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 your admission application round.

2026-2027 Financial Aid Offer Timelines
Admission Round Financial Aid Offers Begin
Early Decision I Early December
Early Action Late December
Early Decision II Mid-February
Regular Decision Late February
Transfer Students Early June
Current Students Early June

Financial aid offers are based on information provided on the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and the noncustodial parent CSS Profile, if required.

  • How to View Your Aid Offer

    Prospective First-Time, First-Year Students:

    You will be notified with instructions about how to view your aid offer once it's available.

    Current and Transfer Students:

    1. Log into My4D.
      If this is your first time logging in, your password will be your six-digit birth date (MMDDYY).
    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

Check out the offer guide for additional information.

Your DU financial aid offer will include information about:

  • estimated costs,
  •  types of aid offered to you, 
  • and estimated net price for the academic year. 

We do not assume students will take classes in the summer and therefore does not include costs or aid for summer quarter.  A separate application for summer aid is available in April of each year.

> View a sample aid offer
 

  • Estimated Costs

    The estimated cost of attendance reflects the typical costs of an undergraduate student attending DU and is broken down by direct and indirect costs. 

    Direct costs: charges that are billed by DU, such as tuition, fees, housing, and meals (if you plan to live on campus). 

    Indirect costs: 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. 

    Beginning with the 2026–27 academic year, each student's cost of attendance will be evaluated after the first week of each quarter and adjusted, if necessary, to ensure that cost amounts and indirect cost allowances reflect student's actual enrollment status. 

    > More about cost of attendance

  • Grant, Scholarship and Waiver Eligibility

    This section lists all grant, scholarship and waiver eligibility for which you do not have to repay. Aid listed in this section was granted at the time of admission to DU. The grants and scholarships shown can be:

    • Merit-based- granted at the time of admission and determined by your academic profile, or
    • Need-based- determined  your FAFSA and CSS Profile applications. 

     

    > More about grants and scholarships

  • Student Loan Eligibility

    Most students are offered at least one type of federal student loan in their financial aid package. These loans are optional and must be actively accepted if you choose to borrow. You may choose to accept the full loan amount offered or only a portion of it. 

    Please note that the amount you accept will be divided evenly across the fall, winter, and spring terms. Any student loans that remain in “offered” status will be canceled on your behalf before the end of each term.

    Remember, any loans you borrow at DU must be repaid once you graduate, withdraw, or are no longer enrolled at least half time.

    > More about student loans

  • Estimated Net Price

    This section provides an estimate of your net price—the total cost of attendance minus your financial aid—for the academic year. Because this calculation includes indirect costs that are not billed by DU, it does not represent the amount you will see on your bill.

    • Estimated Direct Cost Without Loans: This is an estimate of your net price after your grants and scholarships have been applied.
    • Estimated Direct Cost With Loans: This is an estimate of your net price after your grants and scholarships have been applied if you also choose to borrow the full amount of your offered students loans.
campus scene w/ mountains

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.

 

  • Accept/Decline Your Aid

    In order to receive any type of aid, it must be accepted through My4D. To view and accept or decline each type of aid offered to you:

    1. Sign into My4D.
    2. Click on the "Accept or Decline My Financial Aid Offer" link within the Financial Aid Information widget on your dashboard.
    3. Select the appropriate 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 $38.67 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 Office of Student Billing 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 Office of Student Billing. To expedite your refund, we recommend setting up direct deposit through My4D. Instructions can be found on the Office of Student Billing 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 Office of Student Billing.

  • Report Your Private Scholarships

    Will you be receiving a scholarship from an organization outside of DU this year? If so, let us know 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.

  • Add an Authorized User to DUPay

    If you’d like to give someone else (such as a parent) the ability to access your DUPay tuition account to view balances and make payments, add them as an authorized user.

  • 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. This means we can only provide general information about your account with a family member if you haven't given written consent.

    To speak to a family member or another third-party about your financial aid, you must complete a Release of Student Records form in My4D.

  • Keep an Eye on Your Checklist in My4D

    Be sure to frequently review the Financial Aid Checklist widget on your My4D dashboard. Items with the open circle icon next to it require further action and may prevent you from receiving your financial aid in a timely manner.

Contact

 

Financial Aid