Prospective Scholars

Calling Colorado Students

We need dynamic thinkers, doers, and difference makers like you to stay in Colorado so you positively impact our state. That’s why we created the Boettcher Scholarship Program—so leaders like you can build a brighter future for Coloradans.

Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQs

The Boettcher Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship for Colorado high school seniors that is awarded in partnership with our state’s four year, nonprofit institutions of higher education. At Boettcher we define merit to mean superior scholastic ability/intellectual curiosity, leadership, service, character, and more. We care deeply about lived experience and the context in which a student has thrived as a leader, either because of or in spite of personal circumstances. The comprehensive scholarship program has two modelsCost of Attendance and Tuition & Fees—that support the Foundation’s mission to invest in the promise of Colorado and potential of Coloradans.

Students are eligible to apply for a Boettcher Scholarship if they meet the following minimum criteria:

  • Be a graduating Colorado high school senior who has lived in Colorado for your full junior and senior years of high school;
  • Apply during the fall of what is your final year of high school, even if you are considering taking a gap year after graduation;
  • Graduate from a Colorado high school; AND
  • Be a citizen, legal permanent resident, or lawfully present (including through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)  in the United States

OR

  • Meet the requirements and have applied or started the process of applying for citizenship, legal status or lawful presence. (Although students can be in the application process for citizenship, legal status, or lawful presence during the Boettcher selection timeframe, in order to become a Boettcher Scholar, you must provide documentation that shows you have successfully completed the process.)

Please contact scholarships@boettcherfoundation.org or 303.534.1937 if you have questions regarding your eligibility.

The Boettcher Foundation will not release any student’s information to any individual or organization outside of our campus partners, unless we receive a subpoena request that we will notify the applicant about first. 

For more information, view our Legal Status or Lawful Presence FAQs.

Boettcher Scholarship selection criteria include:

  • Superior scholastic ability and intellectual curiosity
  • Evidence of potential leadership
  • Service to community and school
  • Outstanding character

Selection for the Boettcher Scholarship is based on superior scholastic ability, intellectual curiosity, a demonstrated commitment to school and community activities, and strength of character. A successful candidate also demonstrates a strong potential for continued leadership and service. As a merit-based scholarship, we define merit to mean the selection criteria above and more. We care deeply about lived experience and the context in which a student has thrived as a leader, either because of or in spite of personal circumstances.

Our application review is a holistic selection process that evaluates applicants on four selection criteria – superior scholastic ability and intellectual curiosity; evidence of leadership and involvement; service to community and school; and outstanding character.

Typically, competitive applicants rank in the top 5% of their classes and have test scores that average 1388 on the SAT and 32 on the ACT (as a reminder, we are not requiring test scores for this year’s applicants.) It’s important to note these averages are precisely those; every year we have Scholars who score below and above those averages.

Though grades, coursework, and test scores are important, we know that numbers do not tell the whole story of a student’s unique abilities, lived experiences, or character. We also weigh the qualitative components of an application that include leadership, involvement, and service to community and school.

Boettcher Scholars typically are initiators and/or leaders of clubs, organizations, or activities in their schools or communities, in addition to participating for multiple years. They may have founded their own nonprofit or started a business (excluding common high school employment such as babysitting or lawn care). Or, they have been recognized publicly for a unique talent. These may include earning accolades at the international science fair, being recognized for raising livestock, working outside of the home, or demonstrating leadership by taking care of siblings.

In order for you to be able to make an informed decision as to whether to apply for the Boettcher Scholarship, we advise you to talk to your high school counselor or postsecondary advisor and read more about the Boettcher Scholarship to determine if you are a competitive candidate.

Applications can be accessed through our website on the Scholarship Application page. Applications open in early September and are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 1 of your senior year. Your high school counselor will need to fill out additional forms and submit an official transcript within a week after you submit your application, so we encourage you to be in frequent communication with your counselor to ensure that all deadlines are met. As a reminder, we are not requiring ACT or SAT scores, though if you have test scores your counselor will be able to report them on your behalf. Ensuring that all application materials are submitted by the appropriate deadline is your responsibility.

Beginning with the class of 2022, the Boettcher Foundation will award 50 scholarships annually. Previously, the annual Scholar recipient number was 42. Approximately 100 Colorado finalists are selected to interview from an initial pool of applicants, which is typically more than 2,000.

Since the beginning of the Boettcher Scholarship program in 1952, the Foundation has awarded more than 2,800 scholarships.

Boettcher Scholarship applications open in early September and are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 1 of your senior year. Applications can be accessed on our Scholarship Application page.

