Otero College Alternative Teacher Licensure Colorado

Aerial view of brown building situated on a lush, green campus.

Otero College

About

Otero College is located on an attractive 40-acre campus on the southern edge of La Junta, Colorado. Otero College is proud of its reputation as one of the finest community colleges in the State of Colorado. Their students can be found working in many of today's high demand careers, including fast-growing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers.

Otero is an accredited Hispanic Serving Institution and provides cutting-edge education that offers various two-year degrees, transfer degrees in preparation for four-year bachelor degree programs, and workforce ready certificates.

College or University
La Junta

Institution Links

Programs

Community College Pathways

Bridge to Bachelor's

Pre-Test Required
No

Relevant Links

Program

Program Info

The Bridge to Bachelor’s Degree program guarantees new, first-time students who complete an Associate’s Degree at a Colorado Community College System college will be admitted to a participating four-year university. Participating students receive personalized advising and guidance for a no-hassle transfer process and scholarship opportunities to make degrees from a four-year institution more attainable and affordable. Students can attend one of the 13 CCCS colleges and then transfer to one of 13 Colorado four-year universities. Participating students also have the option to attend one of two Historically Black Colleges or Universities: Saint Augustine’s University or Texas Southern University.

When choosing a program, think about what you want to study as a future teacher. Otero Community College offers an Elementary Teacher Education AA, but you can also you can use any AA or AAS degree to transfer to a four-year institution and major in or get licensed in education!

To participate as a new, first-time student at any CCCS college, note you want to participate in the Bridge to Bachelor’s Degree program when filling out your CCCS college application. Then, check with your community college advisor to make sure your intended degree and program are eligible. If you’re already in your first semester in CCCS, you can still apply by contacting your community college advisor and expressing interest in signing up for the Bridge to Bachelor’s Degree program.

To be eligible to transfer, a first-time CCCS student must:
• Opt-in the program at the start of an Associate degree program at a CCCS College, or within their first semester
• Maintain a 2.0 minimum GPA
• Complete any Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) Degree

Upcoming Deadlines

Deadlines
Program Start

Rolling Deadline
Fall

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Application Fee & Annual Tuition

Learn how to get$100 Back
and apply for a$1000 Scholarship

$7,812
In State Tuition
$7,822
Out of State Tuition

Ways to Lower Your Costs

Students at Otero College have reduced the cost of their program using these methods. Check with Otero College to see if you can, too!

Amount

Description

Grants, Stipends, Scholarships

$1,000-$2,500
Otero College offers Rattler Nation Merit Scholarships to Colorado residents who enroll in at least 15 credit hours at Otero College the fall semester following their high school graduation date. These annual awards are based on Cumulative High School GPA and an Otero GPA of 3.0 or higher is required to renew each year.

The COSI Finish What You Started program is a grant funded program to provide financial assistance and support services to students who have earned credits at Otero and want to return to complete their degree/certificate. Eligible students must have “some-credit, no-degree” from Otero or another accredited college in the past; be impacted economically by the pandemic, or show some sort of financial hardship; and be pursuing a first higher education degree or certificate.

Otero College offers many other scholarship opportunities for students as well.

The College Opportunity Fund
The College Opportunity Fund is a state stipend toward undergraduate degrees for Colorado residents attending Colorado public institutions. For the 2022-2023 school year, the Colorado Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend is $104 per credit hour. COF is not considered financial aid. Students eligible for in-state tuition can receive the stipend every term that they take eligible undergraduate courses, and have not met the 145 credit hour life time limit.

Colorado Merit Aid
The state of Colorado allocates funding for students who have achieved high academic success. Students must be enrolled in 6 or more credit hours and be a Colorado resident. Please check with the Financial Aid Office on current requirements.

Colorado Student Grant (CSG)
The Colorado Student Grant program is designed to assist needy students with educational expenses. Students must be residents of the State of Colorado and must demonstrate documented financial need. The maximum award for the 2022-2023 academic year is $3,500 to full-time students. Students must be making satisfactory academic progress. Funds are awarded to early applicants who meet the financial aid deadline of May 1st. All other applicants are awarded until the funding is exhausted.

Work Study, Working While Still Enrolled

Students who are enrolled in at least 6 credit hours are eligible for work-study. The monetary amount offered is determined by your financial aid and various budget items.

Tuition Discounts

In state tuition is $7,812 per year on-campus and $5,508 per year online.

Out of state tuition is $7,822 per year on-campus.

For more information visit:Financial Aid Office

Licensure Areas

Get Started

Own the application process. Meet with a career advisor today to make a plan for how you will apply.

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