The College Opportunity Fund provides state-tax dollars to colleges and universities on behalf of eligible undergraduate students. The Fund was created by an Act of the Colorado State Legislature in May 2004 to heighten awareness that state tax dollars are used to offset the costs of undergraduate education.

Am I eligible to participate?

You are eligible for the stipend if

1. You are considered an undergraduate Colorado resident for tuition classification purposes, and
2. You are taking eligible undergraduate classes at Colorado State University.

How do I receive my stipend?

1. Apply – The application is available on the College Opportunity Fund website.
2. Authorize – Grant CSU the permission to request your stipend from the state of Colorado from the link provided on your RAMweb (see instructions in FAQ below). First-year students will be able to authorize their stipend only after registering for courses.
3. Register – Register for resident instruction (RI), undergraduate courses on RAMweb.
4. Student Account – The stipend is $116 per RI credit for the 2023-2024 academic year. The stipend will be applied to your tuition costs and printed on your student account billing statement.

You must provide the university your social security number or College Opportunity Fund (COF) assigned ID number. This allows the university to request your stipend from the state. This must be done by the end of the term in which you are eligible for the stipend.

What is my lifetime credit limit?

The law creating the College Opportunity Fund caps a 1st bachelors student’s stipend at 145 credit hours; 2nd bachelors students are granted an additional 30 credit hours. If you meet or exceed the limit, you may be eligible for an institutional waiver. Institutional waivers are granted for a maximum of one year. After university census (course add/course drop) for the term, the university will identify those students eligible for an institutional waiver. No application is necessary. Waivers will be granted to students eligible and on track to receive their degree. Students must be in good academic standing. If selected to receive a waiver, you will be notified by email.

Institutional waivers are awarded, on a term by term basis, for 12 consecutive months. If you have exhausted your institutional waiver, or you are ineligible for an institutional waiver, you may apply to the State of Colorado for a commission waiver.

Frequently Asked Questions