University of Colorado Boulder

DSF wants you to succeed as you pursue your education, and in partnership with University of Colorado Boulder DSF Scholars are provided with additional support on campus to help you be successful. DSF Scholars must meet certain Student Success Requirements to maintain scholarship eligibility. 

Click on the button below to download a PDF of the Student Success Requirements at CU Boulder, plus details on reaching your campus contact.

Chris Pacheco
Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE), Suite W220
303.492.7976
christopher.pacheco@colorado.edu

Kirstie Hunter
kirstie.hunter@colorado.edu

Lindsey Weinstein
lindsey.weinstein@colorado.edu

Visit Financial Aid website >

77 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0077

303.492.5091
financialaid@colorado.edu

DSF wants every college student to successfully complete a college degree or certificate. Below are some helpful resources and programs that are available at CU Boulder.

• TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) –  a comprehensive and holistic academic excellence program to cultivate each student’s sense of community, achievement, and leadership, while valuing their individuality and unique needs.  TRIO SSS strives to maximize student involvement, and success in CU’s academic community through mentorship, academic programs, and one-on-one counseling.
• TRIO SSS Summer Ready (Summer Bridge) – Summer Ready is a one-week residential summer bridge program for newly admitted TRiO SSS program participants. Summer Ready provides participants with the knowledge to get a jump start on their CU-Boulder career.  Students are prepared for a successful first-year experience by becoming familiar with campus resources, registering for classes, receiving highly individualized academic advising, sampling a college class, receiving financial aid assistance, engaging in peer-mentoring activities, building a supportive community, and becoming familiar with college life.
• Leeds Diverse Scholars Program (DSP) – The Diverse Scholars Program (DSP) focuses on comprehensive student development through a variety of group and individual interactions with program participants. DSP is built on four strategic pillars: academic achievement, educational excellence, professional development and community outreach. Each of these areas is specifically designed to allow students to be both leaders and learners as they progress throughout their undergraduate experience. Application deadline is early August.
• CMCI Pathways to Excellence in Media and Communication Summer Intensive – The summer intensive is a unique residential workshop that prepares incoming first-year CMCI students for academic success in media and communication. Participating students produce their own advertising campaigns and multimedia projects, receive math and writing instruction and tour newsrooms and ad agencies.
• CU LEAD Alliance – a unique set of academic learning communities whose students, faculty and staff are united to promote inclusive excellence. These “academic neighborhoods” build camaraderie and promote student success during the first-year and throughout students’ four years through a rich array of cohort experiences, participation scholarships, academic enrichment activities, and community-building activities.
• CU-STARs – CU-STARs (Science, Technology and Astronomy Recruits) is a University of Colorado program to support first-year students from all backgrounds interested in space, through both outreach into high school classrooms around Colorado and inreach community building events. CU-STARs is open to all interested students, with a special focus on supporting those who are members of underrepresented groups.
• Presidents Leadership Class – The Presidents Leadership Class is a four-year, leadership development program for outstanding undergraduates at the University of Colorado Boulder.  It is a comprehensive program combining both academic and experiential curricula to expose students to leadership lessons on many different levels.
• ASPIRE (Summer Bridge) – ASPIRE (Achieving Student Performance, Interest and Retention in Engineering) is an intensive residential academic engineering program for incoming first-year students admitted to the College of Engineering and Applied Science during the summer before their first year of college. Application Deadline is mid-May.
• Engineering GoldShirt Program (Summer Bridge) – Supports motivated and talented students who need additional math, science, or humanities preparation before diving into the full undergraduate engineering curriculum. First-year course work focuses on enhancing student preparation for success in their chosen engineering major. Provides mentoring, academic, and social support for all Engineering GoldShirt students. Leadership and personal development training are part of the unique Engineering GoldShirt curriculum. No application – CU Boulder identifies eligible students and notifies if selected.
• PEAC (Summer Bridge) – The Program for Excellence in Academics and Community (PEAC) is a rigorous academic program focusing on intensive university-level material and giving students an opportunity to form a strong community that will serve them during their freshman year and beyond. PEAC students have impressive high school credentials and are among the top students in their schools. This summer program is designed to show students how to go from being outstanding in high school to being outstanding at CU. Application Deadline is mid-March.
• Miramontes Arts & Sciences Program (MASP) – The Miramontes Arts & Sciences Program (MASP) is an inclusive academic community in the College of Arts & Sciences comprised of motivated students dedicated to pursuing academic excellence at CU Boulder. MASP supports traditionally underrepresented and/or first-generation college students who want to be part of a diverse, multicultural academic enrichment community. MASP is a cooperative and collaborative program that offers a participation scholarship and dedicated space for activities, advising, studying, and seminars.
• Education Diversity Scholars Program – Provides academic and social support through individualized advising and community, financial support, and career exploration by way of various seminars, panels, and workshops related to education and teaching. EDS is open to students who are pursuing teacher licensure or majoring in Elementary Education or Leadership and Community Engagement, and who come from underrepresented backgrounds in higher education, including first-generation students, students of color and LGBTQIA students.
• Multicultural Leadership Scholars Pathway – Supports the development of leaders from diverse backgrounds, experiences, concerns, knowledge, interests, and accomplishments. Through coursework, service, and socialization, scholars develop a deep awareness of their own values and belief systems as well as those of others.
• Environmental Design Diverse Scholars Program – EDDS is an academic scholarship program for first-generation and underrepresented students in the Program in Environmental Design. EDDS missions is to enrich the academic experience of students through inclusive excellence and provide opportunities to build community with other students, staff and faculty in meaningful ways that promote a collaborative, cooperative and supportive environment.
• Diverse Musicians’ Alliance Program – Promotes the diversity of music, ideas and underrepresented identities at the College of Music. As a program under the CU Leadership, Excellence, Achievement, Diversity (LEAD) Alliance, we are committed to implementing diverse music and supporting musicians, composers and musicologists of varying backgrounds. DiMA builds community and empowers students through leadership, academic mentorship, scholarships, personal links to faculty and staff, and community service opportunities.
• Passport Program – The Passport Program is a first year transition program for first generation and/or underserved students in the Program in Exploratory Studies (PES) as they navigate their first year at CU Boulder. Students in the program participate in social events, academic workshops and leadership development programming.
• Student Academic Success Center – The Student Academic Success Center is a multi-cultural academic learning community, serving low income and first generation college students with academic skills development, math and writing courses, supplementary instruction in gateway courses, tutoring, pre-collegiate opportunities and graduate research opportunities.
• McNeill Academic Program – The McNeill Academic Program, as a part of the Student Academic Success Center, is a multicultural learning community that supports student’s academic, personal, and professional development through outstanding faculty and staff, excellent instruction, collaborative learning, community engagement and leadership development.
• Center for Inclusion and Social Change – The vision of the center is to provide high-impact, transformational community-building and educational programs to the CU Boulder community, and to nurture leaders grounded in the core concepts of intersectional identity development, diversity, equity and social justice.
• First Generation Scholars Program – This program is dedicated to supporting first-generation scholars with innovative programming that amplifies their diverse voices and builds community at CU Boulder. Students will have opportunities to build strong academic and social foundations for their collegiate journey.
• McNair Scholars Program – It is designed to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. McNair participants are either first-generation college students with financial need, or members of a group that is traditionally underrepresented in graduate education and have demonstrated strong academic potential.
• Norlin Scholars Program – Program participants move from being a student to a scholar; they learn to shift from seeking answers to the asking of questions; they hone their curiosity and build integrative, critical thinking capacities as well as collaborative, multi-modal, verbal and written communication skills.