Student Financial Services

The Colorado Pledge

The Colorado Pledge is a financial aid initiative that began in 2019 to ensure Colorado College is as affordable for Colorado students as the state’s flagship public university. Made possible by the generous contributions of a handful of donors, we offer the following support to all newly admitted students from Colorado:

  

 Colorado Pledge Examples

 

In our commitment to making a Colorado College education more affordable to families from our home state with adjusted gross incomes below $250,000, our financial aid packages do not take into consideration the home equity on a family's primary residence. Colorado families with significant assets above what is typical for their income level may not qualify for the Colorado Pledge, but Colorado College is still committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated eligibility for need-based aid. A family's assets may include cash and savings, investments, other real estate the family does not live in as their primary home, and other assets. Every student in the entering cohort who demonstrates eligibility for aid their first year and subsequent years will receive this level of funding for all four years at Colorado College.

Students discuss the Colorado Pledge, a financial aid initiative designed to ensure that CC is as affordable for Colorado students as the state's flagship public university.

We strongly encourage every prospective student from Colorado to complete our Net Price Calculator to determine their eligibility for need based aid. Once you have received your calculation results, we encourage families to apply to CC and complete the full financial aid application. Once complete, a family can email financialaid@coloradocollege.edu to receive confirmation of eligibility for Colorado Pledge. Be advised, while the Net Price Calculator does account for Colorado 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.

Check Your Eligibility
for need-based aid

Frequently Asked Questions

Through the standard financial aid application process; there is no additional paperwork.

We encourage all Colorado families who question their eligibility to complete the full Net Price Calculator. Once you have received your calculation results, we encourage you to apply to CC and complete the full financial aid application. Once your financial aid application is complete, you may email financialaid@coloradocollege.edu to receive confirmation of eligibility for Colorado Pledge.

While the Net Price Calculator does account for Colorado 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.

No. Colorado College will not use primary home equity in our formula. In addition, the college does not consider retirement accounts when determining assets.

Absolutely. We encourage all Colorado families to complete the full Net Price Calculator. Once you have received your calculation results, we encourage families to apply to CC and complete the full financial aid application. Once complete, a family can email financialaid@coloradocollege.edu to receive confirmation of eligibility. For general questions, we encourage you to call our office at (719) 389-6651 or (800) 260-6458. You may also email us at financialaid@coloradocollege.edu.

Students must complete the financial aid application process each year. As long as the income and assets remain in the same range, Colorado families will continue to qualify for the Colorado Pledge.

Yes. Colorado College meets the full demonstrated need for all students. If your eligibility is higher than the Colorado Pledge, then your grant will be awarded at the higher level of either need or Colorado Pledge.

Colorado College allows students to use outside scholarships toward their family contribution, leaving grant funding unchanged until the cost of attendance is met. It is possible a student will lose eligibility for federal loans or work-study based on the federal formula when outside scholarships are included. Please note that a student cannot receive more aid than the total Cost of Attendance, no matter the source of the funding.

Colorado families with significant assets above what is typical for their income level may not qualify for the Colorado Pledge, but Colorado College is still committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated eligibility. A family's assets may include cash and savings, investments, other real estate the family does not live in as their primary home, and other assets. It will NOT include small businesses (under 100 employees), home equity on primary residence, or retirement accounts. Typically, more than 95% of applicants with incomes below $250K annually qualify for the Colorado Pledge.

Both parents will need to fill out the full Net Price Calculator independently. Once you have received your calculation results, we encourage families to apply to CC and complete the full financial aid application. Once complete, a family can email financialaid@coloradocollege.edu to receive confirmation of eligibility. While we will share overall eligibility information with the student and parent, we will not share specific parental income or asset information between households.

In the case of self-employed parents, Colorado College also looks at cash flow, not simply taxable income. Once your full financial aid application is complete, the office will be able to assess this based on the forms submitted.

Yes. Federal and state grants are used to meet the Colorado Pledge in addition to CC Grants and endowed funds gifted from donors to support the Pledge.

Yes. You will be considered for both merit aid and the Colorado Pledge. You will receive the highest of the two, but not both. For more information about merit scholarships, please visit https://www.coloradocollege.edu/admission/for-students/scholarships-aid/index.html

Absolutely. We remain committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated need for all students. Families with significant assets or income over the threshold may still qualify. All students seeking financial assistance must complete the full financial aid application.

If you enter in Fall 2022 or later, your application will be considered for the Colorado Pledge in each year of your enrollment.

Our income limitations are based on the adjusted gross income from the 2021 1040 tax return. Students whose parents report between $0 and $60,000 will have no parental contribution toward direct costs of tuition, fees, housing, and meals. Students whose parents report between $60,001 and $125,000 will have a parental contribution equal to room and board charges. Finally, families reporting between $125,001 and $250,000 will have a parental contribution equal to or less than the cost of attendance at the state flagship institution. Families who have adjusted gross income over $250,000 will be eligible for need based aid based on the full family financial picture, but not Colorado Pledge. No exceptions are made to the cut off for income.

Students must complete the financial aid application process each year. Families will have their full demonstrated eligibility met each year, though if the income and assets fluctuate greatly, the amount may differ based on the information submitted.

There are no limits to the number of students who can receive these awards but all students must meet the eligibility requirements and must be admitted to the college.

Yes, this initiative is donor-funded and is intended to support only the families who are eligible for the Colorado Pledge initiative.

The Colorado Pledge stipulates that the parental contribution will be equal to or less than the cost of attendance at the state flagship institution. We do not negotiate our awards based on non-need based or merit awards offered by another institution.

Adjusted gross income is a tax term and can be found on your 2021 tax return on line 11. This reflects your income after allowable deductions to your income.

At this time, Fall 2022 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.

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Report an issue - Last updated: 03/04/2025