FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

 

What is Scholarships.com?

Scholarships.com is a free scholarship search website that helps students locate scholarship opportunities. College education is a big ticket item. Many parents and students are unsure of how to find money to foot the tuition bill. Frequently, they are also unaware of the many resources at their fingertips - literally. All of the services at Scholarships.com are free: we encourage you to take advantage of our scholarship database, use our college search tool, and read through our helpful articles. Don’t delay - begin funding your college career today!

Do I have to register to view the scholarship opportunities in your database?

Yes. It is the only way we will be able to direct the most relevant scholarship opportunities to you. Registering also allows you to store your search results and revisit the scholarships you wish to pursue every time that you return to Scholarships.com and log in. If you don’t already have an email address of your own, contact your internet service provider to find out how to create one or visit a site such as Hotmail.com or Yahoo.com where you can create an email account for free.

Why can't I create an account for a second child using the same email address?

When you create an account, your e-mail address serves as a unique user ID; therefore, each user must have a separate e-mail address. In order to create another profile, you will need to enter a different email address. If you require assistance doing this, contact your internet service provider for more information. You may also register for a new email address at one of the many free web-mail services such as Hotmail.com or Yahoo.com.

I lost my password - how can I log in?

At the very bottom of the registration/login area on the home page of Scholarships.com, there is a Forgot Your Password? link. Click on the link, and you will be taken to a page where you can submit your e-mail address to retrieve your password. Once you have entered your e-mail address in this field and clicked the "Submit" button, your password will be sent to that address. To ensure this and other valuable information from Scholarships.com makes it to your inbox, be sure to "white list" Scholarships.com with your ISP and/or email filters. Please click here for more information.

How do I go about changing my password?

To change your password, go to www.scholarships.com/login.aspx and log in using your current email address and password. Once you have logged in, click on the "My Profile" tab at the top of the page to view the summary of your profile information. You will see a link in the top section (the "Student Information" section) of this page that reads "Change Your Password?". Click that link and you will be taken to a page where you may enter your new password. Once you have done so, click the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page. From now on, you will be able to log in at Scholarships.com using your new password.

I recently changed my email address - How do I update this information in my Scholarships.com profile?

Log in using your current/recent email address - the one you used to create your Scholarships.com profile. Click on the "My Profile" tab near the top of your screen. This will allow you to view your entire profile. To change your email address or make any other changes, simply select the "Edit This Section" text link in the upper-right corner of the appropriate section on that page.

Why do you need my personal information?

At Scholarships.com, we want to provide you with the most relevant opportunities and, in order to accomplish this, we need to have certain personal information. The information that you provide helps us find the best scholarship matches for you. Ultimately, this process will save you a great deal of time as you will only receive scholarship opportunities for which you qualify.

What is the difference between the scholarships in your database and those listed on other sites?

The scholarships in our database are submitted to us by the actual provider of the scholarships, whereas many other sites might rent an outdated list of scholarships about which they know nothing and care nothing. At Scholarships.com, we create and foster a relationship with the providers of all of the scholarships listed in our database and offer them the ability to manage their listings with free online access. We update and add scholarships to our database constantly. We regularly review each of them, checking for errors and soliciting updated information from the source of the scholarship when necessary. If a scholarship is discontinued or assistance is required of our staff, we are typically notified by the scholarship provider, in which case we respond promptly and appropriately. Our methods ensure the best experience for all involved and an accurate database of scholarships with the most current information possible.

How can I be sure that the scholarship offers listed on Scholarships.com are not scams?

Scholarships.com’s staff reviews and approves each scholarship offer submitted to our database and many steps are employed to make sure the more insincere offers are not posted. The URL of each scholarship is investigated, and we never allow a scholarship to be listed in our database unless we are confident the award being offered is legitimate. If it is discovered that an award in our database is of a questionable origin or intent, we immediately deactivate that listing until such time as we are able to confirm it is, in fact, a legitimate award. If this cannot be confirmed, the award is permanently removed from our database.

I noticed the NACAC and NSPA icons at the bottom of your page. What do these organizations do and what is your association with them?

