Help Pay for Your Education with Grants

The General Assembly passed Colorado House Bill 22-1155: In-state Tuition for Colorado High School Graduates, which allows state aid to be awarded for students who meet the following qualifications: Graduated from a Colorado high school or was physically present in Colorado for at least one year immediately preceding the date the student successfully completed a high school equivalency examination in Colorado; and has been physically present in Colorado for at least 12 consecutive months prior to enrolling in an institution. Student who do not have lawful immigration status and who do not meet the qualifications listed above are also encouraged to apply for institutional aid using the CASFA.

This program provides Colorado Residents enrolled in an eligible degree seeking program who have high need between $3,500 - $4,000 per year. Funding is first come first serve and only awarded until funds are exhausted. Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA) if eligible. You must be enrolled at least 1/2 time, be Pell eligible, and be meeting SAP to receive the Grant.

State funding for college students enrolled in Colorado colleges and universities comes in two forms, block grants and The College Opportunity Fund (COF).  COF is a direct benefit program that provides state-tax dollars to colleges and universities on behalf of eligible undergraduate students, but is not need-based financial aid.  Created by the Colorado legislature in 2004, the COF program enables the state to award taxpayer funding directly to students.

Due to its unique funding model, Colorado Mountain College does not participate in the COF program.  Instead, CMC receives block grants from the state, dollars that are directly applied to the overall costs of in-district and in-state students at the college, which helps CMC maintain tuition prices that are among the lowest in the nation.  This has the added benefit of reducing paperwork burdens on enrolled students, too.

Whether or not they choose to participate in COF, all public colleges in Colorado receive the same amount of need-based financial aid funding per student, based on their level in college, from the state.

The Education and Training Voucher (ETV) program is a federally funded program administered by the Colorado Department of Higher Education. The program provides Colorado residents who are currently or have previously been in foster care and are between the ages of 17 to 25 with financial support for post-secondary education at a college, university, vocational, technical, or trade school. Please visit the Colorado ETV Program website for additional information.

HB24-1403 establishes postsecondary education financial aid support for students that experiences housing disruptions while enrolled in a Colorado high school. To qualify a student must have been identified by designated personnel as a homeless child or youth pursuant to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act while residing in Colorado anytime between the start of the 9th grade and the end of the 12th grade. Similar to FosterEd, this program will cover the remaining balance of a student's total cost of attendance after all other financial aid awards have been applied. 

How do you enroll in the program?

1. Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA).
2. Be accepted and enrolled at an accredited Colorado public institution of higher education (like CMC)
3. Complete the EmpowerEd Application through the State of Colorado for the applicable award year (Note: the State does have a deadline for the application. See their site for additional information)
   1. If you graduated after October 2024, you will need to present proof of homeless experience signed by authorizing entity for homeless determination 
   2. If you graduated before October 2024, the Colorado Department of Higher Education will receive proof of homelessness experience directly from the Colorado Department of Education

One of these must be completed to qualify for this grant. You can contact a Financial Aid Specialist for CMC specific information on how to apply once you complete either the FAFSA or CASFA. Please visit the Colorado EmpowerEd Program website for additional information. 

Senate Bill 22-008: Higher Education Support for Foster Youth requires that all public higher education institutions provide Colorado resident students who have been in foster care in Colorado at any time on or after reaching the age of 13, with financial assistance for the remaining balance of the student's total cost of attendance over the amount of any private, state, or federal financial assistance received by the student. These costs are split, with 50% of the cost being covered by the institution and 50% will be covered by the state. If you were placed in Foster Care in Colorado at any time on or after your 13th birthday, visit the Colorado FosterEd program website for additional information. If you also qualify for ETV, you will need to apply for this before we can award you the Foster Youth Program. You can also contact a Financial Aid Specialist for CMC specific information.

Career and Technical Education Grant funds (CTE) funds help support students in short technical programs that are not eligible for other regular Title IV funding due to their short length. Students must be a Colorado resident, be enrolled in a short certificate program that is not eligible for Title IV aid, be in good SAP standing, have a valid clear FAFSA on file.  Students must demonstrate financial need in one of a variety of ways (reach out to Financial Aid for clarification). CTE is awarded on a first come first served basis and students can receive between $1,000 up to $2,250 per aid year.