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.

Students who meet the criteria below are eligible to have the remaining cost of attendance (after scholarships, grants and other financial aid awards have been applied) covered through this program for up to 132 attempted semester credit hours or 198 attempted quarter credit hours.

1. Identified by designated school personnel as a homeless child or youth pursuant to Section 725 of the Federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act(opens in new window) (42 U.S.C. SEC. 11434a) while residing in Colorado anytime between the start of 9th grade and end of 12th grade,  
2. Is at least 17 years of age, and has not yet reached 27 years,  
3. Is a current Colorado resident,   
4. Has completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA) for the applicable school year,
5. Has been accepted into an in-state, public institution of higher education, local district college, or area technical college, and
6. Is currently enrolled in courses leading towards the qualifying student’s first* bachelor’s degree, associate degree or certificate of completion at an accredited institution of higher education while meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

*Please note: EmpowerEd cannot be utilized to pursue a second degree of the same type. For example, if you indicate that you have already received a bachelor's degree, EmpowerEd can only be used towards a certificate or an associate degree. If you have an associate degree, EmpowerEd can only be used towards a certificate or a bachelor's degree.

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 before the deadline
   1. 2026-2027 EmpowerEd Student Verification Form - If a student graduated during the 2026-27 academic year, they are required to submit the EmpowerEd Student Verification Form containing a signature from the student's graduating district's McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Liaison with their 2026-27 EmpowerEd application.
4. Submit the documentation that you submitted to the State to CMC.

 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. 

The FosterEd program pays for the total cost of attendance for qualifying students who attend public institutions of higher education within Colorado. This state-funded program pays for the remaining balance of the total cost of attendance after scholarships, grants, and other financial aid awards have been applied. To qualify for this program, students must have been in foster care or in non-certified kinship care in Colorado on or after their 13th birthday. 

Eligibility Criteria:

• Current Colorado resident;
• Was in foster care from age 13+ in Colorado or in non-certified kinship care from age 13+ in Colorado and was, at any time, adjudicated neglected or dependent pursuant to Article 3 of Title 19 (C.R.S. 19-1-103),
• Attending a state public institution of higher education, local district college, or area technical college;
• Currently enrolled in courses leading toward a certificate of completion, associate, bachelor’s, or postgraduate degree and in satisfactory academic standing as defined by the institution of attendance;

** FosterEd will cover up to 132 attempted semester credit hours or 198 attempted quarter credit hours starting from the time you join this program. Credits earned prior to joining this program will not count towards the credit limit;

** Please note, there is no age limit on this program.

Steps for the 2026-27 academic year:

1. Obtain Confirmation of Foster Care Experience form*.
2. Complete either the FAFSA or CASFA for 2026-27.
3. Complete the ETV application, if eligible.
4. Complete the 2026-2027 FosterEd application. Students are required to complete an application every academic year.
5. Submit your documentation that you provided to the State to CMC

* Students must provide proof of foster care eligibility on a court affidavit or the Confirmation of Foster Care Experience form from the child welfare database. If a student does not have one of those forms, they should contact the County in which they experienced foster care. This may include their caseworker, Chafee worker, or contacting the county’s Department of Human Services (DHS) to request this documentation.

Contact information for Colorado county’s DHS(opens in new window).

You can also contact a Financial Aid Specialist for your specific situation. See the State's FosterEd website for additional 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.