Colorado Student Grant
Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE)
Colorado's main need-based grant for resident undergraduates, awarded by your college from your FAFSA or CASFA.
- How much
- Varies by college; at proprietary schools Level 1 students get $1,000-$5,000 per year (2025-26 guidelines)
- Who qualifies
- Colorado resident; at least half-time in an eligible program at a participating college; satisfactory academic progress. Full-time enrollment required for the standardized award.
- For students starting college, undergrads, trade school students
- U.S. citizen or national, eligible non-citizen, or citizen of the Freely Associated States; students without lawful immigration status qualify if they meet Colorado's ASSET high-school/presence rules
- Need-based: your FAFSA decides how much you get.
- When to apply
- Apply any time FAFSA/CASFA-driven; colleges set their own priority dates and award while funds last.
- How to apply
- File the FAFSA (or the CASFA if you can't file a FAFSA) as early as possible
- Your college's financial aid office decides eligibility and amount
- No separate state application
- Watch your college's priority date
- What you'll need
- FAFSA only
- Last checked
- October 5, 2026, against the official page (cdhe.colorado.gov), page 2 and page 3
The details
The Colorado Student Grant (CSG) is the state's largest need-based program. CDHE allocates funds to participating public, non-profit private and proprietary colleges, which award them to eligible Colorado residents, prioritizing the neediest students with the least ability to pay. Public and non-profit colleges set their own award amounts under financial-aid flexibility. At proprietary (for-profit) schools the guidelines set three tiers by Student Aid Index: Level 1 (SAI -1,500 to 0) $1,000-$5,000/yr, Level 2 (SAI 0 to 5,846, with need) $600-$2,500/yr, Level 3 (other students with need) $300-$500/yr. The standardized award requires full-time enrollment; colleges may also fund half-time students. For 2025-26 the minimum award for an eligible Level 1 student is $500 per fall/spring semester ($1,000 per year). Summer awards are at the college's discretion. Renewable each year you remain eligible.
More money from Colorado
- CTE Grant (Tuition Assistance for Short CTE Certificates)Up to $7,395 (2025-26; equal to the maximum Pell Grant)
- COSI Matching Student Scholarships (Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative)Varies by local program
- College Opportunity Fund (COF) Stipend$116 per credit hour at public colleges; $58 per credit hour at participating private colleges (2026-27)
- Colorado Graduate GrantVaries; set by your college
- Colorado Promise: Two Free Years of College ExpandedReimbursement of out-of-pocket tuition and fees for up to 65 credits
Keep looking
- Answer a few questions to see every program you qualify for
- Nearby states: Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming
- Federal aid and national scholarships (open to students in any state)
- The FAFSA in plain English (2027-28)
- Should I file the FAFSA if I don't think I'll qualify?
- FAFSA deadlines by state (2027-28)
- The FAFSA for parents: what you need to do
- How to save on textbooks: free, rented and cheaper options
We list programs; we don't decide who gets them. Always check the official page before you apply. Spot something wrong? Tell us.