NACAC: The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), founded in 1937, is an organization of more than 9,000 professionals from around the world dedicated to serving students as they make choices about pursuing postsecondary education. The Seal of Approval program is designed to help students and families make choices about the growing number of available admission counseling resources as they consider options beyond secondary school. The Seal of Approval is solely awarded to products and services that meet the NACAC Mission Statement and NACAC standards of utility, accessibility and integrity. Granting the Seal of Approval does not indicate NACAC’s exclusive approval of one program, product or service over another. A review panel of association members carefully evaluates each application as a part of the Seal of Approval process. For more information about NACAC, please visit http://www.nacacnet.org

NSPA: The National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA) is an organization that supports scholarship providers. Since 1999, NSPA has grown to include over 150 organizational members, with 220 individuals, from across North America. NSPA's members are diverse and include small and large private foundations, community foundations, public charities, two and four-year colleges, universities, associations, government agencies, and organizations that offer services to scholarship providers. Together, the NSPA membership awards over $450,000,000 in scholarships to more than 200,000 students each year.

Does Scholarships.com have scholarship opportunities available for average students?

Yes, in fact, we do. There are scholarship offers available for which all students can apply, regardless of their GPA or test scores. Many of these scholarships offer rewards that are as lucrative as merit scholarships. Essay scholarships or community service scholarships are a great place to begin searching because they typically do not require the applicant to submit transcripts to participate.

I'm a grad student - is it too late to get a scholarship?

No, in fact, you're in luck. Many of the scholarships available are specifically for grad students. We understand that graduate students often need financial assistance to continue their education – conduct a free scholarship search for more information.

If I receive a scholarship, will I get a check or does the money go to the school?

Whether the money goes to you or to the school at which you have enrolled/plan to enroll is entirely up to the scholarship provider. For an answer to this question, you will have to contact the provider directly.

Does Scholarships.com offer scholarships for students who do not live in the United States?

The scholarships in our database are exclusively for students attending schools located in the United States. However, if you are a student from a country outside the United States and plan to study at a college or university in the U.S., many of the scholarships listed on our website will be available to you.

I’m a scholarship provider, and I have a scholarship offer that I want to list on your site. How do I submit my scholarship?

Listing your scholarship is easy to do. Just select the "Scholarship Providers" link at the bottom of the Scholarships.com home page. This link will take you to an online form. Once there, select the blue "Submit a Scholarship" link (the other blue button, "Update a Scholarship" is for when you return to review and/or edit your scholarship listing). Now you can begin the scholarship submission process. Just fill out the entry form provided and give a detailed description of your scholarship. Please be sure to be as thorough as possible and don’t hesitate to contact us via email if you have any questions. At the bottom of the form is a section where you can designate qualifications that a student must meet in order to view your scholarship. It is very important that you select all the appropriate criteria so that we can properly filter the information and ensure that only qualified students will be made aware of your scholarship when they conduct a scholarship search at Scholarships.com.

The scholarship offers listed on Scholarships.com do not have years associated with the deadlines. How do I know what year the scholarship is for and if I should still apply?

Most of the scholarships in our database are renewed annually. Students who miss the deadline for the current year can still apply for next year’s scholarship offer. The provider of the scholarship, along with the staff at Scholarships.com, updates the information from each scholarship regularly, so if a scholarship does happen to get discontinued, it is removed from the database.

If the deadline for a scholarship offer has passed, why hasn’t it been removed?

The short answer mirrors the answer to the one above- they are typically annually. If it's too late for this year, you might be able to apply next year. Read through the details of the scholarship. If the scholarship provider won’t accept applications for next year before a certain date, record information about the scholarship and then return to it at a later date.

Do I have to be currently enrolled in a university before I begin applying for scholarships?

No, you don’t have to be officially enrolled in a university to begin your quest for scholarships. However, you should begin applying. If you do receive a scholarship, the sponsor is likely to ask for eligibility verification. This may include, among other things, proof of college enrollment.

Why is my disability, ethnicity and/or other characteristic not listed as a profile option?

Scholarships.com strives to acknowledge the uniqueness of each user, but the large quantity of characteristics, attributes and circumstances can occasionally make doing so difficult. To simplify the profile creation process, we list only those traits specifically named in the scholarships listed in our database. If the option you are searching for is not listed, you may want to select one that is more general or one closest to your preference.

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