How Need is Calculated

Need

After you have filed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you will receive your Student Aid Report (SAR) which will tell you your determined Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Your EFC and Your UCCS Cost of Attendance will determine the amount of financial aid you are eligible for.

How is my EFC calculated?

Your EFC is calculated using a formula established by the federal government. The information you provide on the FAFSA is used to calculate how much you (and your parents, if you are a dependent student) are expected to contribute to your educational cost.

Your EFC is used to determine if you are eligible for need-based aid.

Cost of Attendance (COA)

Each year the Financial Aid Office creates budgets reflecting the average cost for resident and non-resident students to attend UCCS for one academic year. Your COA includes estimates of tuition, fees, books, room, board, transportation, and other misc. charges.

Your cost of attendance is an estimate! Your actual billed tuition and fees will not match the averages used for the cost of attendance calculation. If you would like to calculate your tuition and fees for a term, visit the Student Financial Services Bill Estimator.

The estimated financial aid budget that is included in your award letter reflects full-time enrollment. If you will be enrolled less than full time for your program of study, please contact our office.

Note: The total Cost of Attendance reflects the maximum amount of financial aid you may receive for the period covered by financial aid award offer.

Cost of Attendance Calculation

The following values are used to calculate your cost of attendance. To find your cost of attendance, sum the appropriate values in each category below. These values represent the cost of a single term of enrollment, so multiply by two to estimate costs for the entire academic year.

July 2020 - July 2021

Tuition and Fees
Residency and Level	Full-Time	Three-Quarter Time	Half-Time	Less-Than-Half-Time
Resident Undergraduate	$5,500	$4,122	$2,750	$1,375
Non-resident Undergraduate	$10,110	$7,578	$5,055	$2,528
WUE Undergraduate	$7,900	$5,930	$3,954	$1,850
Presidential Undergraduate	$6,700	$5,022	$3,350	$1,675
Resident Graduate	$5,802	$2,900	$2,900	$1,110
Non-Resident Graduate	$9,000	$4,500	$4,500	$2,110
Books and Supplies
All Students	$900	$900	$900	$900
Housing
Off Campus	$5,540	$5,540	$5,540	$5,540
On Campus	$5,460	$5,460	$5,460	$5,460
With Parent	$3,000	$3,000	$3,000	$3,000
Active Duty Off Campus	$3,690	$3,690	$3,690	$3,690
Active Duty With Parent	$803	$803	$803	$803
Average Loan Fees
Graduate	$60	$60	$60	-
Undergraduate	$30	$30	$30	-
Personal Expenses
All Students	$1,550	$1,550	$1,550	-
Transportation
All Students	$750	$750	$750	$750

How is my need calculated?

Need is calculated by subtracting your EFC from your determined UCCS Cost of Attendance.

Example:
Budget	21,910	(average cost of attendance for In-State Freshman)
EFC	– 1,200	(determined by FAFSA information)
Need	20,710	(the maximum amount of need-based aid you may receive)

Awarding Aid

UCCS will award need-based grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans for which you are eligible according to the UCCS packaging policy.

You will be awarded Federal Direct Unsubsidized loan or Parent PLUS loan to meet your remaining unmet need plus your EFC.

Graduate Students may be eligible for a Graduate PLUS loan.

Disclosure of Financial Aid Award Offer

Your eligibility for financial aid may have been determined using estimated or incomplete information from your completed FAFSA. You may be requested to provide additional documentation to complete your financial aid file. Until all requested documentation is turned into the financial aid office, your financial aid award is tentative and may be revised. Please be advised that no aid or loans can be disbursed until these items are received.

Please visit your MyUCCS portal to review any outstanding financial aid documents.