All seniors planning to apply for the Denver Scholarship Foundation Scholarship must meet the March 15th deadline of completing and submitting the FAFSA.
by Morgan Dorn
photo by Manny Perez
As March begins, many important deadlines are quickly approaching for the Class of 2008 at Thomas Jefferson High School. All seniors planning to apply for the Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) scholarship must meet the March 15th deadline of completing and submitting the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov, and then need to complete and submit the DSF scholarship application no later than March 31. Students can find the application at www.denverscholarship.org.
The DSF scholarship’s purpose is to help students overcome the financial obstacles of getting a secondary education. The scholarship is awarded based on students’ Expected Family Contribution (EFC), and the type of post-secondary institution (PSI) the student plans to attend. The amount of money the student receives to help pay for college is based on those two factors. The amount is also based on full-time enrollment (12 credit hours) at an approved PSI. Students can earn up to $6,000 for a State University or Private University; $4,000 for a State College; $3,000 for a Community College; and $2,500 for a Technical College. Those numbers are dependent on the family’s EFC. In order to receive this money, all deadlines must be met.
The Denver Scholarship Foundation has created hands-on workshops for students and parents to help them complete the FAFSA online, in a computer lab with the help of TJ Future Center Coordinator Cynthia Castillo. At the workshop, seniors and their parents can also learn about state aid, scholarships, work study, and loans.
The final workshops are being held, at both TJ and George Washington High Schools on March 15th from 9:00-1:00. The workshops at TJ and GW on March 15th are the final workshops that will be available to students and parents. If students have not yet completed the FAFSA they should plan to attend, as March 15th is also the FAFSA deadline for the DSF scholarship.
Students planning on attending a workshop need to bring the following:
• Copies of completed income tax forms for 2007
• Social security number
• Drivers license
• Alien registration numbers
• Current bank statements and other untaxed income records
• W-2s or other record of money earned (If you have not completed 2007 taxes by March 15th, it is okay to bring 2006 tax information.)
If any seniors have further questions, they should see Castillo in the Future Center, Room 114. You may also obtain more information regarding the DSF scholarship on the DSF website: www.denverscholarship.org.
