With free money so close to their fingertips, it is crucial for seniors to take advantage of upcoming opportunities to line their bank accounts for the future.

Dollars For Scholars is an organization dedicated to raising funds and awarding scholarships in order to enable local students to further their education and pursue their dreams.

The Southern York County School District (SYCSD) is excited to announce these scholarship opportunities for the Class of 2025. With these scholarships becoming available and open for matching on Jan. 3, now is the opportune time for seniors to create a Dollars for Scholars (DFS) account, as well as fill in profile information. DFS matches you with scholarships based on the information in your profile.

Executive Director of the SYCSD Foundation Susan M. Green addressed these opportunities in her letter to parents and guardians.

“Students do not need to wait until January to begin the process,” Green said. “We encourage students to begin as soon as possible.”

Read on for step-by-step guidance on how to create an account, as well as apply to scholarships.

Creating Your Student Profile

To begin the process of applying for scholarships, students can access the application for SYCSD Foundation scholarships at https://sycsdf.dollarsforscholars.org, or any local Dollars for Scholars website.

First, click on the “Students and Parents” tab on the right hand side of the screen.

Then, click to login.

If you already have a profile, you can simply log in to your account. If you don’t already have an account, you can select to “Create one here.”

Start by first entering the name of your high school. Select to “Choose this school” where your high school appears.

This will take you to step 2, where you can fill out all of your basic information.

After filling in the appropriate fields with your information, an email will be sent to you with your login information. The email will provide you with a link to the login page as well as a temporary password. Once logged in, set your first password, and select “Save password.”

You should now be presented with your “Dashboard.” From here, you can view your local DFS, view your progress,bfollow the link to complete your profile and see other scholarship opportunities that you could be eligible for, as well as search for other scholarships that could apply to you.

From here, fill out each category under “My Information,” including the “Basic Info.,” “Additional Info.,” “schools,” “GPA,” “Class Rank,” “Test Scores,” “Activities,” “Awards,” “Employment,” “Documents,” “Parent/Guardian Information,” “Financial Info.,” “Goals Essay,” “Unusual Circumstances Essay,” “Transcripts” and “References” sections.

Under each section, items marked with a double asterisk (**) are required to move on to the next section.

While entering your information, there are a few important things to keep in mind:
-In the “GPA,” students should check the box that the school uses a weighted 4.0 scale.
-Parents must fill out financial information and give their student permission to apply for scholarships (if the student is under 16 years of age).
– In the transcript section, students should enter “Samantha Whittie” as the school counselor in the transcript section.

Applying for Scholarships

Once you have completed your profile, select to “Save and Look for Scholarships.” Then, on your dashboard, select to “Search for Scholarships.”

Some scholarships may require additional open ended questions and/or additional references. Click the active Questions and/or References button to complete the additional information.

If no further information is required, the “Apply” button will already be active. To actually be eligible for a scholarship, you must click “Apply.”

After selecting to “Apply,” make sure to carefully read the submission consent window. To be completely submitted for a scholarship, you must sign your name and select “Submit.”

You can return to your profile at any time by selecting “Click to Login” on your Dollars for Scholars Students and Parents page.

You can complete your profile at any time, but SYCSD Foundation Dollars For Scholars Scholarships will open this coming Jan. 3.

It is crucial that any student going on to further their education in search of scholarship money invests the necessary time into the application process.

“In 2024, 155 scholarships were distributed to 89 different students, totaling over $160,000,” Green said. “There is a very good chance that an application will result in an award.”