College Opportunity Fund Program

Tuition help for private college students

Eligible undergraduates at participating Colorado private colleges can receive College Opportunity Fund aid equal to 50% of the program's stipend amount. After approval and enrollment, the college requests payment from the Colorado Student Loan Program. Students must authorize payment, which goes to the college and lowers their in-state tuition bill. These payments are exempt from the state's transaction fee. If students withdraw by their school's deadline for leaving without tuition payment, the college repays the department under its board's refund policy. Credits tied to refunded stipends do not count against students' lifetime credit-hour limits. Participating colleges must sign performance contracts with goals, join the state's student reporting system, and repay its actual reporting costs. The legislature must provide sufficient funding, and the Department of Higher Education can transfer money for these stipends. Those funds stay outside the College Opportunity Fund itself. Stipend spending cannot exceed its authorized allocation by more than 30%. Combined stipend and related student-aid spending cannot exceed their combined annual appropriations.