Top Colorado Scholarships in 2021
Colorado, nicknamed the Centennial State, is known for its beautiful mountain ranges, forests, rivers, and deserts. As a student in Colorado, you could take advantage of these natural wonders by going on a ski trip over winter break or conducting field studies for a biology course.
Whether you are an in-state resident or out-of-state student who want to go to school in Colorado, there are some great Colorado scholarships to apply for!
Related: UC-Boulder scholarships
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Keep on reading to learn more about the eligilbity, award amounts, and deadlines for these top Colorado scholarships!
Top Colorado scholarships in 2021
Clinton J. Helton Manufacturing Scholarship
- Eligibility: Full-time undergraduate student with a minimum 3.0 GPA and a minimum of 30 credit hours enrolled in a degree program in manufacturing engineering or technology, or other closely related engineering discipline
- Amount: Varies
- Deadline: February 1
SME Foundation Denver Scholarship
- Eligibility: Full-time undergraduate students with a 2.50 minimum GPA enrolling in a degree program in manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, manufacturing technology, or other closely related engineering discipline
- Amount: Varies
- Deadline: February 1
Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute Scholarship
- Eligibility: US Citizens who reside in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, Utah or Wyoming entering their junior or senior year looking for work in the coal industry are eligible
- Amount: $2,750 (eight awards) and $1,000 (eight awards)
- Deadline: February 1
Burg Simpson Scholarship
- Eligibility: High school seniors enrolling in a Colorado school can enter by submitting an essay about the American civil jury system
- Amount: One $2,500 award and nine $1,000 awards
- Deadline: February 1
Alex McGuiggan Scholarship
- Eligibility: Declared English majors at University of Colorado Boulder, who have taken or enrolled in at least one creative writing class and submit between five and ten pages of poetry
- Amount: $2,000
- Deadline: February 15
Pinnacol Foundation Scholarship
- Eligibility: Natural children, adopted children, stepchildren or full dependents of workers injured/killed in a compensable work-related accident who were entitled to receive benefits under the Colorado Workers’ Compensation Act. Eligible candidates will also be between the ages of 16 and 25 and hold a minimum 2.0 GPA
- Amount: Varies, averaging $4,700 per year
- Deadline: February 15
Centennial Mental Health Center Scholarship
- Eligibility: Resident of Phillips, Sedgwick, Logan, Morgan, Washington, Yuma, Elbert, Lincoln, Cheyenne Wells, or Kit Carson County intent on completing at least a bachelor’s degree in a behavioural health-related field
- Amount: $500 to $2,000
- Deadline: March 12
Stephen C. Marchello Scholarship
- Eligibility: Current year high school graduates who had childhood cancer and reside in Colorado or Montana
- Amount: Depends on the number of qualified applicants
- Deadline: March 15
Alice Hamilton Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students attending a college or university in Colorado with at least a half-time course load studying archeology or a cross-disciplinary field
- Amount: $250 to $1,000
- Deadline: March 20
Alexander Foundation Scholarship
- Eligibility: Members of the LGBTQ+ community who reside in Colorado and plan on attending a college located in Colorado
- Amount: Annual awards range from $300 to $3,000 and a recipient can be awarded a maximum of $9,000
- Deadline: March 21
Partner Colorado Scholarship
- Eligibility: Permanent residents of Colorado aged 17-40 who reside principally in the state while attending school
- Amount: Minimum of $1,000 yearly, with opportunity to renew
- Deadline: March 31
CESDA Scholarship
- Eligibility: Spring 2021 graduates of a Colorado high school who identify as a student of color, are first-generation college students, and are applying at a 2 or 4 year Colorado institution are eligible. There is a minimum 2.8 unweighted GPA requirement
- Amount: $1,000 (seven scholarships are awarded)
- Deadline: April 5
Family of Bradley Gendron Scholarship
- Eligibility: Incoming freshmen who are residents of Colorado and have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes
- Amount: $1,000
- Deadline: April 15
Celebrate the West High School Art Competition
- Eligibility: High school-age students in Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming who submit an original two-dimensional art piece informed by their experience living in the West
- Amount: $200 to $1,500
- Deadline: April 30
Denver Scholarship Foundation Scholarship
- Eligibility: Denver Public Schools graduates attending any of DSF’s partner schools in Colorado, including technical, community, and four-year colleges and universities
- Amount: Varies based on the college attended
- Deadline: May 1
ExxonMobil Engineering Scholarship
- Eligibility: Hispanic high school students in Colorado Springs who intend to attend a full-time engineering program to get a bachelor’s degree
- Amount: $20,000 award and twelve $2,000 awards
- Deadline: July 22
Boettcher Scholarship
- Eligibility: High school students in Colorado planning to attend college in Colorado
- Amount: Full tuition and fees, along with a living stipend, book allowance, and additional programming for scholarship recipients
- Deadline: November 1 of your senior year
University of Colorado Boulder First Generation College Grant
- Eligibility: Colorado residents with financial need attending University of Colorado Boulder whose parents or legal guardians do not have bachelor’s degrees
- Amount: Up to $2,000 if living off-campus and up to $4,000 if living on-campus
- Deadline: Automatically considered when applying for admittance to University of Colorado Boulder
Frequently asked questions about Colorado scholarships
How do you win the Boettcher Scholarship?
Colorado high school seniors who plan to attend college in-state can apply for the Boettcher Scholarship before November 1 of their senior year. It is a rigorous application process, but the reward of the scholarship is well worth it if you are a good fit! More information can be found on the Boettcher Foundation’s website here.
Does Colorado offer free college?
Colorado does not offer free college. However, there are some scholarships, such as the Boettcher Scholarship, which provide full rides to colleges in Colorado. Other opportunities linked on this page offer opportunities to bring down the cost of attending college in Colorado.
Does Colorado College offer merit scholarships?
Colorado College offers several merit scholarships, and they automatically consider all applicants for these scholarships. More information can be found on their website here.
Does the University of Colorado at Boulder offer scholarships?
University of Colorado Boulder offers many different merit and need-based scholarships. Applicants are automatically considered for many of these scholarships when they apply, but the University also offers a search tool to find additional opportunities. You can find that tool here.
What can you get a full ride scholarship for?
There are a wide range of full ride scholarships out there with many different criteria. Scholarships360 has a great guide to these scholarships which you can find here.
Summary of Colorado Scholarships
- Clinton J. Helton Manufacturing Scholarship
- SME Foundation Denver Scholarship
- Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute Scholarship
- Burg Simpson Scholarship
- Alex McGuiggan Scholarship
- Pinnacol Foundation Scholarship
- Centennial Mental Health Center Scholarship
- Stephen C. Marchello Scholarship
- Alice Hamilton Scholarship
- Alexander Foundation Scholarship
- Partner Colorado Scholarship
- CESDA Scholarship
- Family of Bradley Gendron Scholarship
- Celebrate the West High School Art Competition
- Denver Scholarship Foundation Scholarship
- ExxonMobil Engineering Scholarship
- Boettcher Scholarship
- University of Colorado Boulder First Generation College Grant
