How Need is Calculated
How Need is Calculated
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). The EFC will no longer be called the EFC after the 2023-2024 school year. EFC will be replaced by Student Aid Index (SAI) effective the 2024-2025 school year. Your EFC/SAI and Your UCCS Cost of Attendance will determine the amount of financial aid you are eligible for.
How is my EFC/SAI calculated?
Your EFC/SAI 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/SAI 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 as well as WUE and Presidential residency statuses, to attend UCCS for one academic year. Your COA includes estimates of tuition, fees, books, course materials, supplies and equipment, food and housing, transportation, and other miscellaneous 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 notification 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 Chart
To calculate your own COA, fill in the chart below using information from the Cost of Attendance Calculation charts further down on this page.
| Category | Amount Fall Semester | Amount Spring Semester | Total for Academic Year |
| Tuition and Fees | $ | $ | $ |
| Books, course materials, supplies and equipment | $ | $ | $ |
| Food and Housing | $ | $ | $ |
| Average Loan Fees | $ | $ | $ |
| Personal Expenses | $ | $ | $ |
| Transportation | $ | $ | $ |
| Total | $ | $ | $ |
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 2023 - July 2024
| Tuition and Fees (per semester) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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, course materials, supplies and equipment (per semester) | ||||
| All Students | $900 | $900 | $900 | $900 |
| Food and Housing (per semester) | ||||
| Off Campus |
$5,900 |
$5,900 | $5,900 | $5,900 |
| On Campus | $5,700 | $5,700 | $5,700 | $5,700 |
| 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* (per semester) |
||||
| Graduate | $60 | $60 | $60 | - |
| Undergraduate | $30 | $30 | $30 | - |
| Personal Expenses (per semester) | ||||
| All Students | $1,550 | $1,550 | $1,550 | - |
| Transportation (per semester) | ||||
| All Students | $750 | $750 | $750 | $750 |
| *not included for non-Federal student loans borrowed by students |
July 2022 - July 2023
| 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 |
$5,900 |
$5,900 | $5,900 | $5,900 |
| On Campus | $5,700 | $5,700 | $5,700 | $5,700 |
| 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/SAI from your determined UCCS Cost of Attendance.
| Example: | ||
| Budget | 28,860 | (average cost of attendance for In-State Freshman living in the dorms) |
| EFC/SAI | – 1,200 | (determined by FAFSA information) |
| Need | 27,660 | (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/SAI.
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.