Colorado Promise: Expanding Access to Higher Education

The Colorado Promise program stands as a significant initiative by the State of Colorado, aimed at making higher education more accessible and affordable for eligible students. This program, coupled with similar initiatives at institutions like Colorado State University (CSU), reflects a growing national trend towards providing free tuition for qualified low-income students.

Understanding the Colorado Promise

The Colorado Promise is designed to offer a tax credit to students with a family income of $90,000 or less. This program assists in covering tuition and fees for undergraduate students attending a Colorado public institution within two years of graduating from high school. The Colorado Promise provides a refundable tax credit that reimburses eligible students for out-of-pocket tuition and mandatory fee expenses, calculated after all other federal, state, and institutional aid is applied. There is no separate application for the Colorado Promise program. Eligible students are automatically identified based on FAFSA or CASFA information.

Program details and eligibility criteria are subject to change based on state funding and policy updates.

Colorado Promise and CSU Pueblo

The Colorado Promise program began during the 2022-2023 academic year, building on aid earlier offered for students. At CSU Pueblo, the average Colorado Promise scholarship is $1,200 per student.

According to Kristyn White Davis, vice president for enrollment management and extended studies at CSU Pueblo, these programs provide “last-dollar scholarships” - meaning they cover the tuition costs left after other aid and scholarships have been applied. CSU Pueblo also offers free on-campus housing for students who qualify - another important way the university is working to ensure college access.

Colorado State University's Tuition Assistance Grant

Colorado State University in Fort Collins has offered a similar program for 13 years. Called the CSU Tuition Assistance Grant, the aid program uses federal, state, and institutional funds to cover 50 percent to 100 percent of tuition for qualified students from low-income households. More than 4,000 students receive the help each year at CSU; the average grant per student is $5,400.

Student Perspectives

The impact of programs like Colorado Promise on students is significant.

Morgan DeVries, a senior at Pueblo South High School when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, is now majoring in public health at CSU Pueblo. She hopes to become a public health professional advocating for people with limited resources. This year, she is among 68 students attending CSU Pueblo with help from a scholarship program that provides free tuition for those from low-income families. DeVries notes that finances are often the primary concern for students considering college. “It’s overwhelmingly important,” DeVries said of her support.

Owen Morgan, a freshman at CSU Pueblo, is using his Colorado Promise scholarship to pursue a career in nursing. Morgan said the aid he’s receiving is essential to his college attendance. “It’s an honor and a blessing that it can help my family and me financially. It takes a little off the shoulders,” he said. “Earning a degree is a big thing, especially in nursing. I think it opens up my career pathways. If I didn’t go to college, I wouldn’t have those options, so the support is just a blessing.”

Interacting with Other Financial Aid and Scholarships

The Colorado Promise is designed as a last-dollar program, complementing existing financial aid and scholarship opportunities. State agencies and institutions continue to award financial aid and scholarships to eligible students, and students should continue to accept awarded grant aid in their financial aid package.

Read also: Affording ECU

Eligibility and Application Process

Students are automatically eligible to receive the tax credit if they meet all eligibility criteria; there is no separate application. To ensure eligibility, students can complete a FAFSA or CASFA each academic year, complete at least six credits with a 2.5 GPA per term and attend an eligible Colorado public college or university. Eligible institutions include community colleges, public four-year colleges and universities, area technical colleges and local district colleges.

How the Tax Credit Works

This tax credit fully reimburses tuition and fees paid out-of-pocket by eligible students and their families. The higher education institution of choice will notify students if they are eligible for the program and how much was paid in qualified educational expenses for a given tax year. To receive the credit, a student must file state income taxes and request the amount shared with the student by their institution. Each year, students will file taxes and claim the credit for tuition and fees paid in the prior academic year, not the current academic year.

Eligible Degrees and Credit Caps

Eligible students can receive the tax credit reimbursement while working towards any undergraduate degree at an eligible Colorado public higher education institution, including a certificate, associate, or bachelor’s degree. For most eligible students, a certificate and/or associate degree is covered by the program. In addition, students who begin their postsecondary education with enough dual or concurrent enrollment classes and/or AP/IB credits could use the remaining 65 credits to cover an entire bachelor’s degree free of charge, after receiving the tax credit reimbursement. Colorado Promise applies toward your first 65 credits for eligible students, regardless of whether you have completed a certificate, associate degree or another credential. You can continue to receive the tax credit until you reach the 65 credit cap.

Addressing Common Questions and Concerns

What happens if I take time off from my degree program?

If you are eligible for Colorado Promise and take time off from your degree program (such as not enrolling for one or more terms or semesters), you remain eligible for the tax credit when you return to your studies as long as you continue to meet eligibility criteria.

If I transfer colleges, can I still be eligible for the program?

Yes, as long as you transfer to an eligible public institution in Colorado, such as a community college, area technical college, local district college, or public four-year college or university.

Read also: Withdrawals for College: A Guide

Does a student request Colorado Promise or do their parents/family?

Students should always request Colorado Promise, never their parents, guardians or through another individual. This is true for students considered independent and dependent on the FAFSA.

What if I have no tax liability or no income? Can I still file taxes and receive the credit?

Yes! This is a refundable tax credit, meaning eligible students will receive the full amount paid out-of-pocket for tuition and fees in eligible terms, even if that amount is larger than the student’s tax liability or total income in that tax year.

I don’t usually file taxes. How do I claim the credit?

To claim the credit, you will file state income taxes for the tax year following the academic year(s) for which you were eligible. For example, if you were eligible in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 but would not otherwise file taxes, you should file your taxes in early 2026 for the 2025 tax year to claim the credit.

Additional Support Programs

To support students impacted by homelessness while enrolled in a Colorado high school, the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) has established funding that supports a student’s remaining balance of the total cost of attendance after any private, state, or federal financial aid has been exhausted. To support students who were in foster care or in non-certified kinship care in Colorado on or after their 13th birthday, the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) has established funding that pays for the total cost of attendance for qualifying students who attend public institutions of higher education within Colorado. ** FosterEd will cover up to 132 semester credit hours or 198 quarter credit hours starting from the time you join this program.

Institutional grant funding, such as the CSU RAM Grant and CSU Tuition+ Promise, is available exclusively to Colorado Resident students. Non-Resident students may qualify to petition for residency depending on their circumstances. For more information, please review the Residency Petition process through the Office of Financial Aid. In certain situations, students and their families may qualify for a Professional Judgment Appeal. This appeal can be submitted if there has been a significant change in the student’s or their immediate family’s income or financial situation. Filing a Professional Judgment Appeal may increase your eligibility for additional financial aid, including institutional grants.

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