Top DSF Scholarship Questions
Am I eligible for the DSF Scholarship?
Click here to see the initial eligibility criteria to apply.
How do I demonstrate financial need?
New applicants for the DSF Scholarship demonstrate financial need by submitting the FAFSA, CASFA, or other aid application as required by their college and completing their college’s financial aid process. Their college informs DSF of their final Student Aid Index (SAI). New Applicants for the 2024-25 academic year must have a final SAI of 16,640 or less to qualify for DSF.
Once an applicant meets DSF's financial need requirement, they are considered to have met it for all subsequent years, even if their SAI goes up.
Please note: The initial SAI that is provided in your financial aid application or by your college may change when the college completes its financial aid process. For more information, click here.
I graduated from a DPS high school in 2022 or earlier. Am I still eligible to apply for the DSF Scholarship?
Unfortunately, you can no longer apply for DSF as a first-time applicant. 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 2023 must apply for DSF by May 1, 2024.
I'm an international student. Would I qualify for the DSF Scholarship?
Unfortunately, you are not eligible to apply. However, you are welcome to use our scholarship search tools to look for other scholarships.
I'm not a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident. Would I qualify for the DSF Scholarship?
Yes, DSF provides scholarship support to students who meet the requirements to qualify for Colorado residency classification by their college/university and meet all other DSF requirements, regardless of citizenship status or eligibility for federal student aid. If you are not a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident, to qualify for DSF you must meet the requirements for ASSET and complete the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA). For more details, learn more here.
When should I apply for the DSF Scholarship?
- You should apply for the DSF Scholarship either during your senior year of high school or the year after your high school graduation.
- If you become a Finalist, you must receive your first scholarship payment before the Initial Payment deadline, December 31 of the year after your high school graduation, to become a DSF Scholar. Once you are a DSF Scholar, you may renew your scholarship.
- The number of years you can renew your scholarship depends on when you become a DSF Scholar and on the type of college you attend. For more details, learn more here.
When is the DSF Scholarship Application due?
- The DSF Scholarship Application is due May 1. You must re-apply each year that you wish to be considered for the scholarship.
- If you become a DSF Finalist (you will be informed of your application status at the end of May), there will be additional requirements and deadlines that you must meet. Completing the DSF Application is only the first of several steps in the application process. To see a complete list of scholarship requirements, learn more here.
Can I go back to update or correct my application after submitting it?
- If you need to update your contact information, log in to the DSF Student Portal, click My Account underneath your name, then make any updates and click Save Changes.
- If you need to change the email address you used to register and log in to your DSF Student Portal account, click My Account underneath your name, then update the Registered Email and click Save Changes. You will receive a verification email at the new email address.
- If you need to change the college you plan to attend for the 2024-25 academic year, you must change your College Choice in the My Dashboard section of your DSF Student Portal account by July 15, 2024.
- If you need to update any other information on your application, get in touch with the DSF Scholarship Team using the Contact DSF section of the Student Portal, or call 303.640.6564 to correct your application.
- Once your application has been submitted, you cannot make changes online other than updating contact information or updating your college choice.
Once I submit my application, when can I expect to hear back from DSF?
- DSF will communicate with you via email, text messages (if you agree), and the DSF Student Portal. It is your responsibility to update your contact information, especially your email address and phone number. To make updates, click My Account underneath your name in the DSF Student Portal, make any changes, and click Save Changes.
- You should receive an automated email confirmation when your DSF application has been submitted. If you don't receive this confirmation, please return to the Student Portal and make sure your application was submitted.
- We will inform all applicants at the end of May whether they are a DSF Finalist. There are additional requirements you will need to meet after you become a Finalist; to stay on track, refer to the to-do list on the Dashboard of your Student Portal account, or to the list of requirements here.
- DSF makes final determinations on who qualifies for a scholarship award between mid-August and mid-September, after it confirms financial aid file completion and enrollment information for Finalists.
- If you have questions, please contact us by using the Contact DSF section of the Student Portal or by calling 303.640.6564. Don't wait until after a deadline passes to ask your questions!
At which colleges can I receive the DSF Scholarship?
The type of college you can attend as a DSF Scholar depends on several factors:
- The college must be a DSF college partner in Colorado. View the list of eligible colleges.
