SFCU College Scholarship Program

Information to have ready at time of application includes:

• A list of your community activities and volunteer work and grade(s) of participation. If you work part-time, please include details (ie. employer, position, length of employment, average hours worked per week, etc.)
• Essay Question – Respond to the following questions in a comprehensive essay:
  Both James Suriano and Wayne King were pillars in the Sidney Community and took great pride in the opportunity to serve others. How do you feel the community activities and volunteer work, listed within your application, have affected your individual character? Please explain. In addition: If you could tell your younger self one thing about giving more of your time helping others, what would you say?
• Your essay response should be 500 words. Please site all sources. If any portion of the essay is plagiarized, the entire application will be disqualified.

Note: You will not be able to save your application once you have started. You must fill-in all required fields, electronically sign, and SUBMIT at one time.

Eligibility

Must be a member of SFCU in good standing who meets all the following criteria:

• Must demonstrate participation in their community through volunteerism and service.
• Must be a college-bound student or current college student at the time of application. The member will be enrolled or is enrolled in either a two- or four-year accredited educational institution.
• The member meets SFCU’s financial needs criteria: AGI not to exceed $75,000 for single household or $125,000 when filing jointly. Will require copy of 1040 or equivalent document as verification once recipient is notified.
• The member agrees to use any scholarship funds awarded by January 31, 2025, at an accredited educational institution only.

Application period will open November 2024. 

SFCU is offering our  high school seniors (primary membership required) the opportunity to compete for local and state college scholarships through our partnership with the New York Credit Union Association’s (NYCUA) College Scholarship Program. Scholarships may be used at a two- or four-year accredited educational institution or a trade/vocational school.

Students that are SFCU members can take advantage of this opportunity by completing these steps:

1. Download the Scholarship Application. Read all instructions carefully.
2. Complete the fillable Scholarship Application, required essay, and obtain your high school transcript (documenting your GPA for grades 9-12). Save each file individually. Acceptable file formats include: jpg, jpeg, png, gif, doc, docx, pdf, xls, xlsx, csv, ppt, pptx, ttf, svg, woff, ico, epub, xlsb. Note: Google Docs are NOT accepted.
3. Contact us directly at 877.642.7328 to obtain a verification code. Please contact us prior to beginning the Scholarship application. We will verify your membership status and/or eligibility. If you are not already a member, you may apply online or visit the most convenient branch location to establish an account. All scholarship applicants are required to be a primary member on an sfcu account.
4. Once you have filled-in the application, completed your essay, obtained your code and transcript, go to the NYCUA Scholarship to upload and submit. 

• Fill in your name and email address for both the Nominee and Nominated By sections.
• Disregard the Reasons for Nomination section and only complete the required fields.

There is no fee for submitting an application, but applicants MUST be:
•    the primary member on an SFCU account;
•    high school seniors at the time of application; and
•    attending either a two- or four-year accredited educational institution or trade/vocational school for the first time in the fall of 2024.

Application period will open November 2024.