Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI)
Are you a Colorado resident with some college, but did not graduate or obtain your credential? Are you thinking of re-enrolling to finish your degree?
CSU Pueblo is thrilled to help you return to school to complete that degree that you started but didn't finish. We know sometimes life gets in the way, so we're dedicated to eliminating barriers for student success!
A new partnership with the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative and CSU Pueblo is providing adults (25+) with support services and scholarships to obtain college credentials or degrees.
The Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI) was created to address the state’s high proportion of adults with college degrees is due to credentialed migrants moving in instead of reflecting an educated homegrown workforce. COSI would expand the use of best practices throughout the state through a funding model that received bi-partisan approval. By leveraging state funds to generate local giving, the program grows community efforts and engages private donors to increase available scholarships well beyond the investment from the state.
If you are interested in any of the COSI Programs, please fill out the interest form below.
COSI Programs
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Finish What You Started
The Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative launched the Finish What You Started Program in 2021 to help Colorado residents go back to school and earn their credential or degree. The program supports in two ways: providing financial assistance and support services throughout their college experience. These funds support addressing the significant decline in enrollment at our public institutions of higher education, high rate of job loss, continuing unemployment, and the overall disruption to the workforce caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. These disruptions have resulted in significant economic harm to individuals and businesses. Finish What You Started quickly and effectively provides support for students to return to their college or university to complete their postsecondary credential to help rebuild and revitalize Colorado’s workforce.
Why Should You Participate?
Support:
Finish What You Started program provides support services to students in order to obtain college credentials or degrees. This may include additional services such as career planning and student coaching, connection to community and public resources (e.g., transportation assistance, childcare centers, legal aid services, housing support, etc.) and career connections.
Are You Eligible?
Participants must meet the following criteria*:
- Experienced an economic impact** due to COVID-19 pandemic (must be willing to sign an affirm statement)
- Must be a Colorado resident
- Must affirm program eligibility using one of three criteria set forth by the Colorado Office of State Controller for State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
- Must plan to enroll or be enrolling at a Colorado public college or university
- Must complete a credential or degree within the grant term
- Must be pursuing your first higher education certificate or degree (previous degree holders are ineligible)
- Undergraduate, in-state students who fit one of the following two categories:
- Have "Some College, No Degree": Defined as students who earned some postsecondary credits from a Colorado public/private higher education institution but did not complete a certificate or degree before deciding not to enroll for two or more consecutive semesters.
- For Some College, No Degree, the student must have earned previous credits from a Public or Private IHE in the State of Colorado
- Have "Some College, No Degree": Defined as students who earned some postsecondary credits from a Colorado public/private higher education institution but did not complete a certificate or degree before deciding not to enroll for two or more consecutive semesters.
- Are "First-time Students": Defined as students who were admitted to a Colorado public institution of higher education as a first-time student for the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 academic year but did not enroll at any institution for the 2020-2021 academic year.
- First time students must have been admitted to a Colorado Public IHE in 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 and have documentation of this
* Colleges may have additional participation criteria
* *COSI definition of economic impact is intentionally broad and includes any form of economic/financial impact at any time from March 2020 through present day for the student and/or members of their household. This is a wide net of impacts may include but is not limited to: to lost job, furlough, reduced hours/wages, changes in schedule, childcare needs, new expenses related to COVID, online work/school supplies or technology, health or medical needs/supplies, death/illness of a household member etc.
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Back To Work
Have you experienced economic loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you thinking of starting or continuing college?
The Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI) COSI awarded $15 million to 21 providers across the state for a program aimed at getting Coloradans the education and training they need to get Back to Work after the pandemic. The program supports workers displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic who were laid off or furloughed, experienced decreased earnings, had job offers rescinded, or could not enter the workforce because of adverse economic conditions. The program centers around giving these workers an incentive to reskill, upskill, or complete industry-recognized credentials to improve economic prospects for themselves and their communities. The goal is to create a path to workforce opportunities for affected workers by providing support in accessing and completing credentials that align with the needs of the Colorado workforce.
You may be eligible for a scholarship per term from CSU Pueblo.
Why You Should Participate?
Supports:
- Enrollment support in registration, financial aid scholarships, and more
- 1:1 support to ensure progress toward the completion of a credential/degree
- connection and career support and transition back into the workforce
Scholarships:
- A COSI support person will work with you to understand the total cost of obtaining your degree, exploring federal aid and other scholarship opportunities
Are You Eligible?
Participants must meet the following criteria*:
- Displaced** and/or economic impact*** due to COVID-19 pandemic (must be willing to sign an affirm statement)
- Must be a Colorado resident
- Must affirm program eligibility using one of three criteria set forth by the Colorado Office of State Controller for State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
- Must complete a credential or degree within the grant term
- Pursue undergraduate certificate/degree, can have a previous bachelor’s or higher level degree and be returning to school for re-training
- New, re-engaged, or currently enrolled students
- Enroll at a Colorado Public Institution of Higher Education****
- Students seeking credentials or degrees aligned with Colorado Top Job. Prioritizing health care, education, information technology, and jobs with the greatest projected annual openings
*Colleges may have additional participation criteria
**COSI definition of “displaced due to COVID 19”: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employment in the participants’ household was lost or decreased. The loss/change in employment may have resulted from the economic impact, home/family responsibilities, or health, etc.
***COSI definition of economic impact is intentionally broad and includes any form of economic/financial impact at any time from March 2020 through present day for the student and/or members of their household. This is a wide net of impacts may include but is not limited to: to lost job, furlough, reduced hours/wages, changes in schedule, childcare needs, new expenses related to COVID, online work/school supplies or technology, health or medical needs/supplies, death/illness of a household member etc.
****Students attending CSU Global are not eligible.
