Patricia S. Gustafson ’56 Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Patricia S. Gustafson ’56 Memorial Scholarship Fund awards a scholarship to a graduating female senior from Denfeld High School or Marshall School who exemplifies Patricia Gustafson’s life.

The fund grants one scholarship annually. The first payment is for the recipient’s first college semester. The second is for the recipient’s last college semester. 

Patricia Scheiderick Gustafson graduated from Denfeld High School in 1956. She was valedictorian, a cheerleader, first-chair clarinet and a choir member. She attended UMD, graduating with a cum laude degree in English. She raised a family in Duluth and taught part-time.

Eligibility 

• Applicants must have a GPA of at least 3.4 
• Attend the University of Minnesota Duluth, the College of St. Scholastica or Lake Superior College. 

Scholarship Grant Range

$800 Freshman year of college and $800 Senior Year of college

Application timeline

• This scholarship is part of the Universal Application: December 1 – February 15
• ONE Universal Application: Create a profile in the scholarship portal. Fill out the first page of the universal application to filter through all of the scholarships you qualify for. 

Award Details

• This scholarship may be used for expenses of post-secondary education at any accredited college, university or technical/ vocational school

• Award Payments will be mailed directly to the school/ university 
  • Fall Payments are mailed July 15-30
  • Spring Payments are mailed December 15-30
• Transferring Schools: Please contact DSACF if you plan on transferring schools. Transferring schools does not automatically transfer your scholarship. If a transfer occurs after scholarship money has been disbursed it may take up to 90 days to reprocess the scholarship payment. 

Tax information

DSACF encourages scholarship recipients to seek tax advice regarding scholarships. According to the IRS: Scholarships, fellowship grants, and other grants are tax-free if you meet the following conditions:

• You’re a candidate for a degree at an educational institution that maintains a regular faculty and curriculum and normally has a regularly enrolled body of students in attendance at the place where it carries on its educational activities; and
• The amounts you receive are used to pay for tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance at the educational institution, or for fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses at the educational institution.