Non-degree: Certificates, Licenses, and Endorsements

Complete and submit CU Denver’s graduate non-degree application form. 

The application fee is $50* and must be received by the application deadline. We accept payments via credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club) or via bank transfer from a U.S. checking account. 

The application fee may not be refunded under any circumstance, including withdrawal of the application from admission consideration prior to receiving a decision. 

Note: Most international applicants who are applying to a certificate program are not charged an application fee, to mitigate the cost of the ECE credential evaluation report. The online application form will notify you if the application fee is required in your case. If required, the fee is $75, and you must pay before submitting your application. Please visit the International Admissions website for more information. 

Fee Waivers 

Applicants may be eligible for a fee waiver if they meet one of the following criteria and provide supporting documentation: 

• Member or participant of a federally funded, graduate preparation program (McNair, MARC U-STAR, IMSD, Bridges to the Baccalaureate, Bridges to the Doctorate, PREP, RISE, TRiO, IPERT, ENDURE, Cientifico Latino Graduate Student Mentorship Initiative, or Sally Casanova). 
• Member of the military: active duty, reserve and guard forces, or veterans and retirees. 
• Registered member of a federally recognized American Indian tribe or Alaska Native entity. 
• CU Denver Alumni (must have completed a degree). 
• Fulbright Scholarship recipients. 
• Individual with a disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities. 
• An individual who met a Graduate Recruitment representative at an event and submitted a Request for Information Form. 

Application fee waivers may also be considered for other circumstances such as financial hardship. 

Members of the military, registered members of federal recognized American Indian tribes or Alaska Native entities, and CU Denver alumni will automatically have their fees waived when they submit the application; nothing additional is needed. For all other individuals, to be considered for a fee waiver, please complete the Application Fee Waiver Form before your program’s deadline. Acceptance or denial of your fee waiver application does not affect your likelihood of admission into a graduate program.

You must list and provide your unofficial transcript for every post-secondary institution where you were enrolled—or are currently enrolled—in an undergraduate or graduate degree program. Even if you did not earn a degree from that institution, a transcript is still required. 

• CU Denver considers unofficial transcripts to be sufficient for the review process. Upload transcripts as scanned copies or PDFs (no larger than 10 MB) when submitting the online application. Please refrain from uploading a secured PDF/transcript with a digital signature, as our system cannot upload these properly. 
• If you earned a degree at the institution from which you are submitting a transcript, please ensure that the degree that was conferred and the degree conferral date are clearly visible on the document. If your transcript does not include your degree conferred and your degree conferral date, please submit a scanned copy of your diploma, a conferral statement, or a conferral document in addition to your transcript. Combine this documentation and the transcript into a single PDF. If you are currently enrolled in a degree program and will not have earned the degree by the time you submit your application, submit your most recent in-progress transcript. 
• If you are offered admission to CU Denver and accept the offer, you will be required to submit official transcripts/degree conferral documents during your first term as a student. If you do not submit your official transcripts, an enrollment hold will be placed on your account and you will be unable to enroll in future terms. 

Unofficial vs. Official Transcripts

• Unofficial transcripts are copies or downloads of official transcripts that are easily accessible to the student, such as a scanned copy of a printed official transcript, screenshot of an electronic official transcript saved as a PDF, or PDF copies downloaded via a self-service from a student or alumni portal. Unofficial transcripts generally have no associated cost. At CU Denver, unofficial transcripts are sufficient for application review purposes.
• Official transcripts are transcripts that come directly from the issuing school, institution, or agency. Printed/hard copies of transcripts must remain in a sealed envelope from the issuing school; transcripts that are removed from their sealed envelope are not considered official. Electronic copies of official transcripts are typically sent directly from the institution, or via a clearinghouse that the institution uses, with a passcode for the recipient to open in a secure manner; transcripts forwarded to CU Denver as an email are not considered official. At CU Denver, official transcripts are only required if you are offered admission and decide to enroll. 

Study Abroad 

If the transcript from your home institution reflects your study abroad coursework and grades, you do not need to submit original transcripts from your abroad institution. 

Foreign Institutions 

If you are applying to a certificate program, and your credentials include credits from a college or university outside the United States, International Admissions requires that you provide an international credential evaluation report from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) or World Education Services (WES). Please visit the International Admissions website for details. 

There are a variety of ways for you to provide proof of English proficiency if your first language is not English. View these methods on the International Admissions website. 

Classes can be offered in-person,, online, or both. Please view our Academic Catalog for course listings, and our CU Denver Program Finder for certificate options.

The only credential, endorsement, and license options offered at CU Denver are housed in our School of Education & Human Development (SEHD). Please visit the SEHD website for more information.

First, identify the program you would like to apply to and make sure you meet their admission requirements. Then, you must complete a new application, this time as a graduate degree-seeking student. If you have already submitted official transcripts as part of your application to your non-degree course or certificate, you will not need to submit them if you are admitted to your degree program. However, if you submitted only unofficial transcripts for your non-degree application, you will be expected to send official transcripts to CU Denver from every institution where you were a student. Please visit our How to Apply page for more details.

Non-degree students are not eligible for financial aid, student loans, scholarships, or tuition assistance.

Tuition is charged by credit hours, so the cost of your graduate course or certificate will depend on:

• How many credit hours it is,
• If you are taking the course fully online, and
• Whether you are classified as a Colorado state resident (or if you are a resident of a WICHE state and your certificate participates in the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP).

Tuition rates are determined by each school and college, and are approved annually by the Colorado Board of Regents. In addition to tuition costs, you should factor in any relevant fees.

Residency status will be determined during the application process. It is important to complete all dates and information requested on the Tuition Classification Form to ensure you are classified properly as either a resident or non-resident for tuition purposes. For more information about residency, please visit the Registrar website.

The only difference is that there are limits on when you can register for class. Employees may register seven calendar days prior to the first day of the semester or the first day of class, whichever is earlier. This applies to both undergraduate and graduate courses. Registering prior to the designated times will deem you ineligible for the pre-registered course(s) for that semester. Please refer to the Employee Services website for more information.