Boulder Valley School District

ASCENT Program

Get a year or more of college paid for!

ASCENT is a program that provides tuition for the first year of college at either Front Range Community College or Metropolitan State University Denver. If a student plans appropriately and begins taking concurrent enrollment courses their junior year, the ASCENT program can assist in completing two years of college tuition free! To participate, students must have a minimum of 9 college credits completed by May of their senior year.

Virtual ASCENT/TREP Information Session - March 4, 2024 - 6:30 pm

Presentation Slides

Recording

Two dates for Seniors to remember:

November 11 - complete the Intent to Participate form. This lets us know how many students are interested in the program for the following year. Failure to complete the form is not a requirement nor by completing the form are you obligated to apply.

May 10 - Deadline for all application materials. See below for details.

IMPORTANT: Students approved for ASCENT will receive an email from Career and College Connections by late May. In that email will be a link to confirm your participation. YOU MUST CONFIRM YOU WILL PARTICIPATE by June 30. If you do not receive an email, check your spam folder and contact CareerandCollege@bvsd.org.

From a Student

ASCENT and TREP Virtual Information Session Recording and Slides                      Click the title above to be redirected. The recording will be after the ASCENT and TREP links.

 

Timeline

When

Item      

9th- 11th Grade

Determine if ASCENT is appropriate for your academic plan

  • Review FAQs below

  • Discuss option with parents/guardians

  • Discuss option with counselor

  • Update your ICAP every semester

9th-12th Grade

Earn a minimum of 9 college credits with a grade of C or better (AP/IB test scores do not apply unless they have been accepted and transcripted by a college)

12th grade - September or October

Apply for FAFSA or CASFA - If you qualify for a full Pell grant, ASCENT may not be the best option for you. Students in the ASCENT program can not receive Federal or State financial aid.

Complete the Intent to Participate form.

Ongoing

Research College Scholarship opportunities. 

12th grade - Fall/Spring

 

Complete the Checklist and Application (Lista de comprobación y aplicación).

Write a one page essay telling us about your career and college plans. What type of classes will you take, what will you do after your year of ASCENT, and how this program will benefit you.

If you haven't already, apply to Front Range Community College or Metropolitan State University (includes signing up for COF). Also meet with a college advisor to plan your courses.

For FRCC, please refer to the FRCC ASCENT Enrollment process further direction.

For MSU, please refer to the MSU ASCENT Application and Registration steps. In lieu of their Checklist, you may submit your completed BVSD ASCENT Checklist and Application.

Materials from UNC are pending final approval of the agreement. Stay tuned!

MAY 1st of 12th grade

Submit to your counselor the above ASCENT Checklist and Application complete with signatures, your one page essay and your college transcripts.

End of 12th grade Walk with your graduation class
End of May ASCENT notifications determined
June 30 Confirm you will participate in the ASCENT program

 

Once you are accepted, complete the College Before Graduation Agreement below. This must be done each semester and lets us know what classes we'll be paying for. You must still register for your classes through the individual college system in order to be enrolled.

College Before Graduation Agreement/Course Tuition Assistance (link available in March 2024)

Frequently Asked Questions