One of the most comprehensive scholarships available to students in the Mountain West — covering not just tuition, but housing, books, a laptop, and years of ongoing personal support.
Most scholarships give you a check and send you on your way. The Daniels Fund Scholarship, formally known as the Daniels Scholarship Program, does considerably more: for students at partner schools, it covers the full cost of attendance — tuition, fees, room and board, books, and other approved expenses — while also providing a laptop and ongoing support before, during, and after college.
The catch, if you can call it that, is geography: this scholarship is only open to graduating high school seniors from four specific states. This guide covers exactly who qualifies, how much the award is really worth, what documents you’ll need, and when the annual application window opens and closes.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- What the Daniels Fund Scholarship actually is
- Eligibility requirements
- How much the scholarship is worth
- Required documents and how to apply
- The annual deadline
- What happens after you’re awarded
- Frequently asked questions
What Is the Daniels Fund Scholarship?
The Daniels Scholarship Program is a need- and merit-based scholarship created by the Daniels Fund, a private foundation established in honor of cable television pioneer Bill Daniels.
According to the foundation’s own program description, it’s designed for “high-achieving, values-driven students” in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, and is described directly on the Daniels Fund’s site as “one of the most comprehensive and generous college scholarships in the country.”
Selection isn’t based on academics alone. Daniels Scholars are chosen for strength of character, leadership potential, commitment to serving their communities, and academic promise — criteria the foundation says trace directly back to the personal values Bill Daniels held: ethics and integrity, honesty, respect for people, loyalty and reliability, entrepreneurial spirit, patriotism, dedication to community, commitment to excellence, and good etiquette.
Daniels Fund Scholarship Eligibility Requirements
To apply, according to the Daniels Fund’s official eligibility criteria and corroborated by Peterson’s scholarship database, you generally must:
- Be a graduating high school senior who has attended high school in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming
- Earn a minimum SAT score of 490 on Math and 490 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, or a minimum ACT score of 18 in each tested category (a writing score is not required, and super-scoring — combining your best section scores across multiple test dates — is not accepted)
- Demonstrate financial need, based on your family’s Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)
On that last point, be aware that published income thresholds vary depending on which source and cycle you’re checking.
The Daniels Fund’s own most recently published figure sets the bar at a household AGI of $100,000 or less on the applicable tax return for the household claiming the applicant as a dependent, with an additional $10,000 of allowable income per additional dependent.
Some third-party university financial aid pages currently list a lower threshold (around $85,000), which may reflect a prior cycle’s figure.
Given how much this number can shift year to year, always confirm the current cycle’s exact AGI threshold directly on danielsfund.org before assuming you do or don’t qualify.
One thing worth noting: several third-party scholarship directories list a specific GPA minimum (commonly cited as 3.0) for initial eligibility.
That figure doesn’t appear in the Daniels Fund’s own published application criteria, which instead emphasize test scores, financial need, and character-based selection — a 2.0 minimum GPA does appear, but as a renewal requirement for continuing scholars, not a stated cutoff for applying in the first place.
If GPA eligibility specifics matter to your situation, confirm directly with the Daniels Fund rather than relying on an aggregator’s number.
How Much Is the Daniels Fund Scholarship Worth?
This is genuinely one of the more generous scholarship structures available, and it scales based on where you enroll:
- At any of the Daniels Fund’s partner schools, the scholarship covers the full cost of attendance — tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other approved expenses — combined with contributions from the partner institution itself.
- At non-partner schools outside the four-state region, scholars receive up to $25,000 per year, depending on demonstrated financial need, which can total as much as $100,000 over four years.
- At non-partner schools within the four-state region (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming), the award is lower: up to $7,500 per year, or roughly $30,000 over four years.
- All Daniels Scholars also receive a laptop computer, along with ongoing personal support before, during, and after college.
Scholars can attend any accredited, nonprofit college or university anywhere in the United States — the four-state restriction applies to where you graduated high school, not where you’re allowed to enroll.
Required Documents and How to Apply
The Daniels Fund application process happens in stages, and it’s worth preparing well ahead of time given how many documents are involved. Applicants should expect to submit:
- Your parent(s)’ or legal guardian(s)’ most recent federal tax return (Form 1040)
- Official ACT or SAT scores
- Proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residency
- Proof of state residency in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming
- A completed FAFSA Submission Summary — applicants are encouraged to file the FAFSA as early as possible once it opens each October
- Proof of college enrollment for any additional claimed dependents, if applicable
To apply:
- Confirm your eligibility, particularly your state of high school residency and your test scores.
- File the FAFSA early, since your FAFSA Submission Summary is a required part of the application.
- Gather your family’s tax documents and residency/citizenship proof well ahead of the deadline.
- Submit your initial application online through the Daniels Fund’s official application portal during the open window.
- If invited to the Semi-Finalist phase, be ready to submit essay question responses and letters of recommendation — historically requested within about a month of the initial application closing.
- Respond promptly to any follow-up document requests, since eligibility verification is a substantial part of the later review stages.
Daniels Fund Scholarship Deadline
The program runs on a consistent annual cycle. Based on the Daniels Fund’s own published timeline and corroborated by the College Board’s BigFuture scholarship database, the pattern each year looks like this:
- Application opens: September 15
- Application deadline: mid-October (recently confirmed as October 16–17, at 4:00 PM Mountain Time)
- Semi-Finalist phase: essay responses and letters of recommendation typically requested in late October through mid-November for those invited to advance
If you’re planning ahead, mark September 15 through mid-October as the reliable annual window, but confirm the exact current-year dates directly on danielsfund.org, since the precise closing date and time shift slightly from year to year.
What Happens After You’re Awarded
Winning the scholarship isn’t the end of the process — Daniels Scholars must actively maintain their eligibility each year. According to the foundation’s official renewal requirements, scholars must:
- Fulfill all scholarship requirements and submit required documents at the end of each academic term
- Remain on track to graduate with a bachelor’s degree within four academic years
- Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0
- Maintain regular communication with the Daniels Fund
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the Daniels Fund Scholarship? Graduating high school seniors who attended high school in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming, meeting minimum test score requirements and demonstrating financial need based on household AGI.
How much does the Daniels Fund Scholarship cover? Up to full cost of attendance at Daniels Fund partner schools, up to $25,000 per year (up to $100,000 over four years) at non-partner schools outside the four-state region, or up to $7,500 per year at non-partner schools within Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming.
Do I have to attend college in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming to use this scholarship? No. The four-state requirement applies only to where you attended high school. Daniels Scholars can attend any accredited, nonprofit college or university anywhere in the United States.
What test scores do I need? A minimum SAT score of 490 on Math and 490 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, or a minimum ACT score of 18 in each tested category. Super-scoring is not accepted.
When is the Daniels Fund Scholarship deadline? The application window typically opens September 15 and closes in mid-October each year. Confirm the exact current-year date directly on danielsfund.org.
Do I need a specific GPA to apply? The Daniels Fund’s own published application criteria don’t list a specific minimum GPA for initial eligibility, focusing instead on test scores and financial need. A 2.0 minimum GPA does apply as a renewal requirement once you’re already a scholar.
Conclusion
The Daniels Fund Scholarship is a genuinely rare combination: need-based enough to prioritize students who need it most, generous enough to cover full cost of attendance at partner schools, and structured with real ongoing support rather than a one-time check.
If you graduated high school in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming and meet the test score and financial need criteria, the September-to-October application window is well worth the document-gathering it requires.