Financial Aid Home





Calendar

MAR 1
 

Summer Financial Aid Application Open

MAY 12
 

Summer Work-Study Begins

How Aid is Determined

The amount of financial aid that you are eligible for is determined by a simple formula:

          Student's Cost of Attendance (budget)
 -       Expected Family Contribution (EFC)   
 =      Financial Need

The student’s budget is an estimate of what the expenses will be while attending CU-Boulder. The budget includes: (1) direct educational expenses (tuition, fees, books, and supplies) and (2) indirect educational expenses (room, board, personal, medical, and transportation).  View Examples

The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is an estimate of the student's ability to contribute toward college expenses. The EFC is calculated based on responses to questions on the FAFSA such as family size, number of family members in school, taxable and nontaxable income, and assets.

The EFC is subtracted from the budget to determine the student's financial need. The Office of Financial Aid will create an aid award package to meet the financial need.  The total amount of aid cannot exceed the student’s budget.

TIP: You must be enrolled at least half-time by the census date of each term (typically the 3rd Friday) to be eligible for student loans and other financial aid. Half-time for graduate students receiving financial aid at CU-Boulder is 4 credit hours.