A student mountain bikes along Horsetooth Reservoir.

What is WUE?

If you are not a resident of Colorado but live in the western United States or in select jurisdictions of the U.S. Pacific islands, you may be eligible for a significant reduction in tuition through the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) award.

Simply put: You could save about $10,000 per year. That could be $40,000 in savings over the course of four years.

How do you apply?

We only need your application for admission to CSU. No separate application needed.

Eligible locations

States: Alaska, Arizona, California,Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
U.S. Pacific Islands:
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau

Cost comparison

Colorado ResidentsNon-ResidentsWUE Residents
Full-time tuition and general fees$12,874$32,734$22,270
Other estimated costs$17,575$18,275$18,275
Total estimated cost of attendance$30,449$51,009$40,545

Estimated costs are for the on-campus 2022-2023 academic year. See the full breakdown.

Freshmen student eligibility

  • Be seeking a degree through CSU’s main campus (not CSU Online)
  • Be a resident of a WUE-eligible state or territory
  • Submit a complete application for admission by February 1 for fall semester or November 1 for spring semester. If a student starts classes in summer, the scholarship can’t be used until fall semester.
  • Demonstrate a GPA of 3.3 or above

Transfer student eligibility

  • Be seeking a degree through CSU’s main campus (not CSU Online)
  • Be a resident of a WUE-eligible state or territory
  • Submit a complete application for admission by June 1 for fall semester or November 1 for spring semester. If a student starts classes in summer, the scholarship can’t be used until fall semester.
  • Have a cumulative college GPA of a 3.0 or over with at least one semester of college completed
  • Transfer to CSU with at least 15 college-level credits

Get full details for freshmen

Learn more about the WUE award and other CSU scholarships for freshmen/first-year students.

Get full details for transfers

Learn more about the WUE award and other CSU scholarships for transfer students.