Five Tips for Paying for a Colorado Education: Free Programs and Options Explained

Summary: Five tips to help pay for a Colorado education.

Concurrent enrollment, dual enrollment, fifth-year high school, Colorado Promise, and Career Advance are programs in Colorado that help students get money for college.

Concurrent and dual enrollment allow high school students to take college-level classes for free, either at their high school, online, or on a college campus.

ASCENT, P-TECH, and early college are options for students to attend college classes while still in high school, with ASCENT providing a fifth-year option and early college allowing students to graduate with an associate’s degree.

Care Forward Colorado and Career Advance Colorado offer free training and education opportunities for students.

Five tips to help pay for a Colorado education

How am I going to pay for college? Often, the inability to answer that question keeps Colorado students from heading to school. Students, however, rarely pay the sticker price. Instead, there are numerous options for students to get money for school, especially the free programs Colorado offers to help students pay for some credits or college in its entirety.

Concurrent and dual enrollment

Students in high school can enroll in college-level classes while in high school in almost every Colorado district for free. The classes offered by schools can vary from district to district. Some students might attend classes at their high school, take classes online, or go to a college campus. The programs are widespread statewide and meant to help students earn a few credits up to an associate’s degree. On average, most students enroll in about two college classes while in high school. Popular options include introductory courses such as English composition, college algebra, psychology, communication, or business classes.

ASCENT, P-TECH, and early college

ASCENT is a fifth-year option for students to attend college classes while extending their high school education by a year. There are limited slots for students statewide and the fifth year of high school is free to them. P-TECH is also a less common free option that teaches students more technical skills, such as welding or other trades. While this covers the cost of classes offered at the college level, students might still need to pay for transportation or books. And early college, offered at a few district and charter high schools, allows students to graduate from high school in four years with an associate’s degree. There aren’t many statewide.

Care Forward Colorado and Career Advance Colorado

Care Forward Colorado offers free training at the state’s…

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