Aid's Scholarship Services site.
- When to Apply: Complete and submit the application, which becomes available early December, by 5:00 p.m. on March 1. Some scholarships have earlier deadlines. If you apply for scholarships that have a financial need requirement, your FAFSA results must also be on file no later than March 1.
- How to Apply: To access the general application, you'll need to log into your MyCUBoulder account and navigate to the 'Finances' tab. The link to the scholarship application is at the bottom of the page.
