Applications Are Open! 

Apply Today! 
The Puksta Scholarship...
 ...is so much more than financial assistance to undergraduates as they pursue their dream of a higher education. You will learn the necesary skills and tools to become a compassionate leader in your community. Your Puksta Scholar peers, your coordinator, your mentors and all those that are involved with the Puksta Foundation are there to help you through your college journey. They become your support system throughout these wonderfully challenging years, resembling what can only be described as a family.

Eligibility Requirements:


> Must graduate from a high school in Colorado
> Must be Denver resident for at least 6 months prior to entering college and/or Graduated from a Denver high school
> Have financial need of up to 2.5x Pell Grant eligibility
> Have a passion and commitment to civic engagement and social justice
> Must be a full-time student
> Must be accepted to one of our partnering universities... (CU Boulder, DU, MSU, CSU and CU Denver)

Apply through the University you want to attend below! 
University of Colorado at Denver Puksta Scholars Program
Scholarship Award: $5,000/year
Opens: December 1st, 2023
Closes: March 1st, 2024
Apply Now!
Metropolitan State University Puksta Scholars Program
Scholarship Award: $6,500/year
Opens: December 1st, 2023
Closes: March 31st, 2024
Apply Now!!
University of Denver Puksta Scholars Program
Scholarship Award: $6,000/year
Opens: February 17th, 2024
Closes: March 24th, 2024
Apply Now!
University of Colorado Boulder Puksta Scholars Program
Scholarship Award: $5,000/year
Opens: November 1st, 2023
Closes: March 15th 
Apply Now!
Colorado State University Puksta Scholars Program
Scholarship Award: $7,500/year
Opens: November 1st, 2023
Closes: March 24th
* Only open for incoming Sophomores 
Apply Now!

Students admitted to the Puksta Scholars Program are expected to:


• Maintain satisfactory progress towards a degree
• Maintain full-time status
• Devote an average of 4 hours per week to their Puksta community engagement projects
• Attend all Puksta events, including monthly meetings, seminars, retreats and workshops
• Satisfactorily complete all Puksta paperwork, reports, presentations and surveys
The Puksta scholarship is renewable for four years, as long as eligibility and expectations are maintained

Puksta Alumni, Chand Jiwani, shares her experience as a Puksta Scholar at CSU! 
Chand's Testimonial
The Puksta Foundation is a 501(c)3 educational foundation formed in 2000. We provide access to higher education to Colorado high school graduates. Our scholarship is based on financial need with a commitment to civic engagement and social justice. 

The Puksta Foundation operates on 5 campuses across the state of Colorado providing grants to the University of Denver, Colorado State University, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Denver and Metropolitan State University. These grants fund a 4-year scholarship program at each university called the Puksta Scholar Program. We currently have 55 Colorado high school graduates in the program. As a requirement of our scholarship, each of our Puksta Scholars is actively working on a social issue of their choosing in their community to make our world a better place to live in and work in. 

With over $4,400,000 of gifting over the past 22 years we now have over 318 Puksta Alumni around the world with many of them continuing their civic work that they began with Puksta. A college education is only part of one's learning opportunity. Participation in the community is the perspective that truly shapes individual lives. The Foundation encourages scholars to be engaged in the community and to commit time and energy to the betterment of Colorado.

Feel free to reach out to us with any questions!
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