- The type of college where you're eligible for DSF also depends on your final high school grade point average (GPA). See our GPA requirements for more information.
- Within your 5-year period of DSF Scholarship eligibility, there are limits on how long you can renew the DSF Scholarship at certain types of colleges.
- College/University: Students enrolled in a 4-year public or private college or university are eligible for scholarship consideration during all 5Â years of the eligibility period.
- Community College: Students enrolled in a community college or junior college are eligible for scholarship consideration during the first 3Â years of the eligibility period.
- Technical College: Students enrolled in a technical college are eligible for scholarship consideration during the first 2 years of the eligibility period.
DSF Scholarship Award
Why is the DSF Scholarship not showing up on my award letter?
The DSF Scholarship will not appear on your award letter until DSF verifies you that you have met all deadlines and requirements. It may not appear on your award letter until after DSF has sent your scholarship payment to your college.
Before DSF can process your scholarship award, DSF must first confirm that you:
- Have a qualifying Student Aid Index (SAI) or met DSF's financial need requirement in a previous school year;
- Are enrolled full-time (12 credit hours or more) at an eligible DSF college partner;
- Finalized your college choice in your DSF Student Portal account no later than July 15;
- Completed all financial aid requirements at your college by July 15;
- Are meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements at your college; and
- Met all Student Success Requirements (SSRs) in the previous term, if you received the DSF Scholarship that term.
Scholarship awards may not be received before tuition or other educational expenses are due. Ask the Office of Financial Aid at your college about payment plan options or waiving late fees.
When will my DSF Scholarship payment be sent to my college?
DSF strives to process scholarship awards within two weeks after your college confirms you meet all of DSF's eligibility requirements. Some colleges report eligibility information before of the beginning of the term, while others wait until after the census date (last day to add or drop classes for a full tuition refund).
Before DSF issues your scholarship award, DSF must first confirm that you have met all scholarship requirements (see FAQ "Why is the DSF Scholarship not showing up on my award letter?" for an overview of these requirements).
Because DSF cannot process scholarship awards until all requirements are met, awards may not be issued before tuition or other educational expenses are due. We encourage you to discuss payment plan options with the Office of Financial Aid at your college.
Does DSF offer summer scholarships?
Yes. Students who meet the following requirements are eligible for a summer award:Â
- Received a DSF award in at least one term of the regular academic yearÂ
- Meeting requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)Â
- Enrolled in at least 3 summer credits at any DSF college partnerÂ
Click here for more details.Â
Online Student Portal
Why can't I create an account?
To create an account in the DSF Student Portal, you must meet the eligibility requirements for the DSF Scholarship.
- Review the eligibility requirements to determine whether you meet them.
- Then, make sure you have either entered your birthdate in the MM/DD/YYYY format or selected the date correctly from the pop-up calendar.
- Then, check that you have correctly entered either your DPS student ID number or your college student ID number (i.e., the one that DSF would currently have on file for you), and make sure you click out of the student ID field when you're done typing.
If you've tried all these steps and still cannot create an account, reach out to the DSF Scholarship team to let them know so they can troubleshoot.
Why haven't I received the account confirmation email to set my password?
If you don't see the account confirmation email in your inbox, check whether it went to another folder such as Spam, Junk, or Promotions. If it's not there either, you may have mistyped your email address when you set up your portal account, making it impossible for the email to be delivered. Contact the Scholarship team and let them know what the email address should be for your account, and they will correct it in your account settings and send you a password reset email so you can finish setting up your account and log in.
Why can't I access the scholarship application in the portal?
You may not be able to access the application in your portal account because cookies are disabled in your browser or your browser cache is full. Try enabling cookies and/or clearing the cache in your browser.
Can I use the portal on a smartphone?
Yes, you can access and use the student portal on a smartphone. However, please note that the mobile version of the portal is designed to be used with the phone in portrait mode, and the mobile version may not have the same functionality as the desktop version. For the best experience, DSF recommends accessing the portal on a laptop or desktop computer.
How do I upload documents to DSF?
If you have a DSF Student Portal account, log in, click Contact DSF in the top toolbar, write a message and subject line, click "Send Message", click "Upload Files", then select one or more files to attach to your message.
If you do not have a DSF Student Portal account, you can only share documents with DSF via email. Attach your file(s) to an email and send it to support@denverscholarship.org.
