Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)

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 on specific 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.

Eligible locations

Alaska, Arizona, California, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Republic of the Marshall Islands, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

Cost comparison

CO ResidentsNon-ResidentsWUE

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 for 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 more details from the Office of Financial Aid

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

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FRESHMEN

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

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR TRANSFERS