The cost of college can be a major barrier for some Colorado families. Now, MSU Denver is expanding access with a $3.25 million scholarship initiative aimed at helping more students afford a college education.
The scholarship is part of MSU Denver Connect, a direct admission partnership with four local school districts: Denver Public Schools, Douglas County, Adams 14, and St. Vrain.
Denver7 reporter Sophia Villabla tells you more about the scholarship in the video below:
“Initiatives like these are really important because they kind of (work) twofold: Increasing access and then also improving affordability, removing financial barriers for students, so they can actually make this their dream of getting a higher education degree an actual reality,” MSU Denver executive director of admissions Vaughn Toland said.
Students from the four school districts with at least a 2.0 GPA are guaranteed admission into MSU Denver with no application fee and an expedited admissions process.
The new scholarship addresses the cost of attending and is eligible to spring 2026 and 2027 graduates who attend full time.
Students automatically receive $500 per semester for one year without having to apply separately, something they say is a big help.
“I thought my main focus was going to have to be work to be able to pay off the tuition, but now I can take more focus into my actual classes, making sure I do my best in every single one of them, and also looking into maybe doing some stuff outside of school, like extracurriculars, or just being on campus more,” MSU Denver freshman Ashley Rosado.
MSU Denver said more than 420 students received the scholarship this fall.
For more information on this program, click here.
