Scholarships are a wonderful option for students who would like help paying for school. As with anything good, there are people out there who will take advantage of students’ trust and hopes. While most scholarship programs are legitimate, there are some scholarship scam artists out there. Keep your wits about you and never give out personal information unless you are absolutely certain and have verified that the scholarship is legitimate.
Here are some red flags.
Unsolicited Scholarship Offers – If someone contacts you, via phone, mail or email, offering you a scholarship, and you never requested information from that provider, be very careful. Scholarships are awarded to you after an application process; they are not just given out to random students, no matter how special they are.
Fees – Applying for legitimate scholarships does not cost money! Submitting applications will cost you time and effort, but should never cost money, no matter how small the amount. If any scholarship offers request your funds to submit an application, become eligible, etc. kick them to the curb.
Limited Time Offers – Scholarships do have deadlines; however, they are usually clearly stated within the application guidelines. Legitimate providers don’t pressure students into applying for their scholarships; they have enough interest on their own. They also ensure that students have ample time to work on their scholarship applications and essays. If you ever feel pressured, the scholarship is likely a scam.
Gathering Personal Information – Other than some basic information, a scholarship provider should not ask applicants for private information, like your social security number. Some require information from winners. However, if you’re just at the point of starting out on the application and they ask for such information, don’t provide it because it will likely be used for something other than what you intended.
Eligibility – Legitimate scholarships always have some sort of eligibility requirement, whether it’s age, grades, residency, or school year. Any scholarship that claims to be all-encompassing with absolutely no exceptions should raise a red flag.
Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You – Scholarship providers will give you contact information to reach them, should you have any questions. Many scam artists out there will make a fake website claiming to be a scholarship provider without any sort of way to contact them or getting in touch with them is difficult. Keep an eye out for this, because legitimate scholarship providers don’t have anything to hide.
Remember, there are millions of scholarships available to students, so if one doesn’t seem right, move on!
Stop believing these college scholarship myths
