Stay updated

  • Most undergraduates between 18 and 24-years-old are considered dependent for federal, state and university aid. However, most communication from the university, including financial aid offers and tuition bills, are sent directly to the student's CU Boulder email address. It may be helpful to remind your student to forward important communications on to you.
  • Visit the New Student & Family Programs webpage to learn more about campus events, news and resources.

Get the most aid possible

  • Remind your student to file for financial aid each year by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before Feb.15 to ensure they get full consideration for limited funds.
    • Parent's federal tax information and FSA ID username and password are needed to complete the FAFSA.
  • Students should apply for CU Boulder scholarships by March 25.
    • Application opens Nov. 1 each year
  • Encourage your student to explore other scholarship opportunities.
  • If your family has experienced a recent hardship that is not reflected on the current FAFSA form, such as a loss of income, divorce, death in family or unusually high medical expenses, you may request to have our office review your special circumstances.

Know the Security Language

We have a lot of different terms for security and authorizations. Below is how we define it for our students.

Security Access & Authorizations

FERPA - enables the university to talk to your parents about your educational records. There are other types of authorization:

  • CU Guest Access: enables your parents to access some of your education record online.
  • Security Passphrase: a step to verify your identity before we can disclose any information.
  • Authorized Payer Acess: allows others to pay your university bill.
  • Apply Aid to All University Charges: authorize aid to pay other university charges.