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
- To apply for financial aid, see Getting Started.
- Check RAMweb for any required information
Enroll at Least Half-time Each Semester
Students who are enrolled less-than-full-time during the academic year will have their loan eligibility reduced to reflect their enrollment status. Review the chart below this section for an idea of how your aid will be prorated.
All students must be enrolled at least ½ time, as defined by the university, to be eligible for any Direct Loans.
Enrollment changes matter. Changes in enrollment status (including dropping a course, withdrawing from a course, or enrolling less than full-time) may result in adjustments to your financial aid and future disbursements. Contact The Hub as soon as possible if you have any questions or anticipate changes in enrollment.
Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
- Federal financial aid eligibility requires that all students maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
- Academically dismissed students are not eligible for financial aid. For more information, refer to the Academic Scholastic Standards Policy.
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 Grant | The maximum amount for 2026-27 is $7,395. The actual amount of Pell Grant funding you receive will depend on: 1) Your Student Aid Index (based on your FAFSA form), 2) your Cost of Attendance, 3) your enrollment status, and 4) your plans to attend school for a full academic year or less. |
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| Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant | 9+ credits = 100%** | 6-8 credits = 50% | 0-5 credits = 0% | |
| CSU Tuition+ Promise CSU Ram Grant | 12+ credits* = 100% | 0 - 11 credits*** = 0% | ||
| Colorado Student Grant | 12+ credits* = 100% | 0 - 11 credits*** = 0% | ||
| Colorado Graduate Grant | 7+ credits** = 100% | 5-6 credits = 50% | 0-4 credits = 0% | |
| CSU RAM Loan | Undergraduate: 6+ credits = 100% Graduate: 5+ credits = 100% | 0-5 credits = 0% 0-4 credits = 0% |
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| Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan | 6+ credits = 100% | 0-5 credits = 0% | ||
| Federal Direct Subsidized/ Unsubsidized Loans | Undergraduate: 12+ credits = 100% Graduate Unsubsidized: 9+ credits = 100% | Undergraduate: 6-11 credits = Prorated based on Schedules of Reduction**** Graduate Unsubsidized: 5-8 credits = Prorated based on Schedules of Reduction**** | Undergraduate: 0-5 credits = 0% Graduate Unsubsidized: 0-4 credits = 0% |
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| Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan | 9+ credits = 100% | 5-8 credits = Prorated based on Schedules of Reduction**** | 0-4 credits = 0% | |
| Health Professions Loan | 9+ credits = 100% | 0-8 credits = 0% | ||
| Scholarships | Undergraduate: 12+ credits* = 100% Graduate: 9+ credits* = 100% | 0-11 credits*** = 0% 0-8 credits = 0% |
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| Work Study | At 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.
**** As of the Fall 2026 term (after the 2025 Reconciliation Bill (One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or OBBBA/ OB3) was signed into law), federal student loans for students enrolled less than full-time are subject to Schedule of Reduction (SOR) requirements. This means federal student loans for students enrolled less than full-time will be reduced in proportion to a student’s actual enrollment – also known as proration. Schedule of Reduction (SOR) requirements apply to all Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Direct loans and Graduate PLUS loans offered under legacy provisions. Students must still be enrolled at least half-time to receive a federal direct loan.
- At CSU, full-time enrollment is defined as:
- Undergraduate: 12 or more hours per term
- Graduate: 9 or more hours per term
Regarding Prorated Financial Aid as an Accommodation:
Many sources of financial aid require students to be enrolled as a full time student in order to receive this aid. Some students need to take a reduced course load due to their disability and this can impact their ability to receive financial aid. In situations like this, students can request an accommodation of a reduced course load for financial aid purposes. If approved, this accommodation can prorate any financial aid given by CSU based on the number of credits a student is enrolled in. This only applies to CSU given financial aid and does not apply to federal financial aid (such as the Pell Grant) or privately provided financial aid. Please contact the SDC to learn more about this process, and if it may be an option for you.