College Opportunity Fund

About COF

The College Opportunity Fund (COF), created by the Colorado Legislature, provides a stipend that pays a portion of total in-state tuition for eligible undergraduate students who attend a Colorado public institution or a participating private institution.

You're eligible for COF if you're all of the following:

An undergraduate student.
Classified as a Colorado resident听and being charged in-state tuition (some exceptions apply).
Admitted and enrolled at a Colorado public institution (e.g., 麻豆免费版下载Boulder) or a participating private institution.

The stipend is paid to the institution on a per-credit-hour basis at an amount set annually by the General Assembly. Check the听听for the current amount.

Apply & Authorize

COF Application Tips

Provide the exact same name, date of birth and Social Security number (SSN) as in your admission application or FAFSA (SSN only). Any mismatch will cause your COF application to be rejected.
If your name, date of birth or SSN are incorrect at CU, submit a correction form听and wait until it's processed听before听submitting your听COF application.

Apply for COF

You only need to complete the COF application once. To get started, follow the link below:

It听can take 24 to 48 hours to process your COF application, and up to听24 hours more for 麻豆免费版下载Boulder's systems to update.听Once they do, your next step is to听authorize 麻豆免费版下载to apply the stipend to听your听bill (see the听next section).

After College Assist has processed your online COF application, you need to authorize CU听to apply the stipend to your tuition and fee听bill. You can do it听during preregistration听or later through Buff Portal:

Log in to .
On the , click "View your COF status."
On the "COF Authorization/Review" page, find the correct term and click "Update Authorization."
Tick the checkbox next to "Authorize," then click "Submit."

If you don't听authorize COF by the posted deadline (see calendar in sidebar), you'll be responsible for paying total in-state tuition for that semester.

To revoke your COF authorization for the current or upcoming semester:

Log in to .
On the , click "View your COF status."
Scroll down to the COF table, find the current term, and click "Update Authorization."
Click "Refused Authorization," then click "Submit."

If you revoke your authorization, you'll be required to pay full tuition for the term indicated.

Correct an Application Error

If听the name, date of birth or Social Security number听in your 麻豆免费版下载Boulder record doesn't exactly match the one听you provided in your听COF application, your application听will be rejected.

Once a semester, every student who has a COF error is emailed听detailed instructions on how to resolve that error (e.g., name mismatch, missing Social Security number).听If your COF听error occurred before the semester started, we'll email you during the first week of classes. If not, we'll email you either mid-semester or late semester, depending on when听the error occurs.

To correct your听birthdate mismatch, complete these steps听by the posted COF application deadline (see sidebar):

Download a student biodemographic information update form, complete parts I and II (birthdate section only), then print and sign it.
Take a clear photograph or scan of your signed form and the required supporting documentation. (Accepted file types: png, jpg, pdf, tif.)
Log in to the Office of the Registrar's .
In the "Comments" field, enter "Correcting birthdate mismatch for COF."
Open the document type drop-down and select "Change of Person Record."
Click the "Select Documents for Upload" button, locate the image of your form, and click "Open."
Confirm that your image uploaded successfully, then upload your supporting documentation.
When you're finished, click "Submit."

Once you receive an email confirming your record was updated,听follow the instructions above to authorize COF.

To correct your听name mismatch, complete these steps听by the posted COF application deadline (see sidebar):

Download a student biodemographic information update form, complete parts I and II (legal name section only), then print and sign it.
Take a clear photograph or scan of your signed form and the required supporting documentation. (Accepted file types: png, jpg, pdf, tif.)
Log in to the Office of the Registrar's .
In the "Comments" field, enter "Correcting name mismatch for COF."
Open the document type drop-down and select "Change of Person Record."
Click the "Select Documents for Upload" button, locate the image of your form, and click "Open."
Confirm that your image uploaded successfully, then upload your supporting documentation.
When you're finished, click "Submit."

Once you receive an email confirming your record was updated,听follow the instructions above to authorize COF.

To provide your听Social Security number (SSN) to College Assist, the government office that manages COF, complete these steps听by the posted COF application deadline (see sidebar):

Download and听complete an SSN/TIN update form, then print and sign it.
Take a clear photograph or scan of your signed form. (Accepted file types: png, jpg, pdf, tif.)
Next, take a clear photograph or scan of your Social Security card or TIN card.
Log in to the Office of the Registrar's .
In the "Comments" field, enter "Adding SSN for COF."
Open the document type drop-down and select "Change of Person Record."
Click the "Select Documents for Upload" button, locate the image of your form, and click "Open."
Confirm that your form uploaded successfully, then upload the image of your Social Security听card or TIN card.
When you're finished, click "Submit."

