Earlier today, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a plan by the Department of Education to wipe thousands of dollars in student loan debt from millions of borrowers across the country, claiming the executive branch overstepped its authority in broadly canceling federal student loan debt.
The plan, announced in August 2022, would have allowed borrowers who received Pell Grants to receive up to $20,000 of student loan forgiveness. Individuals who earn less than $125,000 annually or those in households that earn less than $250,000 annually would have received loan forgiveness up to $10,000.
“A college degree impacts more than just the graduate; it is a driver of social mobility, civic engagement and economic growth for all of American society, so I applaud recent efforts to address the burden of student loan debt,” said CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano. “Today’s ruling does not affect CU Boulder's ongoing commitment to reduce the cost of attendance, increase financial predictability for students and families, and improve access and affordability.”
CU Boulder remains committed to reducing the cost of earning a college degree. Under a major expansion announced in April, the CU Promise program will double the number of Colorado resident students with significant financial need who are eligible for free tuition and fees for the 2023–24 academic year.
Through a revived partnership with the Southern Ute Department of Education that was announced in May, tuition and mandatory student fees for up to four Southern Ute Tribe students per year will be covered starting this fall.
Many other programs and initiatives help curb the cost of attendance at CU Boulder, including the elimination of course and program fees, a four-year tuition guarantee for incoming undergraduates, automatic scholarships for qualified Colorado resident students, the new CU Book Access program, a $200-per-year reduction to mandatory fees from the elimination of a capital construction fee, scholarships for academically-qualified transfer students and grants for low-income students.
In 2021, CU Boulder also announced the campus would cover mandatory fees for graduate students on assistantship appointments. Eligible graduate students on appointment received a 3% stipend increase in January.