The CU Boulder Impact Scholarship was offered to incoming Colorado resident students admitted for Fall 2023 or previous terms. This scholarship is no longer offered to newly admitted students. Current recipients remain eligible as long as they meet the annual renewal criteria.

Scholarship Amount

Students admitted for Fall 2023 or previous terms were considered for a scholarship of $4,000 per-year scholarship (renewable for four years, totaling $16,000).

Eligibility

Students were considered for the Impact Scholarship at the time of admission based on extraordinary academic achievement relative to high school community and life experiences such as evidence of having overcome difficult social, economic, or physical obstacles to education as explained in an essay or letter of recommendation.

Renewal Criteria

Students receiving a multi-year renewable scholarship are reviewed during spring semester. Your renewable scholarships are subject to change pending final review by July 1.

More Details

  • 4 years (8 semesters maximum) for fall and spring semesters based on renewal requirements for each academic year.
  • You are limited to receiving a single semester’s scholarship amount at a time. If you graduate in fewer than 4 years, the remainder of the benefit is forfeited. However, if you continue to be enrolled at CU Boulder in a graduate program, the scholarship will be extended until you graduate or use the maximum 8 semesters of the scholarship. 

The scholarship is paid on a semester basis, and the funds for each semester will be credited towards your university bill, as long as you meet the renewal criteria. This scholarship can pay toward all charges on the bill and isn't limited to paying tuition and fees. 

  • Enroll full time each fall and spring semester at CU Boulder (12+ credit hours).
  • If you're not enrolled in at least 12 credit hours at CU Boulder by the third Friday of the semester, the scholarship will be cancelled immediately and the remainder of the scholarship will be forfeited. The cancellation is permanent and the scholarship cannot be reinstated.
  • Courses taken for no-credit through Continuing Education and Professional Studies do not count toward the minimum credit hours.
  • Meet the Office of Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards.

  • You'll be notified if you don't meet the renewal requirements at the end of a semester.
  • If the scholarship is cancelled due to failure to meet the renewal requirements, the cancellation is permanent and it will not be reinstated (i.e. even if GPA is above the minimum in a future semester), other than through appeal.

How to Appeal:

  • You may submit an appeal for reconsideration if you have extenuating circumstances (examples: serious illness, accident, death of a loved one, house fire, etc.) which contributed to your inability to meet the standards for renewal. Appeal information will be provided with the nonrenewal notification.
  • Appeals are decided on a case-by-case basis and the outcome of any appeal will depend on: the nature of the circumstances; the quality of the documentation provided; your current academic progress; the nature of any violation of the university’s Student Conduct Code; and fund availability.
  • Appeals should be submitted no later than the third Friday of the term you become ineligible for the scholarship (typically the fall semester).
  • CU Boulder has a responsibility to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory environment. Please be aware that if your appeal references sexual misconduct or protected class discrimination or harassment, the Office of Financial Aid is obligated to report allegations of this nature to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) in addition to considering your appeal on these grounds. OIEC may contact you in this case, but you can choose not to respond.

Summer school is not typically funded. However, if you plan to enroll for summer in a minimum of 6 credit hours and meet the renewal criteria as of the end of the previous spring semester, you may request to receive a semester’s scholarship in the summer in lieu of receiving it in the fall or spring. You must contact Scholarship Services to make the request. You will not be automatically credited with the scholarship.

  • You may use the scholarship for semesters in CU Boulder sponsored Education Abroad programs of at least 12 credit hours per semester.
  • The scholarship is not available for other Education Abroad programs.

  • Undergraduate, degree-seeking students are eligible to return to the University within 1-3 terms from their last graded semester without readmitting or reapplying for admission (read more at the Registrar’s website).
  • If you withdraw or are absent from the university and return within the allowable timeframe, you will be eligible to reinstate the scholarship upon your return assuming that the renewal conditions have been met.
  • Withdrawal grades may impact your Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
  • It is your responsibility to contact Scholarship Services to request reinstatement. The scholarship won't automatically reactivate upon your return.

  • The Cost of Attendance (COA), also known as the cost of education or "budget," is the total amount it should cost a student to go to school for one year/scholarship period. This amount includes tuition and fees, housing and food, and allowances for books and supplies, transportation, and personal and incidental expenses.
  • The total of any financial aid that you receive, including this scholarship, cannot exceed your Cost of Attendance. If it does, you may have aid adjusted and/or cancelled, depending on your individual circumstances.