The Tuition Assistance Benefit and Your Payment of Student Fees

Once you have registered for classes following guidelines for employees or dependents, we will verify enrollment eligibility and apply the Tuition Assistance Benefit (TAB) to your student account before the payment deadline. You can view your bill and pay student fees on the Tuition & Fees card in Buff Portal.  

Timing

We make every effort to process TAB by the first due date of the semester. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, however, we will prioritize dependent applications for completion by the first due date of the semester and employee applications by the second due date of the semester (see Billing & Due Dates). This should not impact employees since the earliest they can register is within the time range of the second billing cycle anyway. We will adjust late and finance charges proportionate to the amount of TAB that may accrue as a direct result of our processing time. Employees and dependents are still responsible for paying the rest of the bill on time.

Bill & Payment Dates

Bill and payment deadlines for employees and dependents are the same as for all Main Campus students and are based on your registration date. Note the day you register and then see Billing & Due Dates to see when your payment is due. If you are a parent of a dependent, you can access their bill in CUBill&Pay once your student has given you Authorized Payer access.

Student Fees

The tuition assistance benefit does not cover student fees. It applies only to the cost of tuition or a portion of tuition (minus the College Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend if you are a Colorado resident undergraduate) depending on your enrolled hours. 

Required Fees Per Semester, If Applicable:

  • The Immigration Compliance Fee of $40 will be waived for faculty and staff with F1 or J1 visas
  • A one-time nonrefundable New Student Fee for $62–$500 (depending on your student level and residency classification) applies to new and transfer degree-seeking students

Fees that employees are not required to pay are around $223–$520 total:

  • Athletic Fee (undergraduate students only) $90
  • Recreation Center Expansion Fee $85.27–$106.96
  • Student Activity Fee $48.01–$322.80

These rates are for 2025–26.  To view tuition and fees for Spring 2025 and Summer 2025, see Tuition and Fee Rate Sheets.

2025–26 Mandatory Student Fee Changes: The following changes to fees will be in effect starting in Fall 2025; student services will remain the same:

  • The A&S Tech (ASSET) Fee will be eliminated for all students starting in Fall 2025.
  • The following fees will be converted to tuition starting in Fall 2025 and will no longer be assessed individually (student services will remain the same): Arts & Cultural Enrichment Fee, Career Services Fee, Mental Health Resource Fee, Student Computing Fee, Student Health Fee and the Transit Pass Fee.

Dependents attending CU Boulder are responsible for paying the same student fees as other students. See Tuition & Fee Rate Sheets for more information. The tuition discount (will show as “Staff Dependent Waiver” on the bill) for dependents of Boulder employees will apply to tuition (student share for Colorado resident undergraduates).

A Word About Cost of Attendance

Tuition and fees are just one part of the overall cost to attend CU Boulder. The full cost of attendance for an academic year could include expenses such as on-campus housing and food, books and supplies, and items that are not billed by the university, such as personal expenses, transportation and medical insurance. View more information about the full cost of attendance.