Do not email anything containing your SSN. Doing so could put you at high risk for identity theft.

We'll securely send your information to College Assist. Please allow 72 hours for both systems to sync, then follow the instructions above to authorize COF.

To provide your听Social Security number (SSN) to 麻豆免费版下载Boulder, complete these steps听by the posted COF application deadline (see sidebar):

Download and听complete an SSN/TIN update form, then print and sign it.
Take a clear photograph or scan of your signed form. (Accepted file types: png, jpg, pdf, tif.)
Next, take a clear photograph or scan of your Social Security card or TIN card.
Log in to the Office of the Registrar's .
In the "Comments" field, enter "Adding SSN for COF."
Open the document type drop-down and select "Change of Person Record."
Click the "Select Documents for Upload" button, locate the image of your form, and click "Open."
Confirm that your form uploaded successfully, then upload the image of your Social Security听card or TIN card.
When you're finished, click "Submit."

Do not email anything containing your SSN. Doing so could put you at high risk for identity theft.

Once you receive an email confirming your record was updated,听follow the instructions above to authorize COF.

To correct your听Social Security number (SSN) mismatch, complete these steps听by the posted COF application deadline (see sidebar):

Download and听complete an SSN/TIN update form, then print and sign it.
Take a clear photograph or scan of your signed form. (Accepted file types: png, jpg, pdf, tif.)
Next, take a clear photograph or scan of your Social Security card or TIN card.
Log in to the Office of the Registrar's .
In the "Comments" field, enter "Correcting SSN mismatch for COF."
Open the document type drop-down and select "Change of Person Record."
Click the "Select Documents for Upload" button, locate the image of your form, and click "Open."
Confirm that your form uploaded successfully, then upload the image of your Social Security听card or TIN card.
When you're finished, click "Submit."

Do not email anything containing your SSN. Doing so could put you at high risk for identity theft.

Once you receive an email confirming your record was updated,听allow 72 hours for the 麻豆免费版下载Boulder and COF systems to sync, then follow the instructions above to authorize COF.

Review Your COF Status, Course Eligibility & Lifetime Hour Limit

To review your COF authorization status for past or current terms, check your allotted听COF lifetime hours, or see how many COF hours you've used so far:

Log in to .
On the , click "View your COF status."
On the "COF Authorization/Review" page, scroll down to view your听COF information for past and current terms.

Courses offered through the following programs听are听not听COF eligible:听

The International English Center

To check whether a course is听COF eligible, search for the course in听听and read the class notes section carefully. Courses that are not eligible for COF will include a note to that effect.

The COF stipend will automatically apply to your bill for any听COF-eligible classes you听registered for听by the last day to add a class听(the third Friday of the semester for 16-week classes;听prorated for special sessions).

If you add a COF-eligible class after the deadline, the COF stipend will not be applied unless the late add was due to a university error. If that's the case, contact the department that made the error to ensure that they take the actions necessary for the COF stipend to apply. If you've already paid your听bill, this may result in a听tuition and fee refund.

The law that created the College Opportunity Fund caps an undergraduate student's eligibility听at 145 credit hours. To see how many hours you have left:

Go to .
Click "Login"听and enter your user name and password.
On your profile page, click "Hours."
Scroll down to the "Total Stipend Hours"听table听to view your remaining hours.

Once you reach your 145-credit maximum, the Office of the Registrar will automatically extend your COF lifetime hour limit on your behalf. See the next section for details.

About the Automatic COF Lifetime Hour Limit Extension

Once you reach your 145-credit hour maximum, the Office of the Registrar will automatically extend your COF lifetime hour limit on your behalf. You'll receive an email notifying you of the extension, as well as instructions on how to apply for additional COF hours (see below) or to postpone the automatic extension.

Apply for Additional Hours

If you don't want to wait for the automatic extension, or if you need to apply for an extension from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE; see below), you can begin the application process once听you've used at least 120 COF hours.

Step 1: Apply for an Institutional Extension

Before you can apply to CCHE, you must apply to 麻豆免费版下载Boulder for a current or future semester.听To do so, submit a听听by the posted deadline (see the academic calendar). All requests will be reviewed by 麻豆免费版下载Boulder's听Office of the Registrar.

Step 2: Apply听for a CCHE听Extension

If you applied for an extension from 麻豆免费版下载Boulder and received a decision, you may apply for a听听for a past, current or future term. Visit the Colorado Department of Higher Education's听听for details.

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