SPA Financial Aid & Scholarships

• UCD Denver Downtown Financial Aid Office
• UCCS Financial Aid Office
• Public Affairs Resources for Loans, Scholarships & Fellowships

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 and are admitted to SPA by March 15^th

Undergraduate Scholarships

General SPA Scholarship: To be awarded to new or current criminal justice majors.  The award will be based on merit (high school or college GPA & test scores), a written essay, and financial need. For consideration, students must submit the School of Public Affairs Scholarship Application a current Student Aid Report (SAR) generated from the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance, and a 250-500 word essay. The essay should address two areas:
     1.   The student’s goals as they relate to the criminal justice program.  Students should highlight what they have learned, or what they hope to learn, in their criminal justice courses and how they plan to apply that knowledge to achieving their goals.
     2.   How the financial assistance will contribute to their success in the program. Award amounts will range from $500-$1500 per semester depending on the number of qualified applicants, the competiveness of the applicant, and available funding. (Denver Campus Only)

General SPA Scholarship, Experiential Learning Scholarship: To be awarded to current BACJ students who actively participate in experiential learning projects.  The award will be merit based.  The student must be actively engaged in an experiential learning project related to their studies.  Examples of experiential learning projects include: participation in the C J Honor Society, volunteer work, internship activity, active participation in criminal justice co-curricular events, etc. Students must be enrolled in at least 9 semester credit hours at UCD for the duration of the award. For consideration, students must submit the School of Public Affairs Scholarship Application, a Student Aid Report (SAR) generated from the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance, a detailed outline of their experiential learning project and involvement, and one letter of recommendation from a representative that attests to the student’s involvement. Award amount will range from $500-$1500 a semester depending on the number of qualified applicants, the quality of the project, and available funding. Scholarship will be available for the fall and spring semester to current students only.  The priority deadline for consideration is March 15. (Denver Campus Only)

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 $450 per year ($225/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.  Purpose of the John Buechner Scholarship fund is to assist in achieving a diverse student body. The scholarship will be awarded based on financial need and outstanding academic merit.  The amount of the award is $3,300 per year ($1,650/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 $1,200 per year ($600/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 $750 per year ($375/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 $500 a year award ($250/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.  There will not be any General SPA Scholarship Awards for the 2009-2010 Academic Year. 

Graduate Assistantship (Denver campus only):  As a graduate, teaching, or research assistant, students will work under faculty/director 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, teaching, or research assistant is employed and funded at an hourly rate. An assistantship requires you to physically be in the SPA offices in Denver. If awarded an Assistantship, you will be required to verify your employment eligibility. Assistantships are awarded based on availability at the School of Public Affairs.

Pete Wolfe Scholarship: To provide scholarships for students who are members of a federally recognized Indian tribe at the School of Public Affairs. This scholarship is $750 a year award ($375/semester). 

The recipients of the scholarship shall be United States citizens of a federally recognized Native American tribe and his or her ancestral lands must lie at least partially within the boundaries of the lower 48 states plus Alaska. The scholarship award may be applied to tuition, fees, or general living expenses while attending SPA. Applicants must include which federally recognized tribe they are a member of in their essay.

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:  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. Preference will be to given candidates who will begin in the fall semester. Other applicants will be considered on a space available basis. There is a separate application form for this scholarship, please contact Christine Martell for more information email Christine.Martell@ucdenver.edu or call 303-315-2716. (Denver Campus Only).

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 Davies at 303-315-2896.

Alumni Association Graduate Scholarship (Denver Campus Only): This scholarship is $3000 for both Fall and Spring semesters. 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.