Student Relief Fund

The CU Boulder Student Relief Fund provides temporary support to students who cannot access federal or state financial aid and are experiencing a financial hardship that prohibits them from obtaining their education at the University of Colorado Boulder. Students with ASSET or DACA status are encouraged to apply.

Students can apply for relief funding up to three times per year. It's not intended to provide ongoing relief for recurring expenses. These awards are grants and do not need to be repaid.

Grant Amount

The grant amount will vary in response to the needs of the student but does not typically exceed $2,500.

What can be covered by student relief funding?

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Unpaid tuition and fees
• Books and supplies
• Car repairs
• Child care
• Standard living expenses including rent, food, utilities
• Emergency travel due to family emergency, crisis, or death
• Medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance
• Other immediate critical needs of the student causing acute financial stress

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Student Relief Fund, students must:

• Be a currently enrolled CU Boulder student enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours for undergraduates; 4 credit hours for grad/law)
• Face a legal impediment to accessing federal or state financial aid
• Have graduated from high school or received a GED, within the U.S.
• Be in good academic standing
• Demonstrate financial hardship due to emergency, accident, illness, or other unforeseen event
• Consider (or have exhausted) alternative funding options for assistance. These may include emergency loans through academic departments, student aid, or other community sources

How to Apply

Students interested in applying must face a legal barrier to accessing financial aid in order to be eligible.

1. Complete the Student Relief Fund application.
2. Supporting documentation may be requested to help us determine financial need.

• Applications are reviewed on a monthly basis, and typically take 10-14 days to process. DACA renewal fee requests typically take fewer than 5 days to process.

Selection Criteria

Each student relief fund application is reviewed individually by a committee on a monthly basis. Many factors are considered in making a decision to approve or deny a request. These factors include, but are not limited to:

• The nature and urgency of the student’s hardship
• The full amount of the student’s hardship
• Other resources or support that the student may or may not have available to them
• The specific and immediate impacts the hardship may be having on the student’s living and academic circumstances; and
• Other information provided by third parties, such as advocates or advisors, that may help to illuminate and clarify the student’s situation in developing appropriate rationale for decisions.