SPA Financial Aid & Scholarships

• UCD Denver Downtown inancial Aid Office
• UCCS Financial Aid Office

The School of Public Affairs awards over $200,000 annually in scholarships to our students.  Please download the scholarship application for details and submit your completed application by the appropriate deadline (see table below).

Contact Rose Segawa with your questions about SPA Scholarships. 

SPA Scholarship Application Form

Scholarship Deadlines

*Preference for scholarships is given to students who submit all application materials by March 15^th

Undergraduate Scholarship

• General SPA Scholarship (Denver campus only):  To be awarded based on academic merit and financial need. 

Graduate Scholarships

• Diana Boulter Scholarship: To be awarded to a student who is employed full time and has family responsibilities. The scholarship will be awarded based on academic merit and financial need, and may be up to $1,000 per year ($500/semester). The award is to be used to fund tuition and fees.
• John C. Buechner Scholarship Fund: To be awarded to a student who intends to pursue a career in public service. Special consideration will be given to underrepresented students and those with some public service experience. The scholarship will be awarded based on financial need and outstanding academic merit. The amount of the award is $3,250 per year ($1,625/semester) and is to be used to fund tuition and fees. The student must be enrolled full time at SPA for the duration of the award and renewal of this award will be dependent upon continued full-time enrollment and successful academic performance and the judgment of the scholarship committee.
• Marshall Kaplan Scholarship: To be awarded to a student committed to addressing pressing social issues in developing countries. Award is also based on academic merit and financial need. This scholarship awards up to $1,000 per year ($500/semester). The student must be enrolled full time at SPA for the duration of the award. The scholarship money is to be used to fund tuition and fees.
• Susan Kirk Scholarship: To be awarded to a student who has demonstrated a commitment to community activism. The amount of the award may be up to $1,000 per year ($500/semester), and the scholarship is awarded based on financial need and academic merit. The student must be enrolled full time at SPA for the duration of the award. The scholarship money is to be used to fund tuition and fees.
• Arthur B. Murphy Scholarship: (Colorado Springs students only): To be awarded to highly qualified students to enable them to conduct graduate training in public administration and/or public policy. Up to two $750 scholarships ($375/semester) are available. Only students on the Colorado Springs campus carrying at least six hours of SPA coursework per semester are eligible. Applicants must be able to demonstrate relevant management experience in either the Public or Non-Profit sector, or agree to complete three semester hours of field study in Public Administration prior to graduation. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of scholarly achievement. In instances where equally qualified students are being considered for the same award, the Scholarship Selection Committee may require additional data to determine the greater financial need.
• E. Sam Overman Memorial Scholarship: To be awarded to a student with good academic standing. This scholarship is $750 a year award ($375/semester). The student must be enrolled full time at SPA for the duration of the award. The scholarship money is to be used to fund tuition and fees.
• General SPA Scholarship: To be awarded based on academic merit and financial need.
• Graduate Assistantship (Denver campus only):  To be awarded based on academic merit and financial need. As a graduate assistant, students will work under faculty supervision, and/or assist with SPA operations by providing teaching assistance, research or other services. This includes SPA areas such as: The Center on Domestic Violence; SPA Administration; The Wirth Chair in Environmental and Community Development Policy; The Center for Education Policy Analysis; The Center for Improvement in Public Management; and The Center for Public/Private Sector Cooperation. A graduate assistantship is funded at an hourly rate. Tuition assistance may also be awarded. A graduate assistantship requires you to physically be in the SPA offices in Denver.  If awarded a graduate assistantship, you will be required to verify your employment eligibility.
• Pete Wolfe Scholarship: To be awarded to a United States citizen based on financial need and academic merit. This scholarship is $500 a year award ($250/semester). The scholarship money is to be used to fund tuition and fees or general living expenses if tuition and fees are paid by another source.
• IGERT Assistantship (Denver Campus Only): The University of Colorado Denver has received a new grant from the National Science Foundation that is a cross disciplinary PhD on the topic of Sustainable Urban Infrastructure.  This program will be conducted among the UCD School of Public Affairs, Engineering, Architecture & Planning, and Health & Behavioral Sciences and will accept students from each of the aforementioned disciplines.  Students selected for this program will have an international focus and will look at the inter-connections between infrastructure engineering, urban planning, public policy, and health and human behavior in relation to designing resilient and sustainable urban infrastructure systems for the future.  Five new assistantships will be selected from AMONG THE PARTICIPATING schools (SPA, Engineering, Architecture & Planning, and Health & Behavioral Sciences) for the 2008 cohort and 13 selected for fall 2009.  This fellowship INCLUDES A $30,000 A YEAR STIPEND AND also pays full (IN-STATE) tuition and fees for two or three years.  This award is applied for through the PhD admission process.
• Peace Corp Scholarship (Denver Campus Only): Financial assistance to returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) who pursue graduate studies.  SPA will provide a $3,000 Scholarship renewable for two years.  Paid internship.  Opportunity to apply for other SPA scholarships and research assistantships. For more information.
• Young Nonprofit Professionals Association Scholarship (Denver campus only): To be awarded to a member of YNPN who is pursuing a degree at the SPA.  The award is to be used for tuition assistance, $500 per semester, and it is available to newly admitted students only.  For more information email spa@cudenver.edu or call Annie MacLachlan at 303-315-2896.
• Alumni Association Graduate Scholarship (Denver Campus Only): This scholarship is $1000 for both Fall and Spring semesters upon verification of the recipient's continuing eligibility ($2000 total). To be awarded to students who are enrolled in a minimum of 3 credit hours per semester, must have a minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA average, and must be classified as a resident of Colorado for tuition purposes.
• PhD Assistantships: For meritorious  candidates, SPA will also fund a small number of doctoral research assistantships each year, based on financial availability. Students selected will receive a full-tuition waiver as well as a stipend of $15,000 for the academic year. Our goal is to provide such funding for students for at least three years. This award is applied for through the PhD admission process and should not be submitted on this application. See the PhD handbook for further information.