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How Does the Colorado Opportunity Fund (COF) Work? #2025

I’m an in-state student planning to enroll in the Architectural Drafting Certificate program at Front Range Community College (FRCC). I’m trying to understand how the Colorado Opportunity Fund (COF) applies to my tuition.

FRCC’s website lists tuition as $285 per credit hour for in-state students and $169 per credit hour after the COF stipend is applied. However, when I check my COF account, it shows that I’m awarded $145 and that $145 remains. I’ve already been approved for COF and selected to apply the stipend toward eligible courses. I’m planning to enroll in 6 credit hours for my first semester and want to understand how this amount will impact my tuition. Could someone please explain how the $145 COF amount is calculated and applied to tuition? Also, why does the actual reduction on FRCC’s website show only $116 per credit hour instead of $145?

I’d appreciate any clarification or advice to help me make an informed decision.

#2025

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Dr’s Answer

Hey Tantat! Great question. Now, COF can definitely be a bit confusing at first, so here’s a little breakdown in plain terms which I hope helps out.

Basically, the Colorado Opportunity Fund (COF) gives money (called a "stipend") per credit hour to eligible in-state students at public colleges like FRCC. Right now, that stipend is around $116 per credit hour, not $145. The $145 you're seeing in your account might be a total for a previous term or a placeholder, it doesn’t reflect the current per-credit stipend that gets applied.

So here’s how it works for you:
FRCC tuition = $285 per credit hour
And, COF covers about $116 per credit hour
So, You pay the rest, around $169 per credit

If you take 6 credit hours, COF would cover, well, $696, and your remaining tuition would be about... $1,014 (before any other financial aid or scholarships).

Hope that clears it up a bit! Let me know if you want help further along the way or curiosity hits. Good luck bud.

Dr recommends the following next steps:

Double-check with FRCC's financial aid office, they’ll confirm your COF status and make sure it's applying correctly.
Make sure all your classes are COF-eligible (some certificate courses might not be).
Ask if there are other grants or scholarships available through FRCC for certificate programs.
Keep an eye on your COF account each semester to track usage—there is a lifetime limit.
Thank you comment icon Thank you for the explanation. I will check the following list you gave me. Tantat
Thank you comment icon You are very welcome Tantat, happy to help and to hear you going forth on it. Cant wait to see you crush your success bud. Dr H
Thank you comment icon Thank you for your support Doc.Frick truly appreciate it. Dr H
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