Advisors LEAD is a professional development course designed to help Colorado's advisors increase their skills and competencies in four key areas: equity and inclusion-driven practices, math pathways literacy, purpose-driven advising, and effective virtual…
The Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative is supporting organizations across the state to support workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and provide Coloradans support in accessing and completing their credential or degree and get Back to Work.
The Community Partner Program Back to Work grant requires grantees to prioritize Coloradans who experienced economic loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic and provide participants wraparound and financial support to access and complete their credential or degree within the grant term. The Colorado…
The Behavioral Health Incentive Program provides financial incentives to rural and low-income Colorado students to obtain a credential in certain behavioral health programs of study. Implemented by SB21-137, $9 million was dedicated for this effort from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The…
Harnessing innovation is not only a goal of the Colorado Commission of Higher Education—it is integral to meeting the needs and ambitious vision necessary to supplying an educated workforce of the future. Nearly three in four jobs in Colorado require some education beyond high school, which…
*** This page will be updated with information on our 2024-2025 award cycle in early August 2025The Career Launch grant was created in Fall 2023 to replace COSI’s Workforce grant. The program is designed to provide tuition support to students via matching funds for…
The 2024-25 CASFA is open! Students can complete the 2023-24 CASFA for academic semesters in 2024. Click here if you completed your 2024-25 CASFA before April 15th, 2024 and you want your CASFA information sent to your colleges immediately. Haga clic aquí si…
Make Your Education Work for You.What Is A Collegiate Apprenticeship?Colorado is building a new pathway toward career-focused higher education. An apprenticeship is an opportunity to receive hands-on career training, an education and a paycheck. We’re focused on building…
In 2019, Colorado legislators passed Senate Bill 19-003 to address Colorado’s educator shortages by providing loan forgiveness to educators. The law authorizes CDHE to offer loan repayment assistance on qualified loans for educators, mainly for those who serve in rural and hard-to-fill positions in…
The Colorado Re-Engaged (CORE) Initiative enables four-year institutions in Colorado to award an earned associate degree to eligible students who have stopped-out from a baccalaureate program after earning at least 70 credit hours. In enacting the supporting…
Individuals that wish to pursue a college degree and have been released from the Division of Youth Services (DYS) commitment facility within the last 5 years may be eligible for up to $5,000 each year toward the cost of education. Choose among many college and career path options, including a…
COSI provides multi-year grants throughout the state to provide funding toward programs that help prepare students for postsecondary education, as well as support them through completion. Annually approximately 20 postsecondary programs and 40 rural high school…
COSI's Youth Mentorship Scholarship Program awarded grant funding to four organizations to provide scholarships to college students in exchange for mentorship services. In 2023, SB23-149 created the COSI youth mentorship assistance grant pilot program and…
The ECE Educator Loan Forgiveness program is for ECE Educators to receive loan forgiveness. The application will close on April 15 2024.
The ECE Educator Scholarships are for ECE students to pursue dedicated coursework, certificates & degrees up to a master's.
CDHE allocates funds to participating schools. The ECE department at each school in collaboration with their financial aid office, will decide which of their…
The ECE Educator Stipends program is geared for individuals who are not already qualified to teach in ECE programs in the state of Colorado. If you are already a lead teacher, please contact the ECE department at the college/university you are interested in attending and ask for guidance on…
The Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative launched the Finish What You Started Program in 2021 to help Colorado residents go back to school and earn their certificate or degree. The program supports students in two ways: providing financial assistance and…
In 2020, the COSI Board approved the first Finish What You Started (FWYS) program (focused on adults 25+, Adams County residents, with some college, no degree), an outcomes-based contract providing bonus payments for services that increase enrollment, persistence,…
The FosterEd program pays for the total cost of attendance for qualifying students who attend public institutions of higher education within Colorado. This state-funding program pays for the remaining balance of the total cost of attendance after scholarships, grants, and other financial…
With the $3.8 billion of state aid provided by the American Rescue Plan Act, the Governor and Colorado legislature have allocated approximately $200 million towards workforce development and education. Through HB21-1330 the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI) received $1.5 million to…
Statewide plan for awarding college credit for work-related experience. The act requires the department of higher education to conduct a study concerning awarding academic credit for prior learning within all state institutions of higher education (institutions).
An existing council charged with…
Student Educator/Counselor Stipend ProgramThe student educator stipend program awards money to an eligible student to compensate them for their clinical experience in an academic residency position. Candidates placed in a 16-week academic residency may receive a stipend of up to $11,000, and those…
Matching Student Scholarship Grants are intended to solicit applications from eligible counties and institutions of higher education to increase the amount of scholarship giving available for postsecondary students in Colorado. The initiative partners with local programs, matching new scholarship…
HB17-1004 (Awarding College Credit for Military Education and Training) mandated institutions of higher education to adopt and implement prior learning assessment (PLA) policies for awarding academic credit for college-level learning acquired while in the military. Colorado faculty reviewed Joint…
My Colorado Journey is a free, groundbreaking statewide platform that connects you to work, education, support services and action planning. Charting your path to what’s possibleColorado state agencies—from workforce development, education and human services—have teamed up to provide you…
Colorado is leading the way in Open Educational Resources (OER) adoption, which has been shown to foster innovation, reduce costs and boost student success.Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely available online teaching and learning materials accessible to students, instructors and self…
Through regional and state-to-state student access programs, students may gain affordable access to institutions in another state.
Stackable Credential Pathways During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 22-192 to improve access to quality credentials of value in the workplace and create greater alignment between credentials and work-based learning. The law mandates that CDHE work with…
The Teacher Recruitment Education and Preparation (TREP) program creates the opportunity for qualified students in an educator career pathway to concurrently enroll in postsecondary courses and earn college credit at no tuition costs to them or their families, for up to two years after the 12th…
During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 22-1220 to address Colorado’s educator shortages by helping remove barriers to educator preparation. The law authorizes CDHE to offer loan repayment assistance on qualified loans for licensed K-12 Colorado educators,…