The Daniels Scholarship Program offers a comprehensive, four-year college scholarship that provides financial and personal support focused on helping Daniels Scholars succeed in college, and in life. The Daniels Scholarship can be used at any accredited nonprofit college or university in the United States. Our goal is not only to help Daniels Scholars succeed in college, but to ensure that they thrive beyond their years in college.
Every year, Daniels Scholars are selected from our four-state region of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Daniels Scholars currently attend more than 200 colleges and universities in 45 states.
As of March 2019, the Daniels Scholarship Program has provided more than $188 million in undergraduate scholarships to over 4,160 students.
Daniels Scholars are selected because they embody the criteria Bill Daniels defined for the program:
- Strength of character
- Leadership potential
- Commitment to serving their communities
- Academic performance or promise
- Well-rounded personality
- Emotional maturity and stability
In addition, there are a number of specific requirements to be eligible for the Daniels Scholarship Program. Please read the Eligibility section below for full details.
What are the eligibility requirements for the Daniels Scholarship Program?
To be eligible for the Daniels Scholarship Program, students must meet the following requirements at the time of application:
- Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States
- Be a resident of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming
- Be a high school senior graduating from a school in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming
- Earn a minimum SAT Math score of 490 and a minimum Evidence-Based Reading & Writing score of 490 or a minimum ACT score of 18 in each category (writing score not required). Super scoring is not accepted.
- Earn a minimum Grade Point Average of 3.0 in high school (on an unweighted 4.0 scale)
Financial Eligibility Details
In order to be eligible for the Daniels Scholarship Program, the applicant’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) must have an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $85,000 or less on the 2018 Form 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return on which the applicant appears as a dependent.
If there are additional dependents, beyond the applicant, claimed on their 2018 tax return, we allow for additional income as follows:
- $5,000 for each additional dependent not in college
- $15,000 for each additional dependent in college full time during the 2019/20 academic year
On the 2018 Form 1040, the AGI is listed on Line 7, and dependents claimed can be found in the Dependents section, as indicated in the sample form below.
Here are some examples to demonstrate how financial eligibility is determined:
- John is applying for the Daniels Scholarship. He has one sister in college (full time during the 2019/20 academic year), who was also claimed as a dependent on his parents’ tax return. John’s parents’ 2018 AGI must have been $100,000 or less ($85,000 for John and his parents + $15,000 for his sister) for him to be eligible for the Daniels Scholarship Program.
- Mary is applying for the Daniels Scholarship. Her parents are divorced and she has one brother who is five years old. Both Mary and her brother are claimed as dependents on her mother’s tax return. Mary’s mother must have had an AGI of $90,000 or less ($85,000 for Mary and her mother + $5,000 for her brother) for her to be eligible for the Daniels Scholarship Program.
- Carlos is applying for the Daniels Scholarship. He doesn’t have any siblings, but both of his grandparents are listed as dependents on his parents’ tax return. Carlos’ parents’ AGI must have been $95,000 or less ($85,000 for Carlos and his parents + $5,000 for his grandmother + $5,000 for his grandfather) for him to be eligible for the Daniels Scholarship Program.
The Eligibility Questionnaire determines financial and general eligibility. The questionnaire requires the 2018 Form 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return of the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) that claimed the applicant as a dependent.
If an applicant is selected as a finalist to be interviewed for the Daniels Scholarship Program, they will be required to upload a copy of their Student Aid Report (SAR) after the finalists are announced in January. The SAR is generated by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). We recommend that all students complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after it opens on October 1. However, we will only require the SAR of our finalists in the month of January.
The Daniels Scholarship is a comprehensive college scholarship that pays toward the costs of:
- Tuition and fees
- Room and board
- Books and supplies
- Miscellaneous educational expenses
It is a "last dollar" scholarship, so it is secondary to all other grants and scholarships. After considering the student's other scholarships, financial aid (federal, state, and institutional), and any work-study accepted, as well as the determined Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the Daniels Fund pays toward the scholar's remaining education costs. Scholarship amounts are unique to each Daniels Scholar, and can vary from year to year.
Partner School Option
The Daniels Fund has partnerships with 25 of the most commonly selected colleges and universities in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. If a scholar chooses to attend one of these schools, the Daniels Fund will also cover their EFC. Scholars may attend any nonprofit, accredited school in the country, but there is a financial advantage to attending a partner school, as the EFC varies each year and can be significant.
A current list of partner schools is available here.
Daniels Scholarships are annually renewable up to a maximum of four academic years (8 semesters or 12 quarters) if all requirements of the Daniels Scholarship Program are met.
Daniels Scholars may attend any two or four-year, nonprofit, accredited college or university in the United States. Scholars must intend to complete a bachelor’s degree, and those starting at a two-year college must be on a path to transitioning to a four-year institution and earning a bachelor's degree. Daniels Scholarships may not be used at technical or trade schools, or for participation in certificate programs.
The Daniels Scholarship Program is much more than a check for college. The Daniels Scholarship Program eliminates all or most of the financial burden of a college education, but this comprehensive program goes much further with many outstanding benefits:
- Financial assistance toward a four-year undergraduate degree
- Dedicated help and support from Daniels Fund staff and designated on-campus contacts
- Recognition as a Daniels Scholar
- Campus communities with events, activities, and support exclusively for Daniels Scholars
- Assistance in planning for a rewarding career after college
- Alumni Program offering ongoing support and a lifelong connection to a network of Daniels Scholars
- A laptop computer
- Meet all academic requirements while in college (including a minimum 2.0 GPA), and remain on track to graduate with a
bachelor's degree within four academic years
- Live on campus during freshman year
- Work in a paid position during the academic year (5 hours/week first year and 10 hours/week every year after)
- Complete the Daniels Scholarship Enrichment Program, a series of online workshops led by topical experts on subjects such as ethics, character, patriotism, civics, free enterprise, entrepreneurship, leadership, critical thinking, etiquette, and financial literacy
- Follow the Daniels Scholar Code of Conduct at all times
- Communicate regularly with their Scholar Relations Officer
- Fulfill all scholarship requirements and submit required documents by their deadlines
- Come to Denver for SHIFTCollege, the Daniels Fund's college orientation conference, held in June (all expenses are paid by the Daniels Fund)
Getting into the Daniels Scholarship Program is highly competitive. Each year, thousands of applicants go through a rigorous application process and finalists go on to an in-person interview.
Applications and recommendations must be submitted online through the application website between October 1 and November 15, 2019. As part of the application, students are required to submit documents that will be used to verify their eligibility including their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) 2018 tax return, an official high school transcript, official ACT/SAT scores, citizenship and residency documentation, and proof of college enrollment for additional claimed dependent(s).
All applicants will be notified in January whether or not they have been selected as a finalist, and finalists will be invited to participate in a personal interview. Interviews are conducted in February and early March in the applicant's home state by local community leaders. Finalists will be required to upload a copy of their Student Aid Report (SAR) in January, which is generated by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). We recommend that all students complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after it opens on October 1. However, we will only require the SAR of our finalists in the month of January.
Daniels Scholars are announced in late March, and must attend our scholarship orientation conference in June (for which all expenses are paid by the Daniels Fund).
Applications and recommendations must be submitted online through the Daniels Fund's application website between
October 1 and November 15, 2019 at 4:00 PM MST.
Applications and recommendations must be submitted online through the Daniels Fund's application website between
October 1 and November 15, 2019 at 4:00 PM MST.
Board of Directors
