The Four Corners Pledge

The Colorado Pledge launched in 2020 thanks to the generosity of Colorado College donors who wanted to make a Colorado College education affordable to students from our home state. 

Now, CC is excited to expand this program to our neighbors in the "Four Corners" region of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The goal is simple: if your family's adjusted gross income (AGI) is under $250,000 a year and your family holds assets typical for your income, the price of a CC education is designed to match, on average, what you'd pay at our region's top public universities. Review our Frequently Asked Questions for more details.

 

 4 Corners Pledge Information

Net Price Calculator

Starting September 15, 2025, Four Corners residents can use CC’s Net Price Calculator to estimate their aid, including the Four Corners Pledge. After that, simply submit your admission and financial aid applications as usual. For families with more complex financial situations — such as business or farm ownership, divorced or separated parents, or assets that are high relative to income — the calculator may not provide an accurate estimate. If that applies to you and you believe you qualify for the Four Corners Pledge, please email us at financialaid@coloradocollege.edu to confirm your eligibility.

The Four Corners Pledge sets the maximum cost of attendance at CC by matching the average cost of colleges in our region. Because this benchmark is based on an official regional average — not individual family circumstances — it applies the same way to all qualifying Four Corners students and isn’t subject to appeal. If a student qualifies for more financial aid than the Pledge provides, CC’s need-based financial aid program will meet their demonstrated financial need, ensuring families always receive the greater of the two awards. This means families can plan with confidence, knowing CC will be a comparable investment to other colleges in the area.

College Within Reach: Student Voices

Hear directly from some recipients of the Colorado Pledge:

Frequently Asked Questions

By completing the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and submitting required documents. There is no additional paperwork required to indicate interest in the Four Corners Pledge. You can learn more about applying for aid here

We encourage all Four Corners families seeking to verify their eligibility to complete the Net Price Calculator. Once you have received your calculation results, we encourage you to apply to CC and complete the full financial aid application.

While the Net Price Calculator will soon account for Four Corners Pledge in its estimates, estimates can be less accurate in situations where a family owns a small business or a farm, where parents are separated or divorced, or where a family's assets are not typical for their income level. We encourage those families to schedule a personal meeting with a member of our team

Students must complete the financial aid application process each year. If your family's income and assets remain similar, your family will continue to qualify for the Four Corners Pledge. 
Yes. Colorado College meets the full demonstrated need for all students. If your eligibility for grant aid is higher than the Four Corners amount for your income level, you'll receive the larger aid offer — either the Pledge or a package that meets your family's full demonstrated need.

"Typical assets" refers to what most families in your income range usually own — like checking and savings accounts, and modest investments. 

Families with assets significantly beyond that norm — such as real estate beyond the family home, large investment portfolios, or extensive business holdings — may not qualify for the Four Corners Pledge. But  even then, Colorado College remains committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need. 

No. Colorado College will not use primary home equity in our Four Corners Pledge formulas for families with qualifying incomes. In addition, the college does not consider retirement accounts when determining assets.

Awesome! Outside scholarships reduce what your family must pay first. Your Four Corners Pledge grant funding won't change unless the total amount of aid-from any source-exceeds CC's total cost of attendance. 

In those uncommon cases, we always start by reducing federal work-study or your student loan amounts. 

We recognize families may have unique circumstances. The Net Price Calculator isn’t always accurate for families with divorced or separated parents. To get an estimate, each parent can complete the calculator separately, but your official eligibility will be determined once you submit the full financial aid application.

Both parents will need to provide information, but we keep each household’s details confidential. We’ll only share the overall eligibility with you, not one parent’s specific financial information with the other.

If you’re unsure about how to proceed, our team can walk you through what’s needed.

At CC, we always meet your family's full financial need. Here's how CC-funded merit scholarships fit in:

  • If the merit scholarship is less than your demonstrated financial need: Your student still receives the full amount of aid needed. The merit award combins with need-based aid so the total stays the same - just made up of both types.
  • If the merit scholarship is greater than or equal to your demonstrated financial need:Your student keeps the full merit scholarship. In this case, the need-based aid is reduced or replaced, since the scholarship itself covers your demonstrated need. 


We use your family’s Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) from your federal tax return (line 11 on the 1040). Based on that number:

· $0–$60,000: No parental contribution toward tuition, fees, housing, or meals.

· $60,001–$125,000: Parental contribute is equivalent of room & board charges.

· $125,001–$250,000: Parental contribution about $40,000, comparable to regional college costs

· Over $250,000: Families are not eligible for the Four Corners Pledge but may still qualify for need-based aid.

The eligibility criteria is firm.

Adjusted gross income is a tax term and can be found on your tax return on line 11. This reflects your income after allowable deductions to your income. We review prior-prior year returns in our financial aid application, so if you are applying to begin at CC in the fall of 2026, you would use your 2024 tax return.

You'll reapply for aid each year. If your income or assets change, your aid may change too. 

If your income or assets move outside Pledge ranges, you may no longer qualify for the Pledge, but CC will still meet 100% of your demonstrated financial need. 

There are no limits to the number of students who can receive these awards, but all students must meet the eligibility requirements and be admitted to the college.
At this time, only students applying to begin at CC in the fall of 2026 and future applicants with adjusted gross incomes below $250,000 may qualify. Other returning students will continue to have their full eligibility met based on the financial aid application they complete each year. 

Absolutely! Our student financial services team is happy to answer questions.

We can be reached at financialaid@coloradocollege.edu; 719-389-6651 or toll free at 800-260-6458

We recommend completing the Net Price Calculator first to guide our conversation — but if your family’s situation is more complex, or you just want to talk through the program, reach out anytime.

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Report an issue - Last updated: 09/05/2025