Instructions to complete the Fargo Area Dollars for Scholars online application
for graduating high school seniors. Application Deadline- March 31st 

(If the 31st falls on a Saturday or Sunday, applications will be due the following Monday.)

 

Two different scholarships are available through this website: The Fargo Area Dollars for Scholars scholarship and the Fargo Area Dollars for Scholars Career and Technical Education Scholarship.  All applicants must complete the online application.


 

Step 1.  To begin go to click on the Students and Parents login button.  To create a new account, click on the "Don't Have an Account Create One Here" link.  It is important to remember what email you use to create your account.

Put in the High School you are currently attending and choose from the list provided. If you select "Home Schooled" you must reside in Fargo Public School District #1.

Step 2.  Complete the "Fill Out Your Basic Information", section. The items with ** are required before the form can be submitted. Once completed the hit "Submit" on this page you will receive the following prompt:

"Thanks for enrolling in Scholarship America's Dollars for Scholars Student Center. Please check all of your email folders, link your Inbox, Spam folder, Promotions, or similar in a few minutes. You will receive your login information. If you do not receive this email, please go to the Student Login page, click "Forgot Password?" and follow the prompts."

Step 3. You will then receive an email from Scholarship America. Follow the instructions in the email to the login page and use the temporary password that is provided. You will be asked to create a new password. Verify the information on the "Welcome Page" to ensure it is all accurate. Click "Save and Continue" which will take you to "My Dashboard"

Step 4. Click on the "Work on Profile" button.

Complete each of the below categories. 

Basic Info
Additional Info (Demographics)
Schools
GPA (Fargo Area Dollars for Scholars uses the unweighted GPA).
Class Rank (Not required, select NO as your answer).
Test Scores (Only ACT or SAT scores need to be entered. You don't have to enter both.)

Activities:
~Click the "Enter Activities Information" button to complete this section.
~List all school activities in which you have participated during the past 4 years (e.g. student government, music, sports, etc.), as well as all community activities in which you have participated in without pay during the past 4 years (e.g., Red Cross, church work, etc.).
~Make sure to include all of your activities, as it may affect your eligibility for scholarships.
~Make sure you have a start and end date for each activity entered.
~If you have held an office, were a team captain etc., please list under the awards, honors, offices section.

Awards (Not required for Fargo Area Dollars for Scholars, but it may open other scholarship opportunities for you).

Employment:
~Click the "Enter Employment Information" button to complete this section.
~Please list all employment for which you were paid during the past 4 years.
~Make sure to include all of your jobs, as it may affect your eligibility for scholarships.


Documents (Fargo Area Dollars for Scholars does not require any other documents be attached).
Parent/Guardian Info (A parent must grant consent if you are under the age of 16. To complete parent information, click request information from parent and enter their email address).
Financial Info (Not required for Fargo Area Dollars for Scholars, but it may open other scholarship opportunities for you).

Goals Essay

  • Click the "Goals Essay" button to complete this section.
  • Provide an essay describing your plans as they relate to your future educational and career objectives.
  • This section gives credit to students for planning their education and career in a thorough and logical manner.
  • The essay should include a planned progression of activities or steps into the future. The more steps planned, the more points.
  • No word limit.

Unusual Circumstances Essay:
~Click the "Unusual Circumstances" button to complete this section.
~Please describe how and when any unusual family or personal circumstances have affected your achievement in school, work experience, or your participation in school and community activities. There is no word limit.

  • Unusual Circumstances does not include the following:
    • Moderate illness or injury with recovery
    • Sports injury
    • Death of grandparent, friend, or other extended family member
    • Family moves, family chores, work to help out, responsibility for sibling, transportation problems.
  • Unusual Circumstances that are considered includes the following:
    • Chronic illness, serious injury, physical or mental handicap
    • Learning disability, very serious long-term illness with recovery (self or immediate family)
    • Difficulty/problems in immediate family (parent's divorce, stepparent, blended family, single parent, teen pregnancy, drugs, prison, bankruptcy, parent out of work over one year)
    • Difficulty/challenges stated due to being an immigrant or refugee
    • Difficulty/problems due to natural disasters must be stated with specific details
    • Death of immediate family member, tragedy of self or immediate family member (assault, abuse, suicide, rape, kidnapping, or other serious crime)
    • Life threatening illness (not expected to live) of self or immediate family member.

Transcripts (Email your request to counselor or registrar, ensure that that their email address is accurate).

References
~Click "Add Reference Information" to request your recommendation.
~Make sure to let your reference know you are making a request and allow them enough time to complete the reference prior to the scholarship deadline.
~Your reference will receive a request via email with instructions from the Scholarship America system. To ensure they receive the email make sure their email address is entered correctly. In some cases, the email may go to SPAM or Junk.  Let your reference know they may have to check these folders).
~If you have not heard from your reference prior to the deadline, follow-up to make sure they have received the request.

 


Once you have completed the above sections, click on the "Save and Look for Scholarships" button. Under the "Scholarships Applications Ready to Complete" area you should see Fargo Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship and/or Fargo Area Dollars for Scholars Career and Technical Education Scholarship. Click on the "Apply" button.

Follow the instructions and complete the electronic signature and click the "Submit" button.

Check the "Scholarships I've Applied For" section and make sure the Fargo Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship and/or Fargo Area Dollars for Scholars Career and Technical Education Scholarship are listed.
 

Note: Your scholarship is not closed once you have submitted. You can still make changes to the "My Information" categories and submit the new information until the close date for scholarships.

 

If you have any questions about the application please visit with your school counselor, or you may contact the Fargo Public Schools Foundation office at
701.446.1041 or email- fpsfound@fargo.k12.nd.us.


Download DFS Application Instructions Here