DSF Scholarship Frequently Asked Questions

DSF strives to send awards within two weeks after your college confirms that you qualify. Some colleges confirm eligibility before the term starts, while others wait until after the last day to add or drop classes.

Because DSF must wait for confirmation before sending awards, awards may not be sent until after tuition is due. We encourage you to talk with your financial aid office about options like payment plans and waiving late fees.

Yes! You can receive a summer scholarship if you:

• Received a DSF award in at least one term of the regular school year 
• Are meeting requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) 
• Enroll in at least 3 summer credits at any DSF college partner 

Click here for more details. 

Unfortunately, you can no longer apply for DSF. Students must apply for the DSF Scholarship for the first time within one year of their high school graduation. For example, the high school class of 2025 must apply for DSF by May 1, 2026.

Sorry, you are not eligible to apply. You can use our scholarship search tools to look for other scholarships.

Yes, if your college classifies you as a Colorado resident for in-state tuition and state aid. You must meet the requirements for ASSET and complete the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA). Learn more here.

• You should apply for the DSF Scholarship either in 12th grade or the year after you graduate high school.
• You must receive your first DSF award by December 31 of the year after you graduate high school.
• Once you become a DSF Scholar, you may renew your scholarship for additional years. The number of years you can renew your scholarship depends on when you become a DSF Finalist and on the type of college your attend. Learn more here.

• The DSF application is open from February 1 to May 1. You must re-apply for each school year you want to receive the scholarship.
• There are other requirements you must meet after you apply. To see a complete list, click here.

• To update your contact info, log in to the DSF Student Portal, click My Account under your name, make updates, and save.
• To change the email address you use for the DSF portal and DSF emails, click My Account under your name, update the Registered Email, and save. You will receive a verification link at the new email address.
• To change your college choice for the upcoming school year, go to the Dashboard of your DSF account and change it by July 15.
• After you submit your DSF application, you cannot change anything except your college choice and contact info. If you need to correct anything else on your application, click Contact DSF in the DSF portal or call 303.640.6564 to share the correction so we can edit your application for you. Please note that if you completed your FAFSA or CASFA after applying for DSF, you do not need to update your DSF application. Your college will report your FAFSA or CASFA completion to DSF.

• DSF sends updates and reminders via email, text, and the DSF Student Portal. You are responsible for keeping your email address and phone number up to date. To make updates, click My Account under your name in the DSF portal, make changes, and save.
• You should receive an email confirmation right after you submit your DSF application. If you don't, return to the portal and make sure your application was submitted.
• We will inform all applicants in late May whether they are a DSF Finalist. There are other requirements you must meet after you become a Finalist. To stay on track, check Next Steps here.
• DSF will confirm if you qualify for a fall award in August or September, after your college reports your financial aid and enrollment info to DSF.
• If you have questions, click "Contact DSF" in the DSF Student Portal or call 303.640.6564. Don't wait until after a deadline passes to ask for help!

If you don't see the email in your inbox, check if it went to spam or junk. If it's not there, you may have mistyped your email address when you set up your account, making it impossible for the email to be delivered. Send a message to DSF and let us know what the email address should be for your account, and we will correct it and send you an email with a link to create a password and log in.

It may be because cookies are disabled in your browser or your browser cache is full. Try enabling cookies and/or clearing the cache.

Yes, you can use the portal on a smartphone. However, DSF suggests using a computer or tablet for the best experience.

The DSF Application may not work well on every type of device, particularly Androids. If you're having trouble on your current device, try using a different phone, a Chromebook, or another computer. Talk to your advisor or counselor if you need help finding a different device to use, or contact DSF and we will help you find a device. 

If you have a DSF Student Portal account: Log in, click "Contact DSF", compose a message, click "Send Message", click "Upload Files", and select file(s) to attach.

If you do not have a DSF Student Portal account, you can only share documents via email. Attach your file(s) to an email and send it to support@denverscholarship.org.

Success Plans are a list of all the tasks you need to do to stay on track for your DSF Scholarship each semester. When your college reports your eligibility information to DSF, these tasks get updated by the Scholarship Team to show if you completed them on time or not.

You should use your Success Plan to keep track of the things you'll need to do to stay on track for DSF. If you have already completed a task and it is still showing up as Not Started on your Success Plan, your college probably hasn't reported your information to DSF yet. Once your college reports your information to DSF, your tasks will be updated by the first business day of the next week. If you're not sure if you've completed a task or not, you should check your college's portal to see if there's anything you still need to complete.

Your Success Plan is meant to help you stay on track; you cannot edit your plans to show completion. Instead, DSF will update your plans as we hear back from your college.