Issue
August 2022
A Nice Surprise for Some Incoming Students
While most understand the value of a college education, the costs of attaining one can seem daunting. That’s why CU is helping Colorado students and families reduce the cost of earning a degree in a variety of ways.
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Dear Friends,
There’s a certain excitement that builds as we approach the start of a new school year, particularly among first-year students. We recently experienced this enthusiasm firsthand in Pueblo, where members of CU’s Board of Regents and I hosted a welcome event for new students who will attend one of our four campuses beginning next week.
In addition to our traditional welcoming activities, the students from Pueblo County got an added bonus. Earlier this year, with leadership from Pueblo County Commissioner Garrison Ortiz, we collaborated with the county to fund scholarships for Pueblo students who will attend one of CU’s three undergraduate campuses. We’ve also built a great partnership with the Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation and its executive director, Janelle Quick. At our event, Janelle handed each of the 25 incoming students an envelope that contained details of a scholarship they will receive. Some $58,000 in scholarships were distributed.
The students and their parents were delighted with the unexpected contribution to their educational journeys. The road they will travel will lead them to a better life, increased earnings and more diverse, rewarding career opportunities. They will go on to become engineers, teachers, health care providers, artists, technology professionals, businesspeople and countless other things. A college degree not only benefits individuals, but also our state and society. Highly skilled graduates drive Colorado’s economy, enhancing our competitiveness and improving our quality of life.
While the value of a college degree is measured in more than career earnings, that benefit is clear and compelling. The median salary for workers with only a high school diploma is about $39,000. By contrast, the median salary for workers with a four-year college degree is about $65,000. Those with a college degree will earn more than $1.5 million over their wage-earning life than those without one.
Most understand the value of a college education, but the costs of attaining one can seem daunting. That’s why CU is helping Colorado students and families reduce the cost of earning a degree in a variety of ways: by accepting Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and other credits earned in high school; providing millions in grants and scholarships (CU distributed roughly $228 million in student financial aid last year); and expanding opportunities for students to transfer community college credits. Our campuses are part of the successful Bridge to Bachelor’s program, hosted by the Colorado Community Colleges System (CCCS), which guarantees new, first-time CCCS students admission to our campuses once they complete their associate degree. Through this program, academic advisors from CU campuses work with CCCS students throughout their time at community college to make sure they’re taking courses that will help them earn their CU degree faster. It’s an affordable, seamless pathway for graduates to continue their education in-state and earn a four-year degree.
Additionally, our campuses each have a program called the CU Promise, in which full-time students at CU who are eligible for Pell Grants may have their tuition and fees fully covered. Pell Grants are not student loans and don’t need to be repaid. We’re also increasing local partnerships to help young Coloradans become the first in their families to earn a four-year college degree.
Another group we engage is active-duty military personnel and veterans. There are some 20,000 active-duty military and veterans enrolled in Colorado’s four-year colleges and universities, many on CU campuses. A college degree enables soldiers to obtain a higher military rank and provides veterans the opportunity to transition into higher-paying civilian jobs.
It's important for us at CU to do all we can to ensure that a CU degree is within reach – affordable and attainable. We do so in a variety of ways, whether via partnerships in Pueblo, collaborations with community colleges, increased scholarship funding, outreach to middle and high schools to help students get a head start on college, or working with veterans and active-duty military to ensure pathways to a degree. We’re committed to deliberately working to reduce how much many students pay for a CU degree so our graduates can reap the benefits and have the skills needed for the workforce of today – and tomorrow.
Collaboration Brings Undergraduate Nursing Program to Southwest Colorado
Ushering in a new model of health and collaboration in higher education, the College of Nursing at CU Anschutz and Fort Lewis College have partnered to create a four-year undergraduate degree in nursing, bringing the state’s flagship medical institute of higher education to the rural and Indigenous-serving campus in Durango.
Partnerships with Rural Community Colleges Provide Four-year Pathways to Teacher Licensure
CU Denver has partnered with Otero College in La Junta, Trinidad State College in Trinidad and Alamosa, and Northeastern Junior College in Sterling to provide affordable pathways to a bachelor’s degree that can be completed entirely at the community colleges.
CU Engineering on the Western Slope
A partnership with Western Colorado University in Gunnison enables students to earn CU Boulder bachelor’s degrees in computer science and mechanical engineering while remaining on the Western campus.
Students at Southern Colorado Community Colleges Have Clear Transfer Pathways to CU
UCCS has established relationships with Pikes Peak and Pueblo Community Colleges to facilitate easy transfers to CU for students seeking a four-year degree.
