Scam or real: how to check any scholarship in five minutes

Five checks that sort a real award from a lead form, a drawing or a scam. They are the same checks we run before a listing goes on this site.

A real scholarship gives money to a student. A lot of things that call themselves scholarships exist to collect a family's contact details, sell a service or run a prize drawing. You can tell them apart in about five minutes, before you type a single personal detail.

1. Find the sponsor's own page

Search for the organization that pays the award and read about it on that organization's own website. A listing on a big directory is a lead, not proof. If you cannot find a sponsor page that names the award, who can apply, how much it pays and when it closes, stop there.

2. Look for a fee

You should not have to pay to apply for a scholarship or to receive one. The Federal Trade Commission warns families about offers that ask for money up front or for bank or card details to hold an award. See the FTC's guidance on scholarship and financial aid scams.

3. Ask how the winner is chosen

A scholarship has selection rules: grades, need, an essay, a field of study, a community. If the only step is entering your name and email, and the winner is drawn at random, it is a sweepstakes. Some are legitimate drawings, but your odds are very long and your contact details are the price of entry.

4. Check the date, with the year

Old listings stay on the internet for years. Make sure the deadline on the sponsor's page is for the coming cycle, with the year stated. If the page still shows last year's date, the award may be closed, paused or gone.

5. Read what happens to your information

Before you create an account anywhere, read the consent line next to the sign-up button. If it lets partners contact you with offers, expect calls and email from colleges, lenders and marketers. A real scholarship application does not need that permission.

Red flags that end the check

A guarantee that you will win, or your money back.
A message that you were selected for an award you never applied for.
Pressure to act today.
A request for a bank account, card number or Social Security number before you have won anything.

Every listing on Scholarship Buddy has been through these checks against the sponsor's own page, and shows the date we did it. If you spot one that looks wrong, tell us and we will recheck it.