Grants

Grants are gift aid and do not have to be repaid. Grants are available for both residents and out-of-state students from federal, state and CSM grant funds. Grants are considered "need-based" financial aid. They are based on your need as determined by the federal government through the FAFSA and the Financial Aid Office.

If you receive other assistance after your initial award is done, your file will be reviewed and your award could be changed. In general, need-based grants (e.g. CSM or Colorado) and student self-help (work-study and loans) will each be reduced. We are required to treat scholarships as a resource.

FEDERAL GRANTS

PELL Grant

Federal Pell Grants are federal funds and may be awarded to undergraduate students who have not yet received a bachelor's degree and who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The amount of the award is determined by the federal government and is based on each student's eligibility and the number of hours for which he/she is enrolled.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) are federal funds awarded to undergraduate students who have not yet received a bachelor's degree and who are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens. FSEOG is awarded to students with exceptional need.

Academic Competitiveness and SMART Grants

Academic Competitiveness Grants (ACG) and SMART Grants are federally funded grants.  In order to be eligible for either, the student must also be eligible for the Pell Grant, be a U.S. citizen, and be enrolled full-time in a degree-granting institution.

In order to be eligible for the ACG the student must be a first-year or second-year student and have completed a program of rigorous high school course work as defined by the state of Colorado and recognized by the Secretary of Education.  In addition, second-year students may be eligible if they completed a rigorous program of study in high school and obtain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 at the end of their first academic year.

In order to be eligible for SMART Grants, students must be in their third or fourth academic year of a four-year degree program.  Students must be pursuing a major in mathematics, science (as defined by Department of Education), technology, engineering or a critical foreign language.  Students must also have a GPA of 3.0 or higher to be eligible.

COLORADO GRANTS

Colorado Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership

CLEAP (Colorado Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership) grants are state funds awarded to undergraduate students who have not yet received a bachelor's degree and who are Colorado residents for tuition purposes.

Colorado State Grant

The Colorado General Assembly is the source of state-funded student financial assistance for both the Colorado Student Grant (CSG) and Colorado Graduate Grant funds.  CSG are awarded to undergraduate students who have not yet received a bachelor's degree and who are Colorado residents for tuition purposes.  Graduate Grant funds are available to graduate level students who have demonstrated need on the FAFSA.

INSTITUTIONAL GRANTS

CSM Grant

A CSM Grant is funded by institutional funds awarded to undergraduate students who have not yet received a bachelor's degree and who are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens.

Other State Grants

Students from the following states may be eligible for state grants and scholarships, and should apply to their state scholarship agency if they have not already done so: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.