How do I pay for housing?

Yes. If you receive financial aid, you can use it to help pay for on and off-campus housing.

Apply for federal financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at FAFSA.gov.

If you are at CU Denver Lynx Crossing/City Heights: Your costs will be billed to your student account. After completing a housing contract, you will receive an email from Financial Aid confirming an adjustment to your estimated cost and a revised financial aid award letter.

If you are renting off-campus: You will be responsible for paying rent monthly to your off-campus unit and you may be able to use your financial aid to pay for the rent cost, if you receive a refund. Any aid you have accepted for the semester will pay through your student account at the beginning of the term. Once financial aid has paid to your student account, you may have a remaining balance which will be distributed as a refund and you can use to pay for off campus housing. We suggest including your rent payments (per month) in your cost of attendance each semester.

Click here to go to the financial aid page.

You may need to accept some or all of the loans offered to help with costs of living. The best way to determine this is to compare your estimated costs for tuition, fees, and housing for the year with the financial aid you have available.

If the financial aid you have available for the year (not counting work-study funding or loans) is enough to cover the estimated tuition, fee and housing costs for the year then you may not need loans.  If the estimated costs are higher than your estimated financial aid, then you may consider accepting loans to help pay the difference.

To accept loans, you can click on the Award Info tab on the Financial Aid Menu in the Student Hub.  Also keep an eye-out for informational emails to help you through the loan process.

This will depend on your situation.

• If you are living at the CU Denver Lynx Crossing/City Heights, expect to pay $5000-$7000 per semester. For more details click here.
• If you are renting off-campus unit from one of our student friendly apartments, rents can range from $850-$1300 a month plus utilities and other fees. Utilities can be an addition $50-$100 a month depending on the time of year. Others fee could include renters insurances, Wi-Fi, pet fees, and etc.

All situations can vary but this is a range you can expect.

• You can consider looking into scholarships to help pay for your cost of living. Visit the  Scholarship page to learn more.
• You can consider work study when applying for financial aid. Visit the Work study page to find out more.
• You can consider part time employment. Visit the Classroom 2 Career Hub page for more information. The Classroom 2 Career Hub (C2 Hub for short) is specialized program to connect students to employment opportunities.
• The City of Denver does have rental assistance options for individuals struggling to pay their rent. There are specific requirements to qualify for these programs. Please email the Student Care Center to learn more.

Students who are renting should be aware they have specific rights and responsibilities in the process. The following resources provide tips and information for individuals to consider prior to entering into a lease in Colorado. Here’s a handout for additional rights and responsibilities: Renters Rights and Responsibilities

Your Rights
Source: (Colorado Housing Connects, 2017 & University of Denver)

1. Right to be treated fairly and equitably when applying to, living in, and vacating a residence.
2. Right to be given notice before a rental property owner/manager enters (except in cases of emergency). Typically 24 hours notice prior to entry
3. Right to a written notice from property manager prior to any changes to the cost of rent.
4. Right to the return of any unused security deposit collected within 30 days of vacating the property.
5. Right to written requests to a prompt response to repair requests.

If you need additional help you can contact Denver Metro Fair Housing Center. Call (720)279-4291 or email [email protected]

Tenant Laws 

Here are additional informational links and guidelines:

• Landlord and Tenant Rights
• Tenant-Landlord Helpline Program
• Tenant Rights, Laws, and Protections – Know what your responsibilities are as a tenant

Knowing your rights as a renter is very important. It is vital for a renter to read their lease and ensure they understand it. Each apartment community or landlord has unique terms of an agreement and it is your responsibility to know and understand it.

Most apartments will have an application fee before you sign the lease. The fee will allow the landlord to run a background check on you to see if you have a criminal history in the U.S., or to check your credit, before agreeing to rent their unit to you.

Leases are legal contracts which will obligate you to pay your rent for a specified amount of time to the property owner or property management company. Leases are often rather long documents. You should read the lease before you sign it! Read it carefully and keep a copy for yourself as a reference in the future. The lease will outline important parts of your agreement, such as when rent is due each month, rules regarding pets or parking, cleanliness of the apartment, etc. You should ask the landlord or property manager any questions you have before you sign the lease. Make sure you understand what your agreement will obligate you to do!

Breaking a lease can be difficult if you decide you no longer wish to live at your apartment before the lease is over. Make sure you understand what will be required if you do need to break your lease.

Know your rights as a tenant! Review some of the resources below to familiarize yourself with what is allowed (and not allowed) in Colorado in terms of what a landlord can do, and what you can do as a tenant:

Here is some additional information to review before signing a lease: Important Things to Know Before Signing a Lease

Before signing a lease, you should review what is included in the cost of your rent. Charges for your utilities are often separate from your general rent cost. Some rental companies will cover the cost of certain utilities, such as water, garbage/sewage, and internet, but many landlords or property management companies will require you to pay for these utilities on your own. Below are some typical utilities that may cost “extra” in addition to your general rent, as well as some of the popular service providers in the Denver area:

• Water
  • Denver Water
• Electric and Gas
  • Xcel Energy
• Internet and/or Cable Television
  • Comcast/Xfinity
  • CenturyLink
  • DISH
  • DirectTV
• Garbage, Recycling and/or Sewage
  • Provided by the City of Denver
• Local Telephone Service
  • AT&T
  • CenturyLink
  • Comcast/Xfinity
  • Verizon Wireless

If the utility is not already included in your rent costs, you may need to contact a service provider directly to activate things like power, water, internet, etc. Some service providers have deals that allow you to purchase multiple services for a discounted price.

If you have roommates, you should discuss these utility costs and establish how they will be paid every month. The person who schedules the service, or the people whose names are on the leases, will ultimately be held responsible for these types of costs.

Please review the following resources if Renters Insurance is something you feel you need, or are required, in your home.

Here’s a list of resources:

• Renters Insurance: To Purchase or Not to Purchase
• Student Renters Guide

Eviction assistance: Colorado Poverty Law Project 

Colorado Legal Services: coloradolegalservices.org

Are you concerned about the habitability of your apartment? Is the toilet still broken after you reported it to the property management team? Not getting a response from the property management or landlord?

Try Fix My Rental Site and fill out an intake form to get legal advice.