Colorado benefits for college students
What Colorado students can get beyond financial aid: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance, Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program) health coverage, child care help, phone and internet discounts and tax credits, with each program's own rules and application. Each section links to the full rules.
Checked against official sources October 11, 2026
Food assistance: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Colorado's name for SNAP, run by Colorado Department of Human Services (run by county human services offices). If you are enrolled at least half-time, you need a student exemption to qualify, such as working 20 hours a week, work-study or caring for a young child. If you are enrolled less than half-time, the student rule does not apply and only the regular SNAP rules do. See every exemption →
Health coverage: Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program)
Colorado has expanded Medicaid, so adults with low incomes, students included, can qualify based on income. All your health coverage options →
Apply for Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program)
Child care help: Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP)
Going to college or training counts as an approved activity in this state. School counts on its own, with no extra work requirement and no minimum hours. 'Education' means an accredited post-secondary program for a bachelor's degree or less; parents are eligible for at least two and at most four years. Care can cover class, travel, study and homework time. High school/GED, Adult Basic Education and ESL also count.
Apply for Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) · Help on campus (CCAMPIS) →
Phone and internet: Lifeline
We found no extra state Lifeline discount on Colorado's official pages, so the federal discount applies. Who qualifies →
Taxes
A refundable state credit based on the federal EITC for Colorado residents; some people who can't get the federal EITC can still claim it, including workers 19-24 with no children (age 24 for full-time 'specified students') and ITIN filers. Revenue Online is the Colorado Department of Revenue's free e-file service for state income tax returns; you don't need to log in to file.
Colorado Earned Income Tax Credit (Colorado EITC) · Free state filing · Federal education tax credits → · Free federal filing →
Keep looking
We explain programs; Colorado's agencies decide who gets them. Spot something wrong? Tell us.