Displaced Aurarian Scholarship

The Displaced Aurarian Scholarship Program provides former Auraria residents and their descendants scholarships to all programs offered on the Auraria campus.

Program Details

The Displaced Aurarian Scholarship was designed to provide funds for tuition and fees for undergraduate and graduate students who were residents of the Auraria neighborhood between between 1955 and 1973, before the Auraria Higher Education Campus was built. The scholarship is also available to the direct descendants of these residents. From 1988 through 2021, more than 600 people received Displaced Aurarian Scholarships.

Program Expansion

Beginning in the Spring 2022 semester, the program is expanding to include all direct descendants of the displaced Aurarians in perpetuity. A direct descendant is a person who was born or legally adopted into the direct line (great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, etc.).

This program covers tuition and fees for degree- or credential-seeking students for state-supported classes, at either the undergraduate or graduate level, offered by CU Denver at either the CU Denver campus (Auraria) or online. Classes taught at other locations, including Anschutz Medical Campus, are not funded by the scholarship.

Students must demonstrate academic success/progression to continue to receive the scholarship. As of Spring 2022, there is no limitation to the number of semester hours or semesters that students may receive support for.

Applicant Eligibility

  • Descendant of an Auraria resident
    • CU Denver acknowledges that families are not always linear or nuclear. For that reason, we welcome individuals who were raised by a Displaced Aurarian to apply for the scholarship
    • Applicants will be asked to provide documentation that an Auraria resident was their (or their guardian’s) primary caregiver. Documentation showing familial/guardian lineage between Displaced Aurarian and scholarship applicant, as well as proof of residency during required timeframe
  • Proof of approval at another Auraria Campus Institution
  • Proof of relationship to another approved Displaced Aurarian Scholarship recipient at CU Denver or another Auraria Institution
Apply for the Displaced Aurarian Scholarship

Frequently Asked Questions

    Please email displacedaurarian@ucdenver.edu with eligibility documentation. Our team will review documentation and communicate with you if additional documentation is requested. Once eligibility is confirmed, students are awarded DAS funding and notified via email.

    Awards are applied to the student’s account after census date each academic term.

     

    Applicants are responsible for demonstrating both qualifying lineage or caregiving relationship and historical residency within the recognized Auraria neighborhood during the period of 1955 through 1973.


    Acceptable documentation may include, but is not limited to:
    • Birth certificates;
    • Adoption records;
    • Marriage certificates;
    • School enrollment records;
    • Church records;
    • Tax records;
    • Census records;
    • Property ownership or lease records;
    • Historical photographs;
    • Newspaper articles;
    • Published historical records;
    • Other documentation that reasonably establishes lineage or residency.

    The geographical area is bounded by Colfax, Auraria Parkway, Speer, and I-25.

     

     

    Historic Auraria Neighborhood
    • DAS covers tuition and fees only for state-supported (D1) courses offered on the Auraria Campus or through approved online programs.
    • Courses delivered at locations outside the Auraria Campus, including the Anschutz Medical Campus, are not eligible for scholarship.
    • Funds can be used for 1 bachelors, 1 masters, and 1 PhD program, per student. Non-degree courses, certificate, licensure-only programs are not eligible.
    • Faculty-led CU Denver study abroad programs may be eligible for scholarship support. DAS will only cover tuition and fees. Funds will not cover flight, travel, hotel or housing, food, or other non-tuition and course fee related expenses accrued while studying abroad.
      • Study abroad opportunities administered by third-party organizations are not eligible.

    • Students shall maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
    • Students should meet regularly with an academic advisor to develop and maintain an academic plan supporting timely degree completion.
    • Recipients are not required to submit a new Displaced Aurarian Scholarship application for each academic term once eligibility has been established.
    • Students transferring among the participating Auraria institutions may request transfer of their scholarship eligibility, subject to verification by the receiving institution.

    Yes, however only faculty-led CU Denver study abroad programs may be eligible for scholarship support. DAS will only cover course tuition and fees while studying abroad. Funds will not cover flight, travel, hotel or housing, food, or other non-tuition and course fee related expenses accrued while studying abroad.

    Study abroad opportunities administered by third-party organizations are not eligible. If you’re unsure what type of study abroad you may be participating in, please reach out to us or the Global Education office.

    DAS will be posted to student accounts shortly after the semester’s census date. This is required to confirm enrollment and tuition and fee charges. 

Point of Contact

If you are an applicant or a current Displaced Aurarian Scholarship recipient, you can contact our team at displacedaurarian@ucdenver.edu.