All applicants are notified of their status via email. Semifinalists will be selected in mid-December and asked to submit tw0 letters of recommendation. Approximately 100 finalists will be notified via email in February and will be interviewed in March. Soon after the finalist interviews, the winners are notified — 42 for the class of 2021 and 50 for the classes of 2022 and beyond.

Awarded in partnership with our state’s four-year, nonprofit institutions of higher education, our comprehensive scholarship program can be used at any of our 16 institutional partners (referenced below). The two models, and their award amounts, are described below.

Cost of Attendance Model: Scholars receive an annual fixed amount of $20,000 per year from Boettcher for four years. Institutions will then use institutional, merit, and/or need based support (or a combination) to support up to the total cost of attendance for each Scholar minus travel and other expenses. Institutions under this model are Adams State University, Colorado Mesa University, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Colorado State University – Pueblo, Fort Lewis College, Metropolitan State University of Denver, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, University of Northern Colorado, and Western Colorado University.

Tuition & Fees Model: Scholars receive an annual fixed amount of $20,000 per year from Boettcher for four years. Partner institutions will then use institutional, merit, and/or need-based support (or a combination) to support up to the total amount of tuition and fees for each Scholar. Institutions under this model are Colorado Christian University, Colorado College, Regis University, and University of Denver.

The total package for a Boettcher Scholar will vary depending on which Colorado university or college the recipient attends (see scholarship model details). Because of this, we strongly encourage students to keep their options open and apply for additional scholarships and financial aid. In addition, because our institutional partners may have additional need-based aid opportunities, we strongly suggest students fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you don’t qualify for FAFSA support because of citizenship eligibility, please contact the Boettcher Scholarship staff and they will connect you to the appropriate college or university staff members for more information on their institutional process.
Students are eligible to apply for a Boettcher Scholarship if they meet the following minimum criteria:
  • Be a graduating Colorado high school senior who has lived in Colorado for your junior and senior years of high school
  • Be a citizen, legal permanent resident, or legally present (including through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)  in the United States
OR
  • Meet the requirements and have applied or started the process of applying for legal status or lawful presence. (Although students can be in the application process for legal status or lawful presence during the Boettcher selection timeframe, in order to become a Boettcher Scholar, you must provide documentation of legal status or lawful presence approval.)
The Boettcher Foundation will not release any student’s information to any individual or organization outside of our campus partners, unless we receive a subpoena request that we will notify the applicant about first. For more information, view our Legal Status or Lawful Presence FAQs.

The Boettcher Foundation hosts webinars annually. Titled “Everything You Need to Know About Scholarships,” the webinars go over how students can “ACE” their college and scholarship applications, including tips on how to make their applications stand out.

Upcoming Webinars:

An abbreviated version of the presentation is also available here. To view the video with subtitles, click here. Ver el vídeo: todo lo que debes saber de las becas.

We have compiled a printable guide that offers tips on how to be competitive for the Boettcher Scholarship and many other scholarships. You can download our scholarship resource packet here.

The Boettcher Foundation has also published a book, All the Wisdom and None of the Junk: Secrets of Applying for College Admission and Scholarships. Every Colorado high school received a complimentary copy to be kept in its guidance counseling office. More information about the book is available here.

Because the scholarship targets students who have spent their junior and senior years in Colorado high schools, our application is in English. We do provide overview materials in Spanish here.

Ver el vídeo: todo lo que debes saber de las becas.

If your study abroad program was an exchange through a Colorado high school, whereby you earned credits through your Colorado high school and/or you will still graduate from a Colorado school, you are still eligible to apply for the Boettcher Scholarship. If you completed an independent or non-affiliated program, please email us at scholarships@boettcherfoundation.org to determine your application eligibility.”

COVID-Related FAQs

We will have a designated place on the application where students can share information about how they were affected by the pandemic, as we know that context is important to our application review process.

We understand the myriad of challenges that make it difficult for students to take the ACT or SAT. Because of those challenges, we cannot assume all students will have access to testing opportunities. Therefore, we have decided to move to test optional. If possible, we still encourage applicants to submit test scores, as that will be one more piece of data to consider in our application review. That noted, we want to emphasize that your test score is one of the many factors we consider in our holistic application review.

Please visit the SAT and ACT websites for additional test date information and/or to find resources to help you prepare for the fall tests.

We understand that disruptions to the traditional in-person learning model and the switch to online learning are well beyond the control of students and families. We absolutely will take this into consideration upon application review. As always, we will review transcripts not only for letter grades, but also for grade trends and academic rigor. We will also review transcripts with the knowledge that students faced unique and unprecedented challenges.

As with our transcript review, we will review the activities section of our application with the knowledge that many activities have been canceled or otherwise disrupted due to COVID-19. Students will not be penalized for not being able to participate in these activities, as we understand these cancellations are simply out of their control.

Scroll to Top