Types of Aid

CU Denver admits an accomplished and diverse class of graduate students without regard to their financial situation. We recognize that applying to graduate school is a major life decision, which is why you should start planning financially before you embark on your journey.  

At the master’s level, our programs are largely self-funded. This means that most of our master’s students fund their program with a variety of sources, including loans, hourly or salaried work, personal savings, external fellowships/scholarships, government funding, and family funds. Very few master’s programs offer merit or other scholarships, and those that do are often not able to offer awards that cover your full cost of attendance.  

For doctoral students, most of our programs have historically provided some tuition assistance and stipends, as well as teaching and/or research assistantships, particularly in the first few years of the program. To cover the remaining balance, doctoral students may require additional financial support through loans, hourly or salaried work, personal savings, external fellowships/scholarships, government funding, and family funds.  

Be sure to check with your master’s or doctoral program to see if any program, departmental, or school/college funds are available to support graduate students. Below, you will find some of the most common types of aid that most students seek: