Grants are financial aid awards that, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. Grants may be used for tuition, fees, books, course materials, supplies and equipment, food and housing, transportation, and other miscellaneous expenses. Students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are automatically considered for grants. Grants are awarded based on financial need as determined by the FAFSA. The Financial Aid Office will evaluate eligibility and notify students of their awards with an Award Notification.
Grants for Undergraduate Students
| Award Name | Eligibility Requirements | Award Amount Per Year |
|---|
| Federal Pell Grant | - 2024-2025 SAI range: -1500-6655 (or minimum Pell grant indicator on FAFSA Financial Aid Summary)
- Must be working on first bachelor's degree
- More Information
| Up to $7395 in 2024-2025 |
| Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)* | - Pell Grant Range
- Must be working on first bachelor's degree
- Enrolled at least half-time
- More Information
| Up to $3600 |
| Colorado Student Grant* | - 2024-2025 SAI range: -1500-6655
- Enrolled at least half-time
- Colorado Resident**
| Up to $5000 |
| UCCS Tuition Grant* | - 2024-2025 SAI range: -1500-6655
- Enrolled at least half-time
- Colorado Resident**
| Up to $11,760 in 2024-2025 |
Grants for Graduate Students
| Award Name | Eligibility Requirements | Award Amount Per Year |
|---|
| UCCS Tuition Grant* | - SAI range -1500–4600
- Enrolled full-time
| Up to $4000 |
| Colorado Graduate Grant* | - Enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Health Care
- SAI range -1500–4600
- Enrolled in a minimum of four credit hours
- Colorado Resident**
| Up to $4000 |
* To be considered for these funds, you must apply by March 1st. Funding levels are dependent upon federal, state, and institutional funding allocations.
** You must be classified as a Colorado Resident (not for tuition purposes). Those special populations such as Active Duty, Honorably Discharged Military, CO National Guard, Olympic Athletes, WUE, and WRG that receive an in-state or reduced tuition charge will not be considered for these state funding opportunities.
Federal Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need and have not earned a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree. (In some cases, a student enrolled in a teacher certification program might receive a Federal Pell Grant.)
Pell Grant award amounts will vary depending upon the student’s Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI is an estimated measure of how much the student and their family are able to contribute towards the educational expenses for the current academic year. The federal processor uses the information reported on the FAFSA to calculate the SAI using a formula specified by law.
Students must be enrolled full-time (12 units or more) to receive a full-time disbursement of the Pell Grant for each term. If the student is enrolled less than full-time, the disbursement will be reduced at the time of disbursement. At the end of the drop/add period (census date) any enrollment changes may result in an increase or decrease of a Pell grant disbursement. A decrease in eligibility may result in a bill.
For more information about Pell eligibility requirements visit the Department of Education's Pell Grant Page.
Enrollment Intensity
"Enrollment intensity is the percentage of full-time enrollment at which a student is enrolled, rounded to the nearest whole percent. For example, if full-time enrollment is 12 credit hours and the student is enrolled in 7 hours, the enrollment intensity would be 7 ÷ 12 × 100% = 58%. Programs Offered in Standard Terms For federal student aid purposes, full-time enrollment for programs offered in standard terms is 12 credit hours. Below is a chart of enrollment intensity relative to full-time. Note that enrollment intensity cannot exceed 100% for purposes of Pell Grant proration."
| 2024-2025 Pell Intensity Calculation |
| Credit Hours | Enrollment Category (Old) | Enrollment Intensity (New) |
| 12 (or more) | Full-Time | 100% |
| 11 | Three-Quarter Time | 92% |
| 10 | 83% |
| 9 | 75% |
| 8 | Half-Time | 67% |
| 7 | 58% |
| 6 | 50% |
| 5 | Less-than-Half-Time | 42% |
| 4 | 33% |
| 3 | 25% |
| 2 | 17% |
| 1 | 8% |
Lifetime Limit for Pell Grants (Pell LEU)
Per Federal regulation, the amount of Federal Pell Grant funds a student may receive over his or her lifetime is limited to six years (12 full-time semesters).
For information on how the lifetime limits for Pell Grants are calculated for the "equivalent of six years" visit the Federal Pell calculation page.
Year-Round Pell
On May 5, 2017 the Department of Education Appropriations Bill passed and allows students who are Pell eligible to earn 150% of a yearly Pell grant for a given award year. Once a student has received 100% of their yearly Pell eligibility, they may receive an additional 50%, provided they enroll at least half-time in the third semester.
General Eligibility Requirements:
- Must have been awarded a Pell Grant for the current academic year
- Must have used the full-time annual award amount for Fall and Spring. Students who did not utilize their full-time annual award amount must exhaust their remaining annual limit before being eligible for the additional Pell Grant
- Must have remaining Lifetime Pell Grant eligibility
- Must be enrolled and attend a least half-time (six credit hours)
Important Notes
- Federal Pell Grants are disbursed for each semester starting ten days before the official first day of classes based on their enrollment status at the time of disbursement.
- Grades are also checked at the end of each semester to verify that a student earned a passing grade for that course. If a student has been assigned an F grade with the notation that the student never attended the class, the student’s Federal Pell Grant will be reduced to the award amount without that course included.
Federal SEOG is awarded to undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need and have not earned a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree. For more information about this federal program, please see https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/grants/fseog.
