Financial Information

One of the most important decisions for enrolling in advanced education is how to fund your studies. This section provides information on potentialfinancial aid opportunities for students enrolled the Masters of the Environment (MENV) Graduate Program.

MENV is a 48-credit hour program. The default program length is 21 months. As a part of your Capstone Project, you are required to work 300 hours over the summer, resulting in a portion of tuition being paid at this time. An example of credit hour breakdown is as follows:

Term Schedule Example

COST

Our tuition costs are determined annually by the Office of the Bursar based on your residency status. This ensures expenses are reflective of the current marketplace. Your return on the investment you make in our program supports you in broadening your horizons in the environmental and sustainability field.

Estimated tuition and fee rates for the entire 2025-2026 academic year.
  • In-state resident: $39,968
  • Out-of-state and international students: $49,187

Visit the ɫƵ's Office of the Bursar for additional information including tuition and fees per term. The estimated cost of tuition listed above is for the2025-2026 academic year only. Students should anticipate that the cost of tuition will increase for 2026-2027. Students are responsible for covering the cost of rent, groceries, course materials, health insurance, etc.

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • Program Scholarships

    Program scholarships only cover the cost of tuition.

  • Establishing Residency

    Tuition rates are determined by student's residency status. If it applies to you andyou are interested in petitioning for Colorado residency, to ensure you are eligible. Additionally, click here to see dates and deadlines associated with qualifying for, and petitioning for, in-state.

Funding Your Education

Programmatic Scholarship Other Scholarships Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) (Student Loans) Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (ASSET) Graduate Student Assistantship (GSA) Positions ɫƵ Student Employment Additional Resources/Support Resident Advisors Positions Peace Corps Volunteer In-State Tuition
Programmatic Scholarship

MENV offers a limited number of programmatic scholarships each admissions cycle.These scholarships range in amount and are offered to incoming students. These scholarships are granted based on a holistic view of a student's application. Note, these scholarships are not guaranteed to every applicant.

ɫƵ has several scholarships students can apply for, you can see a full list . Note, you can only apply to Graduate School scholarships through Buff Portal. To gain access to Buff Portal, you must first enroll in MENV. From there you will be granted an Identikey login that will give you access to Buff Portal.

Students enrolling in the Masters of the Environment Graduate Programmay apply for ɫƵ’s regional grants and awards through theGraduate Schoolafter researching theirFunding Website(see Awards and Grants here). Similarly, utilizing a scholarship search engine likeor, may also provide unique funding opportunities.

Additionally, please check out the following resources for environmental-related scholarships:

  • (farming and/or ecological land stewardship)

All graduate students (enrolled at least half time) who submit a FAFSA are eligible for theFederal Direct Unsubsidized Loan. While reading the information below, keep in mind that MENV requires students to be enrolled in a five credit hour Capstone course during the summer.

  • Students should be aware that “Academic Year 2024-25” is defined as Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025. So if a student receives an offer of $20,500 in Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans for the upcoming year and accepts all of that funding in the Fall 2024and Spring 2025terms, then there will be no remaining eligibility for that specific loan offered during the Summer 2025term. Graduate students may be eligible, however, to apply for an additionalGraduate PLUS Loanorprivate student loanduring the summer.
  • The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, by default, will be split in half between the fall and spring semesters after it is accepted. However, per a student’s individual request (made to the Financial Aid Office), this offer can be adjusted to a higher or lower amount for a given semester.Read more here about what to consider before accepting loans.Therefore, if a student is in need of aid for the summer term, one option would to take less than the yearly maximum of the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan in the fall and spring terms so that any remaining eligibility can be offered during the summer.
  • To receive aid in the summer term specifically, there is a separateSummer Aid Application. The Summer Aid Application typically becomes available to submit through the Buff Portal when summer enrollment begins and students are also sent a communication from the Office of Financial Aid when the application has opened.

The ɫƵ providessome grant and work-studyassistancefor Colorado resident students who are eligible under the Colorado Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET) Bill or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Nonresident students are ineligible for need-based assistance or the Colorado ASSET Bill benefit, but are encouraged to apply for scholarships.

Learn more about eligibility here.

Access theColorado Application for State Financial Aid

MENV offers Graduate Student Assistantship (GSA) positions on an as-need basis. MENV hires students to assist with program administration and provide support to faculty and staff. These students will have the unique opportunity to work alongside faculty and staff and get an inside look at program operations. While each MENV student employee will have an individual set of duties, they will also share a collective set of responsibilities. As student employeepositions become available, they will be posted below.

These positions are NOT teaching assistantships (found in many research-based master's programs). Instead, GSA positions are part-time jobs that result in a paycheck on a bi-weekly basis. You must be admitted to and enrolled in MENV prior to applying to these positions.

Learn more about current openings here.

ɫƵ's Student Employment service regularly posts job openings here.Jobs posted include:

  • Hourly Off-Campus jobswhere local employers post jobs for ɫƵ students()
  • Hourly On-Campus jobswhere ɫƵ employers post jobs for student employees. Working on-campus offers many advantages including flexible scheduling, good pay, and great experience ()
  • Work-Study jobs which require a need-based financial aid work-study award. In order to determine your eligibility for work-study, submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)()

Note: International students can work on campus up to 20 hours a week while school is in session during the fall and spring semester.If a student has multiple on campus jobs, the total hours worked for all jobs cannot exceed 20 hours a week while school is in session. You can read more about this policy here.

Interested in being a Resident Advisor (RA) for the 2024-2025 school year? Click here to readdetailed job descriptionand check out this website to read more about qualifications, hiring timeline, and a list of frequently asked questions! If you'd like to ask us something not covered in our webpages, please email us atreslifestudenthiring@colorado.edu.

Applications open Sept. 15!

*You have to be a second year student to obtain this position unless you attended CU for your undergraduate degree.

Under the Colorado(effective Fall 2023), a student who would not otherwise qualify for in-state tuition and whowas certified by the director of the Peace Corps as having served satisfactorily as a Peace Corps Volunteer,is eligible to be classified as anin-statestudent for tuition purposes.

You can read more here about documentation requirements and how to apply.