Costs and Financing

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Enter the University of Colorado Denver|Anschutz Medical Campus School Code 004508.

For instructions please refer to Steps for Applying.

A PIN or personal identification number allows the student and parent to sign the FAFSA electronically. The PIN should be kept in a secure location and not shared with anyone. To apply for a PIN, go to www.pin.ed.gov.

• Students are encouraged to submit their FAFSA as soon as possible after it is available on January 1st.
• Remember that you and your parents (dependent undergraduate students only ) should file the federal tax returns first, allow 3 weeks for the IRS to process your tax forms, and then, use the IRS Retrieval Tool in the FAFSA to retrieve your federal tax information from the IRS.
• Financial aid is awarded on a first-come first-served basis for both campuses. Therefore, apply early.

The Student Aid Report (SAR) is a report of the information you provided on the FAFSA. You should review this information carefully for accuracy. If it is correct, simply file it for your record. If you find errors or used estimated income tax information, go back into your FAFSA, make the necessary corrections, and resubmit your FAFSA for re-processing.

To be considered an independent student when completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) you must meet at least one of the following criteria listed in Section 2 of the FAFSA under Student Dependency Status, such as :

• 24 years of age or older
• be married at the time you are filing;
• have a child or other legal dependents for whom you, personally, provide more than 50% of the support for that child or legal dependent and be able to document that support;
• working on a master's or doctorate program in the upcoming school year
• currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training
• veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces

After submitting your FAFSA, periodically check your To Do List in Student Center on the UCD Access portal to see if additional documents have been requested such as your tax transcript.

All students who wish to receive financial aid (grants, scholarships, work-study and loans):

• Must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen (see Basic Eligibility Criteria)
• Must be degree-seeking in an eligible program as determined by UCD (see Admissions)
• Must apply for financial aid each year as well as submit additional documentation as requested (see Apply for Financial Aid)
• Must maintain satisfactory academic progress (see SAP standards below)
• Must not be in default on a student loan
• Must certify that financial aid be used for educational purposes only

[More information available on Student Aid on the Web]

Financial aid awarding begins in the May timeframe provided all required documents have been received complete and processed.

Financial aid awarding is based on various eligibility factors reported on the FAFSA, availability of funds, and the University of Colorado Denver|Anschutz Medical Campus awarding policy. The Financial Aid Office will determine the type and amount of aid based on these factors and the awarding policy.

The Cost of Attendance (COA) or budget consists of tuition, fees, housing, meals, books, and living expenses. The University of Colorado Denver|Anschutz Medical Campus uses the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) budget parameters for student living expenses (room and board, books, supplies, transportation, personal and childcare expenses).

The EFC or Expected Family Contribution is calculated using the FAFSA information and a federal formula. It is the amount that a family could reasonably expect to pay for their student's educational costs but is not the amount that is billed to the student. The EFC is a tool for the Financial Aid Office to determine the type and amount of financial aid to award each student.

Financial need is calculated by subtracting the EFC from the COA. This calculation helps the Financial Aid Office determine the student's eligibility for grants, work-study, and subsidized loan (undergraduate students only).

The FAFSA uses the previous tax year's information and for most families this information may differ from year to year. Changes in funding given to University of Colorado Denver|Anschutz Medical Campus may also change the amount of aid that you receive. If you applied late, you may not have been offered need-based aid that you were eligible to receive.

When your financial aid exceeds your financial need or the Cost of Attendance (COA) for the enrollment period, your financial aid is reduced. If you are receiving grants, scholarships or other forms of aid not appearing on your award letter, notify the Financial Aid Office

If you are transferring to CU Denver|Anschutz, add our school code 004508 to your FAFSA. Re-submit the FAFSA so that we can receive it and offer you financial aid. Make sure that you cancel your financial aid awards at your previous school.

If you are transferring from CU Denver|Anschutz, notify the Financial Aid Office so that your financial aid awards can be canceled and then, contact your new school's financial aid office for application instructions.

Please read the information on the Credit Hours tab under the Receiving Your Financial Aid.

• Denver Campus students: Please contact the International Students and Scholars Office.
• Anschutz Medical Campus students: Please contact the Financial Aid Office.

Go to the Paying Your Bill section of the Bursar's Office web site for instructions on how to access your E-Bill and options for making other payment arrangements with the Bursar's Office. Please be sure to check their Important Dates section each semester for the payment due date.

Funds remaining after tuition and fees are paid are sent to your bank account by the Bursar's Office. (Check the Student Center of the UCD Access portal for your account status.) The Bursar's Office begins refund processing 2-3 days after financial aid has disbursed (paid).

