Before you may receive your financial aid offers, you must meet certain eligibility criteria outlined below.

To qualify for financial aid you must:

Be Admitted to a Degree-Seeking Program

  • Apply for admissions to Colorado State University at admissions.colostate.edu.
  • If you have been awarded a degree from Colorado State University, you must be admitted to a new degree-seeking program to continue receiving aid. Admission to a new degree program may change the type of aid you are eligible to receive.

 Apply for Aid & Complete All Requirements

Enroll at Least Half-time Each Semester

  • Undergraduate Student: 6 credits is half-time enrollment
  • Graduate Student: 5 credits is half-time enrollment
  • Audit and test-out or placement credits do not count toward enrollment requirements
  • Enrollment in courses that do not apply to your program of study may not count toward your enrollment status for financial aid

Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress

Credit requirements for financial aid

Credit requirements to receive institutional aid may vary, see chart below.
Note: Financial aid works differently in the summer term. Learn more on the summer information page.

Most types of financial aid are finalized based on your enrollment as of the course add/drop date

Federal Pell Grant12+ credits = 100%9-11 credits = 75%6-8 credits = 50%1-5 credits = 25%
Federal Supplemental Educational
Opportunity Grant
9+ credits = 100% 6-8 credits = 50%0-5 credits = 0%
CSU Tuition Assistance Grant

CSU Ram Grant
12+ credits* = 100%
0 - 11 credits*** = 0%
Colorado Student Grant12+ credits = 100%9-11 credits = 75%6-8 credits = 50%0-5 credits = 0%
Colorado Graduate Grant7+ credits** = 100%5-6 credits = 50%0-4 credits = 0%
CSU RAM LoanUndergraduate: 6+ credits = 100%

Graduate: 5+ credits = 100%
0-5 credits = 0%

0-4 credits = 0%
Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan6+ credits = 100% 0-5 credits = 0%
Federal Direct Subsidized/
Unsubsidized Loans
Undergraduate: 6+ credits = 100%

Graduate: 5+ credits = 100%
0-5 credits = 0%

0-4 credits = 0%
Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan5+ credits = 100%0-4 credits = 0%
Health Professions Loan5+ credits = 100%0-4 credits = 0%
ScholarshipsUndergraduate: 12+ credits* = 100%

Graduate: 9+ credits* = 100%
0-11 credits*** = 0%


0-8 credits = 0%
Work StudyAt least 6+ credits for undergraduates or 5+ credits for graduate students; pay is based on hours worked & hourly pay rate
*One class must be regular instruction, on-campus; you must be enrolled through CSU’s main campus, not
through CSU Online
**You must be enrolled through CSU’s main campus, not through CSU Online.
***If you are going to be part time and it is your graduating semester, please contact us.