Scholarship Scams: What to Look Out For

Scholarship scams can be a waste of your time and money. Learn what to look out for, so you avoid getting scammed.

Finding Scholarships

No question about it: College is expensive; and while scholarships offer the perfect solution for dealing with the expense, you’ve got to be willing to put a lot of research and work into netting those free dollars. Wondering how you can ensure that all of that hard work goes into pursuing legitimate scholarship opportunities, rather than the scholarship scams?

Avoiding Scholarship Scams

To help you in your search, here are several signs of a scholarship scam:

• You receive notice that you’ve been awarded a scholarship that you didn’t apply for. Generally speaking, scholarships require a long application process, including essays, letters of reference and a copy of your transcript. If you aren’t asked to put in the work, be wary.
   
• You are asked to pay for scholarship leads. There are plenty of free sources for scholarship information, so there’s no reason to pay. Visit your high school guidance office for leads or check out a website like Fastweb.com.
   
• You are asked to pay a fee with your scholarship application—scholarships are about earning money, not spending it.
   
• A scholarship service guarantees that they can get you scholarships—only hard work and dedication can earn you a scholarship—there are no short cuts.
   
• A scholarship service offers to do all of the work for you. While a scholarship service may alert you to potential scholarship matches, they can’t possibly fill out all of the applications and gather all of the required supporting materials for you. If they claim otherwise, run.
   
• A company claims that they’re the only source for the scholarship leads that they are providing. This just isn’t true. You can find the same scholarships listed in any number of sources—there’s no exclusivity involved.
   
• You’re asked to send money to secure or hold your scholarship.
   
• You’re told that everyone is eligible for the scholarship. College money is awarded for any number of reasons—academic success, athleticism, race, gender, etc.—but no scholarship is one-size-fits-all. If you aren’t asked to prove your worthiness, than the scholarship isn’t worth your time.

Sources for Legitimate Scholarships

Legitimate scholarship sources will help you to turn up legitimate scholarships. Here are several tried-and-true places to look for scholarships that you can trust:

• Your guidance office
• Your parents’ work
• Your employer
• Any organization or club that you belong to
• Local organizations and businesses
• Your chosen college
• Big name corporations
• Fastweb.com

Get Savvy and Avoid the Scholarship Scams

Most people who fall for scholarship scams do so because they are desperate to hear that their college expenses are covered. While scholarships really can help to fund your education, you should expect to have to work for those dollars. Just remember: If it seems too easy, it probably is.

Erin Huffstetler, Staff Editor

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