Your account status on the Student Center of the UCD Access portal will list financial aid that has paid. Compare this list with your award to make sure all of your aid has paid. If you have an award that has not paid, you may need to complete additional forms or add more credit hours. Check your To Do List in Student Center of the UCD Access portal to see if additional forms are needed or contact the Financial Aid Office.

Enrollment: Are you registered for classes? The Federal Pell Grant and Federal TEACH Grant are adjusted based on your enrollment. However, you must be enrolled at least half-time to receive your other aid.

Loans: If you are borrowing a loan for the first time at CU Denver|Anschutz, you must complete the Loan Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note (MPN) at StudentLoans.gov to receive your loan funds. You must also be enrolled at least half-time to receive your loan funds.

Scholarships: If your scholarship has not disbursed, you may not be registered for enough hours. Many scholarships require their recipients to be enrolled at least full-time. Another reason your scholarship hasn't disbursed yet is the scholarship funds have not been received yet from the donor. If the donor is an organization outside CU Denver|Anschutz, you may want to contact them to see when the funds were sent or will be sent. You may also contact the Scholarship Resource Office. Contact the Financial Aid Office for scholarships awarded by CU Denver|Anschutz.

If you received a financial aid refund and your enrollment status has dropped during the add/drop period, your Federal Pell Grant will be adjusted based on your enrollment. You must be at least half-time enrolled to keep your Direct, PLUS and most alternative loans. After the adjustment, you may be required to return some of your refund.

If you received a financial aid refund and your enrollment status has dropped after the add/drop period, your award probably will not be adjusted. However, the course that you drop will receive a "W" grade and could affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

If you withdraw or drop all of your classes, your award will go through a process called Return of Title IV Funds where our office will perform a federal calculation to see how much of your federal financial aid must be returned to CU Denver|Anschutz. We highly recommend that you meet with your academic advisor, as well as a Financial Aid Advisor before dropping all of your classes. In addition, read and understand the UCD withdrawal policy.

The federal government will pay (subsidize) the interest on subsidized loans while you’re in school, for the first 6 months after you graduate or leave school, and any periods of deferment. Undergraduate students demonstrating financial need through their FAFSA data could be eligible for this loan. Interest on unsubsidized loans will start accruing at the time of each disbursement.

The U.S. Department of Education requires that you complete Loan Entrance Counseling if you are borrowing loans for the first time at CU Denver|Anschutz. The Loan Entrance Counseling will educate you on student loans so that you will become a well-informed borrower. The counseling covers your rights and responsibilities, interest rates, repayment options, and the consequences of default.

Upon graduating, leaving school, or dropping below half-time enrollment, the U.S. Department of Education requires that you complete Loan Exit Counseling. As part of your Loan Exit Counseling, your lender will provide you with specific information regarding your loans including contact information for your lender, where to send payments, repayment options and plans and loan consolidation.

Denver Campus students who borrowed the Federal Perkins Loan will complete Exit Counseling through Student Debt Management

Anschutz Medical Campus students who borrowed institutional loans such as the Medical Student Loan or Nursing Student Loan, you will be sent exit counseling information by Student Debt Management.

• You must be at least half-time enrolled.
• You must complete the Loan Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note at StudentLoans.gov.

If you missed any one of these steps, your loan will not disburse.

• You must be at least half-time enrolled.
• You must complete the appropriate Loan Entrance Counseling. The institutional loan promissory note and self-certification form will be sent to you by Student Debt Management.

If you missed any one of these steps, your loan will not disburse (pay).

• The student must be at least half-time enrolled.
• The parent borrower must submit the PLUS application and the Master Promissory Note at StudentLoans.gov.

If you or your parent missed any one of these steps, your loan will not disburse.

• You must be at least half-time enrolled.
• You must complete the Loan Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note at studentloans.gov.

If you missed any one of these steps, your loan will not disburse (pay).

After the loan has been certified & processed by your lender and the Financial Aid Office, the loan funds will be sent CU Denver|Anschutz. The loan funds will pay into your University account and funds remaining after tuition and fees are paid are sent to the you. (Check the Student Center of the UCD Access portal for account status or to sign up for Direct Deposit.)

The Financial Aid Office will award the annual limit as long as the total award does not exceed the Cost of Attendance (COA). Loans cannot be increased beyond the annual limit. If you accepted less than the original award, please contact the Financial Aid Office to see if you can borrow those remaining funds.

Follow the instructions for Accepting-Declining Your Financial Aid Award.

The PIN that you used to sign your FAFSA is the same PIN you will use to complete your MPN. If you lost or misplaced your PIN, you can Request a Duplicate PIN at the Federal Student Aid PIN site.

