Aid for Graduate & Professional Students
The first step in applying for financial aid is to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each academic year. The FAFSA determines your eligibility for grants, loans, work-study and need-based scholarships. Get details on the financial aid process.
Graduate students are primarily offered student loans, but there may be additional funding available through your graduate department.
Financial Aid & Your Enrollment
The minimum enrollment required for financial aid purposes is as follows:
- Graduate: at least half time, 3 to 5 credit hours (6+ is full time)
- Law: at least half time, 5 to 9 credit hours (10+ is full time)
Check your enrollment status to be sure you're meeting your enrollment minimum.
The following links will provide you with more details about the financial aid process.
- Types of Aid (including how to apply)
- Estimating College Costs (including how aid is determined)
- Special Circumstances
Here is some useful information to help you apply for financial aid at CU Boulder:
- Financial aid offers emailed to new students as early as March
- Grants, scholarships and work-study automatically accepted for you while loans must be accepted in Buff Portal (once you have access)
- Federal Graduate PLUS loans require an application and credit check
- Federal Direct Loans and Federal Graduate PLUS loans require a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and entrance counseling to be completed, but typically this only has to be signed the first time a loan is borrowed.