CSU Spur Start
Start your CSU experience in Denver.
With Spur Start at Colorado State University, you can spend your first year as a full-time CSU student at the Spur campus in Denver … and still live at home.
You’ll take small, hands-on classes, work with great instructors, and dive into projects that connect to real-world research and careers. Plus, you’ll be part of a tight-knit group of students starting college together and figuring it all out side by side.
After your finish your first year in Denver, you’ll head up to CSU Fort Collins with your Spur Start crew — ready to keep going, keep growing, and make the most of everything CSU has to offer.
Curious?
Webinars and tours
How Spur Start is different
- The CSU Spur campus is located in Denver.
- There are no residence halls. You get to live at home and save on the cost of residence halls and dining plans (upwards of $17,000)!
- You will automatically be accepted to a learning community, which lets you study alongside the same group of students, offers fun activities, and provides a mentor for guidance.
- You’ll choose your classes from a carefully selected lineup of the most-popular CSU courses.
- Class sizes are smaller than those in Fort Collins for freshmen.
How Spur Start isn’t different
- You are a full-time CSU student who receives all full-time student benefits like financial aid, scholarships, and CSU services and resources.
- You’re taught by exceptional CSU faculty.
- You’ll pay CSU tuition (but only half the fees, a $500 savings, and no housing and dining costs, upwards of $17,000 in savings).
More info and benefits
Eligibility
CSU Spur Start is available to admitted CSU students and is intended for students residing in the Denver metro area.
Location
CSU Spur is part of the National Western Center in northeast Denver, an area that’s getting a big makeover with new spaces and facilities. For now, the easiest way to get there is by car or bike.
Classes
All Spur Start classes are real CSU classes, so every credit you earn counts toward your degree. When it comes time to pick your classes, you won’t have to sort through hundreds of options. Instead, you’ll choose from a streamlined set of the most-popular CSU courses that were handpicked to fit lots of different majors.
Student activities and support
Spur Start is built around one a supportive learning community, which are small cohorts that help you adjust, stay on track, and connect with other students. You’ll get one-on-one support, a peer mentor, and access to academic workshops and exclusive events just for Spur Start students.
You’ll also take part in visits to CSU’s main campus in Fort Collins for learning experiences, social events, athletic games, and a special second-year orientation to make your move to Fort Collins super smooth (transportation’s covered).
And since you get all the benefits of being a CSU student, you also get a RamCard, which functions as your ticket to athletic events, a key to unlock spaces at Spur, and will be loaded with $200 of RamCash. RamCash can be used at Spur to purchase food and drink at the Spur café, campus vending, and Grubhub. RamCash doesn’t expire, and you can even use it after you move to the Fort Collins campus.
Cost
CSU Spur students pay half the usual student fees (about $500), and no housing or dining costs (about $17,500), saving you upwards of $17,000.
Plus, with financial aid like the CSU Tuition+ Promise, merit awards, partnership awards, and scholarships like the Denver Scholarship Foundation’s $3,600 renewable award, some students end up paying little to nothing out of pocket.
To be eligible for financial aid, you must complete the FAFSA (federal) and CAFSA (state) applications.
After Spur Start
After Spur Start students complete their first year, they join their peers on the Fort Collins campus to finish their degrees. You will be encouraged to engage in the Year 2 @ CSU program, which offers opportunities to maintain and strengthen your connection to CSU. You’ll also have the option to continue the cohort experience on the Fort Collins campus through communal living options with your CSU Spur Start peers.
We’re excited to chat
Our Spur Start admissions counselor, Darian, is here to answer your questions and help you figure out if Spur is the right fit for you.