Federal and state financial aid regulations require that students meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standards to be eligible for financial aid. The purpose of SAP is to ensure academic success and graduation. Students who do not meet the SAP standards are not eligible for aid.

Students on probation who fail to meet the SAP standards or students who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement are placed on suspension. Suspended students may appeal by submitting the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Form to the Financial Aid Office.

If your appeal request is complete when submitted for consideration, you will be notified by e-mail within 2 weeks of the decision. If your appeal request is submitted incomplete, the appeal decision will be delayed or the request will be denied. Follow the instructions carefully to avoid delay.

• Start with the CU Denver|Anschutz Scholarship Resource Office.
• FinAid!
• Fastweb
• High School Counseling Center
• Any library

Anschutz Medical Campus students should contact their school's Admissions or Student Affairs office for available scholarship, and then, visit the Scholarship Resource Office's web site for other scholarship opportunities.

You will be notified in writing by the respective donor or a CU Denver|Anschutz office if you were selected as a scholarship recipient.

If you are receiving grants, scholarships or other forms of aid not appearing on your award letter, please notify the Financial Aid Office on your campus. In addition, notify the donor that you will be attending CU Denver|Anschutz. Scholarship payments should be sent to the Scholarship Resource Office for processing.

Most scholarships are a one-time award. Your scholarship award letter will notify you if the scholarship is renewable. If you aren't sure whether your scholarship is renewable or not, contact the CU Denver|Anschutz office or donor that awarded the scholarship.

Special circumstances impacting your family contribution and educational expenses are evaluated on an individual student basis. Contact a Financial Aid Advisor to see if you qualify for a review of your special circumstance. More information is available under Reporting Special Circumstances.

The review process can take up to 8 weeks. Reviews are done throughout the school year; however, the absolute deadline to submit an appeal is a month prior to the last day of the fall semester. All appeal decisions are final.

Other special circumstances and the corresponding forms are listed on the Reporting Special Circumstances page. You may also contact a Financial Aid Advisor to see if you qualify for a review of your special circumstance.

Students may request one Short Term Loan per semester and must meet the criteria for the loan. Students may request a Short-Term Loan as early as a week before the first day of classes for the semester. The maximum amount that you may request is $500 or $400 if employment is used as the source of repayment. Anschutz Medical Campus students should contact a Financial Aid Advisor for assistance.

Students requesting a Short-Term Loan must see a Financial Aid Advisor. If the student is eligible, there are two forms that must be completed. If using employment as the source of repayment, the student must also submit a copy of two current paystubs.

Most federal, state and institutional sources of financial aid for which a student may normally qualify, with the exception of work-study and certain scholarships, can be used towards covering reasonable costs associated with authorized CU Denver|Anschutz study abroad programs. Visit the Study Abroad web site for more information. You must also submit the appropriate Study Abroad Packet

Because students sometimes make errors on their application, colleges have procedures for verifying the reported information on the FAFSA. This verification process is included in the federal financial aid program requirements. Students are selected for verification by the FAFSA processor or could be selected by the Financial Aid Office if information on the FAFSA seems unusual or is conflicting.

If you have been selected for verification, you must submit all required documents for this process. Check your To Do List in Student Center of the UCD Access portal for a list of requested documents. If you refuse to complete verification, you will not be eligible for any need-based financial aid.

The Financial Aid Office begins the verification process as early as March and verifies throughout the school year. The process could take up to 2 weeks after all required documents have been received signed and completed. As soon as you are notified that you are selected for verification, submit the documentation right away to avoid delay in receiving financial aid.

You must be awarded work-study to work in a work-study position. You should apply for work-study by following the procedures on Steps for Applying. If you have been awarded work-study, please check the jobs listing in the UCD Access portal.

Work-study is awarded based on financial need and the awarding policy. More information is available at the Work-Study Program web page.

Denver Campus: Eligible students with a completed FAFSA in the Financial Aid Office could be awarded work-study. Go to the Steps for Applying page for instructions. Denver Campus students applying late can submit the Work-Study Request Form (click on Miscellaneous tab) to be placed on a waitlist for funds.

Anschutz Medical Campus: Eligible students must submit the Work-Study Request Form (click on Miscellaneous tab) and will be notified if awarded work-study. Students are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Students can continue working in the same work-study position every year as long as their supervisor wants them to come back and they continue to be eligible for and receive the work-study award.

Students can work up to 20 hours per week but are limited to the amount of their work-study award. After they are hired, they will need to create a schedule with their supervisor that utilizes their work-study award for the entire school year.