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Financial Aid Calendar
January
- Apply for financial aid. Don’t wait until
you are admitted to apply for financial aid. You can complete the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA) as early as January 1st of every year. Submit it over the Web at
www.fafsa.ed.gov for faster processing. Use
estimated income figures if tax returns cannot
be completed early. You must submit a FAFSA every year
for continued financial aid consideration.
- Apply for scholarships. The application deadline for most scholarships is March 1, but some deadlines may be earlier. To find out more about scholarships and to apply online, please see our Scholarships page.
- Colorado residents should apply for The College Opportunity Fund. Undergraduate Colorado resident undergraduate students are eligible for a stipend from the State of Colorado to help pay their tuition. Please see www.colorado.edu/finaid/cof.html for a link to the application and a list of FAQ's.
March
- Scholarship application deadline. March 1 is the deadline for most CU-Boulder scholarships. Deadlines may be earlier for scholarships awarded by academic departments or special programs. Scholarships page.
- Submit requested documents. Beginning in mid-March, you can log onto CUConnect, select “Financial Aid” from the menu on the left, and look up your Application Status. Mail or fax (303-492-0838- please don't fax promissory notes or citizenship documents) requested documents to the financial aid office. If a parent tax return is requested, submit a signed copy of the front and back of the tax return for the parents whose information you listed on the FAFSA. Write your name and your CU Student ID number on each page. If an extension was filed, fax a signed copy of the extension (IRS Form 4868) and W-2 forms (submit a copy of the actual tax return when it’s complete). If we request a tax return from you, but you are not filing one because you are not required to, complete the Statement of Non-Filing and return it to our office. This form can be downloaded from our web page at www.colorado.edu/finaid/forms.html.
- Check your financial aid online. Go to CUConnect and select "Financial Aid" to confirm that the documents you submitted have been received. You may also check the status of your financial aid award.
- Sign Master Promissory Note. If you think you might accept a Stafford loan, go to dlenote.ed.gov and sign an electronic Master Promissory Note (MPN) online. If you completed your FAFSA on the web, then you will use the same U.S. Department of Education issued PIN to complete the MPN. If do not have a PIN, go to pin.ed.gov first to request one. If you do not want to complete the MPN electronically, call our office at 303-492-5091 to request one be mailed to you.
April
- Accept your financial aid award. The Office of Financial Aid mails Award Offer letters to new students and sends emails to continuing students who have completed the FAFSA and submitted all requested documents. The Award Offer confirms the financial aid you are eligible to receive. For students that are eligible for a Perkins loan, related documents will be mailed after you accept your loan. To accept your financial aid award, follow the instructions included with the Award Offer letter or email.
May
- Admission confirmation deadline. The deadline to confirm your intent to enroll at CU-Boulder is May 1.
- Parent PLUS Loan. Parents who want to borrow a Parent PLUS loan should refer to the Award Offer and follow the instructions on accepting PLUS loans. After accepting the loan with the financial aid office, the parent who is borrowing the loan can go to dlenote.ed.gov and sign an electronic Master Promissory Note (MPN) online. If that parent has a U.S. Department of Education issued PIN (the one used to electronically sign the FAFSA), they will use that PIN to complete the PLUS MPN. If that parent does not have a PIN, they can first go to pin.ed.gov to request one. If your parent does not want to complete the PLUS MPN electronically, call our office at 303-492-5091 to request that one be mailed to them.
July
- Sign up for direct deposit. Having your money electronically sent to your bank is the safest, quickest, and most convenient way to receive your refund. To enroll,
- Log onto CUConnect and go to the financial tab.
- Select the “Direct Deposit of Tuition/Fee Refunds” button.
- Enter your bank routing number and account number. The Bursar’s office contact information is 303-492-5381, www.colorado.edu/bursar for more information.
- Report private scholarships. . If you are receiving a private scholarship, notify us in writing immediately. This helps avoid delays later if we need to adjust your aid. Make sure that your scholarship donor has the correct address (Scholarship Services, University of Colorado at Boulder, 77 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0077).
August
- Bills Available You will receive an e-bill notification to your CU address when your bill is available on CUConnect (under the financial tab). No paper bill will be mailed. If you want to give access to parents and others (up to 5 people) to view and pay your bill online at CUBill&Pay, you need to go to the “authorize payers” link under the financial tab and set them up. More information is available at http://www.colorado.edu/bursar/cupay/autho_payer.html. Loans are credited to students enrolled in at least 6 hours who have signed promissory notes on file. Undergraduate students enrolled in 6-8 hours (considered half time) may receive one-half of their fall loan and grants, 9 to 11 hours (considered three-quarters time) may receive three-quarters of their Pell Grant (if eligible) and the full amount of their fall loans and grants, and 12+ hours (considered full time) may receive the full amount of their loans and grants. Most scholarships do not disburse until a student is enrolled full time (12 hours). Waitlisted courses do not count toward enrolled hours. Graduate students may need to check with our office to determine their eligible hours. You may be considered full time with your department, but not to the Financial Aid Office, according to Financial Aid standards.
- Refund checks mailed/deposited. Three days before classes start each semester, credit balances after tuition and fees are paid, are mailed to local mailing addresses or directly deposited to designated bank accounts. (For refunds after the first of the semester, the mailings are done in the middle and the end of each month. Direct deposits occur within 3 business days of the credit appearing on the bursar account.)
September
- Bill payment deadline in early September. Bills must be paid on the indicated due date to avoid late and services charges and a financial stop. The tuition due dates and other important dates can be found at www.colorado.edu/academics/calendar.html. Other billing information is available at: http://www.colorado.edu/bursar/now/tuitfeebill.html.
November
- Start searching for scholarships for next fall. And remember to file the FAFSA for next year as soon as possible after January 1.
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