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Steamboat Springs — During tough economic times, it's important to save a buck whenever possible.

Through a unique grant offered through Colorado Mountain College, Colin McCaulley, who earned an associate's degree before transferring to the University of Colorado at Boulder, realized some savings on his education.

The 2005 Steamboat Springs High School graduate, who will be a senior next year at CU, saved about $3,500.

McCaulley took advantage of the Richard C. Martin Grant. It pays forward a portion of an in-district CMC student's tuition to a four-year college where they transfer after earning an associate's degree.

"It was a great program to get a head start to go to CU," McCaulley said. "That's what I wanted to do, graduate from CMC and go to a bigger school. It was a perfect companion for me."

The grant was first awarded in 1984 after Dick Martin retired, having served 14 years as a member of the college's board of trustees. Martin originally funded the grants, but they have since been absorbed in CMC's annual operating budget.

"The idea behind it was to (motivate) our in-district traditional-aged students to attend CMC. That was the internal benefit," said Bill Sommers, the college system's dean of enrollment in Glenwood Springs. "Externally, it provided students and parents of students who pay taxes here a financial incentive to pay tuition forward to a state school."

To be eligible, Sommers said students must meet a few basic requirements. A student doesn't need to be a high school graduate but must have attended high school in the CMC district where the campus they plan to attend is located. They must meet in-district residency requirements. Students must then complete associate degree requirements within five years of enrolling at the college.

And applying for the grant must be done before the end of a student's first semester at CMC, Sommers said.

"It's a great thing," said McCaulley's mother, Marilyn. "A lot more kids should take advantage of it because it's available for every Steamboat Springs High School graduate. He got all of his (CMC) tuition funded to go to CU. That's a great opportunity."

Sommers said, on average, CMC pays forward between $2,000 and $2,200 to a four-year school for each student who completes the requirements of their associate degree. He said, depending on which program a student is enrolled in, that typically takes between 60 and 64 credit hours. The cost for in-district students is $45 per credit hour.

For the 2009-10 school year, 62 incoming freshmen already have applied for the Richard C. Martin Grant across the college's 11-campus network, said Deb Cutter, enrollment services specialist. She said another 10 students have requested funds to transfer from CMC campuses to an in-state four-year school, and she expected another three or four.

Cutter said $29,500 is allocated for the grant in the college's 2009-10 budget. She said, in the past, the budget has allowed each student who requested the funds to receive them.

After he graduates from CU with a bachelor's degree in environmental studies next spring, McCaulley said he might work in national resources management. But he's not sure yet. He said any in-district students who plan to attend CMC should look into the Richard C. Martin grant because it gave him a head start on his tuition at CU.

"I think it's a great grant for local kids who are trying to do something with their lives," he said. "Or looking for an extra scholarship, it's good for that definitely."