Understanding Your Aid Offer & Next Steps

Undergraduate Financial Aid

After you apply for financial aid, you'll receive an email when your financial aid offer is available for you to view online. Use the following resources to help understand your offer and determine the next steps you need to take in order to secure your financial aid.

When to Expect Your Financial Aid Offer:

When you receive your aid offer depends on when and how you applied. See below for an estimate as to approximately when you can expect to receive word.

  • Early Decision I applicants: Early December
  • Early Action applicants: Late December
  • Early Decision II applicants: Mid-February
  • Regular Decision applicants: Late February
  • Transfer students: Rolling basis after admission
  • Current students: Mid-June


We continue to send aid offers on a weekly basis to students who recently submitted the FAFSA or were recently admitted to DU.

  • How to View Your Aid Offer

    Prospective First-Time, First-Year Students:

    1. Log in to your application status page.
    2. Under "Status Update," click on the link that says "Click here to view your decision letter(s)".
       

    Current and Transfer Students:

    1. Log into MyDU.
      If this is your first time logging in, your password will be your six-digit birth date in the MMDDYY format.
    2. Click on the "View My Financial Aid Offer (PDF)" link within the Financial Aid Information widget on your dashboard.
    3. Choose the appropriate aid year from the drop-down menu.
picture of student studying

Understanding Your Aid Offer

Find additional information in our aid offer guide.

Your DU financial aid offer will include information about estimated costs, the types of aid offered to you, and what you can expect to pay out of pocket for the academic year. We do not assume students will take classes in the summer, so your initial offer will not include costs or aid for the summer quarter (a separate application for summer aid is available in April each year).

> View a sample aid offer
 

  • Estimated Costs

    The estimated cost of attendance listed in your aid offer reflects the typical costs of an undergraduate student attending DU and is broken down by direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are charges that are billed by DU, such as tuition, fees, housing, and meals (if you plan to live on campus). Indirect costs are estimates for additional items including books, supplies, and personal expenses such as laundry, toiletries, and clothes. You are not billed for indirect costs.

    Because DU uses estimates for indirect costs as well as housing and meals, your actual costs may be lower or higher. Financial aid is not adjusted based on actual costs.

    > More about cost of attendance

  • Grant, Scholarship and Waiver Eligibility

    This section of your aid offer will list any merit scholarships you were granted at the time of admission to DU, as well as any additional scholarships and grants you're eligible to receive for the academic year. Many of these are automatically accepted on your behalf. This is a type of aid you do not have to repay. 

    > More about grants and scholarships

  • Student Loan Eligibility

    Most students are automatically offered at least one type of federal student loan in their financial aid offer. Loans are optional and are offered to you, which means you have to actively accept them if you'd like to borrow that additional funding. You can also choose to only borrow a portion of a loan offered to you, or not accept them at all. Remember that after you graduate, you'll have to repay any loan you borrowed during your time at DU. 

    > More about student loans

  • Estimated Out-of-Pocket Direct Costs

    This section of your aid offer provides an estimate of the amount you will pay directly to DU for the academic year. The first estimate shows what your out-of-pocket cost might be after all of your scholarships and grants are applied, without borrowing any loans. The second line shows your estimated cost if you choose to borrow the full amount of loans offered to you.

picture of campus

Additional Resources

Next Steps to Receive Your Aid

Once you review your financial aid offer, there are additional steps you need to take to receive your aid.

Note for students starting in the 2023 fall term: Most of these steps will not be available to complete until the spring of 2023.

  • Accept/Decline Your Aid

    In order to receive any type of aid, it must be accepted through MyDU. To view and accept or decline each type of aid offered to you:

    1. Sign into MyDU.
    2. Click on the "Accept or Decline My Financial Aid Offer" link within the Financial Aid Information widget on your dashboard.
    3. Select the 2022-2023 Aid Year from the drop-down menu.
    4. Click on the Terms and Conditions tab, review, and click "Accept".
    5. Click on the Accept Award Offer tab.
      • Choose "Accept" or "Decline" in the drop-down menu next to each type of aid (most DU scholarships will already be accepted on your behalf).
      • If you wish to only accept a portion of a loan, type that amount in the "Accept Partial Amount" box. Remember that any amount you accept will be split evenly over your terms of enrollment—i.e. fall, winter, and spring quarters.
      • If you don't want to borrow a loan, be sure to choose "Decline" in the drop-down menu.
  • Apply for an Additional Loan (if needed)

    If you need to apply for an additional loan to help cover your costs, a Federal Parent Plus Loan or a Private Education Loan is available.

    Learn More

  • Complete Loan Requirements

    If you accepted a Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized loan, and you are a first-time borrower at DU, you’ll need to go to https://studentaid.gov and complete entrance counseling and a Master Promissory Note.

  • Complete College Opportunity Fund Requirements (if eligible)

    If you have the Federal Pell Grant listed on your financial aid offer and you graduated from a Colorado high school, you're eligible for a $31.33 per credit stipend through the College Opportunity Fund.

    To receive funding, you must:

  • Sign Up for a Payment Plan (optional)

    DU offers a no-interest payment plan that may help you cover a portion of your bill. Utilizing this plan can reduce the amount you may need to borrow in loan funding.

    Visit the Bursar's Office to learn more.

  • Sign Up for Direct Deposit (optional)

    If your financial aid is more than the total of your charges, you'll receive a refund from the Bursar's Office. To expedite your refund, we recommend setting up direct deposit through MyDU. Instructions can be found on the Bursar's Office website.

  • Accept or Waive DU's Health Insurance Plan (optional)

    Most students are automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Program. If you are covered by another health insurance plan, you may waive participation in this program. More information about this program, including instructions on how to waive participation, is available on the Bursar's Office website.

  • Report Your Private Scholarships

    Will you be receiving a scholarship from an organization outside of DU this year? If so, please report it so we can add it to your account.

    Scholarship checks can be sent directly to our office:

    Financial Aid
    University of Denver
    2197 S. University Blvd.
    Denver, CO 80208-9403

    Once your check has been processed, your scholarship will be added to your financial aid account and will disburse to your DU student account in the same way as the rest of your aid.

  • Complete/Update the Release of Student Records (FERPA) form (optional)

    The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that prohibits the University of Denver from releasing a student’s educational records to anyone (including parents and guardians) without the student’s written consent. That means when it comes to your financial aid, we can't discuss specific details about your account with a family member if you haven't given written consent—we can only provide general information.

    If you wish to allow us to speak to a family member or another third-party about your financial aid, you must complete a Release of Student Records form in MyDU.

  • Keep an Eye on Your Checklist in MyDU

    Be sure to frequently review the Financial Aid Checklist widget on your MyDU dashboard. Any item with the open circle icon next to it requires further action and may prevent you from receiving your financial aid in a timely manner.

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