How to avoid scholarship scams
By Vincent Elliott · Published · Updated
Real scholarships never charge money
This is the single most reliable rule. Legitimate scholarships do not charge an application fee, a processing fee, or a fee to release your winnings. If a scholarship asks you to pay anything at any point, it is not worth it.
"You've already won" is a red flag
If you receive an unsolicited email or call saying you've won a scholarship you never applied for, that's one of the most common scams. Scholarship results come from an application process you completed, not a surprise call or text out of the blue.
Pressure and urgency
Scams often push you to act immediately, with lines like "respond within 24 hours or forfeit your award," to stop you from thinking it through or checking whether the organization is real. A legitimate scholarship deadline is set well in advance and will not change.
Know what you should never be asked for
A scholarship application may reasonably ask for your name, school, grades, and an essay. It should not ask for your Social Security number, bank account or routing number, or a copy of a government ID before you've been selected. Legitimate organizations only request sensitive financial information, if ever, from the winner.
Check that the organization exists
Before applying, search for the sponsoring organization by name outside of the email or link they sent you. A real organization will have a web presence, a real address, and results you can find from other sources, not just the page trying to collect your information.
What we do to keep this in mind
Every listing on this site links directly to the sponsor's own official page to apply. We never collect application materials, fees, or sensitive documents ourselves, and we only ever ask you for a grade level, state, intended major, and a rough income range to match you. See our Privacy Policy for the full list of what we do and don't collect.