Scholarship Websites: Search Free or Don't Search
Many scholarship websites and other financial aid search companies, both online
and off, offer to match students with sources of financial
aid for a fee. Some even take you through the entire search process and
only tell you when you’ve finished this tedious process that you must pay in order
to see your results. Why pay for this information when you can use a free scholarship
search website offering that same information? By definition, scholarship information
is public, so despite the scholarship myths they propagate, these "pay to play"
sites can’t tell you anything you can’t find somewhere else for free. There are
a lot of scholarship websites out there, but you need to be careful which ones you
use. It is important that you be wary of scholarship scams and only visit scholarship
websites you know are trustworthy. Look for sites that are associated with other
reputable organizations. Find out how long they have been around and whether there
have ever been complaints against them registered with the FTC or BBB.
The Scholarships.com Advantage
Naturally, we recommend using Scholarships.com's free college
scholarship search. We offer our service absolutely free of charge and have
built and maintain our scholarship database in association with those providing
the actual scholarships. This means we have the most current, accurate information
about a given scholarship award. And reputable? Scholarships.com is among the most
reputable sites of any variety on the web today and one of only a few reputable
sites in our particular field. Founded in 1998, we are members of BBB Online and
TrustE. We also have earned and proudly display the NACAC Seal of Approval and are
members of both NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) and
NSPA (National Scholarship Providers Association).
Other Resources
The scholarship websites and other links listed below may prove useful to you as
well:
The above sources are provided by the U.S. Department of Education, which oversees
federal efforts to help students in all aspects of preparing for and
attending college. Studentaid.ed.gov is a great resource in general, with
links to information on multiple types of financial aid. These tools are an excellent
way to supplement your research on Scholarships.com and ensure that you’re making
the most of your online scholarship search.
Remember to start your search for scholarships early, as many scholarships have
early deadlines. We recommend you begin in your junior year of high school, or at
least the beginning of the year you will be graduating high school/entering college.