How to Pay

Tuition and fees at community colleges average less than half of those at four-year colleges. When you combine this with the individualized attention you receive from real faculty — community colleges are a great value!

College Opportunity Fund

Colorado supports resident undergraduate education through the College Opportunity Fund, or COF.

You have to apply for COF. It's easy. And you only have to do it once for all your higher education. Apply for COF at https://cof.college-assist.org.

You may apply for federal and state financial aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Grants

Money that does not have to be repaid.
Grants are available through the federal government, state agencies, and colleges.

Federal Pell Grant
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant
Federal TEACH Grant
Institutional grants
State-sponsored grants

Work-Study

Money earned by working.
This program provides part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses.

On-campus (work for the school)
Off-campus (private nonprofit organization or a public agency)

Student Loans

Money borrowed that must be repaid.

Federal Stafford Loans
Federal Parent PLUS Loan
Federal Perkins Loan
Loans from private financial institutions

Community Service

While community service programs can give you some money to pay for college, that's nothing compared to the experiences you gain, the satisfaction you feel, and the friends you make while helping others.

AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs that engage more than 70,000 Americans each year in intensive service to meet critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment. Through AmeriCorps, students can receive money to help pay for school. Serve full time, usually for a term lasting 10–12 months, to be eligible for an education award of up to $4,725. Working part time offers eligibility for a partial award.

Learn and Serve America – This national service grant program combines school curriculum and community service. Grants are used to create new programs or provide training and development to staff, faculty, and volunteers.

Peace Corps – Over 7,700 Peace Corps volunteers are serving in 72 countries, working to bring clean water to communities, teach children, help start new small businesses, and stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Peace Corps volunteers receive intensive language and cross-cultural training to become part of the communities where they live. They speak the local language and adapt to the cultures and customs of the people they work with.