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What scholarship sites actually do
Short answer
Scholarship sites are search engines, award platforms or application services, and many are a mix. Knowing which kind you are using tells you what it can and cannot do for you, and how it pays for itself.
By The Deadline Desk · Best Scholarship Sites · Published · 3 min read
Three kinds of scholarship site
Most scholarship websites fall into one of three groups, and many mix two of them.
- Search databases. They collect scholarships offered by companies, foundations, colleges and community groups, and let you search or get matched. Fastweb and Scholarships.com are examples: Fastweb states 1.5 million scholarships and Scholarships.com over 3.7 million scholarships and grants.
- Award platforms. Here donors or the site itself fund scholarships that you apply for on that platform. Bold.org says its scholarships are created by donors and awarded on Bold.org. Niche, BigFuture and Unigo run awards of their own as well.
- Application services. These try to cut the work of applying, for example by reusing one application for many scholarships or reapplying for you. ScholarshipOwl is the clearest example in our reviews, and it is also the one that charges a membership.
Why the kind matters
A search database can be huge, but you still apply to each scholarship yourself, on the funder's own form. An award platform can make applying quick, but you only see the awards on that platform. An application service can save time, but it can only apply where its system supports it, and it costs money in ScholarshipOwl's case.
When a site quotes a big number, ask what it is counting. A database total is not the number of scholarships you are eligible for, and it is not the number you could realistically win.
How free sites pay for themselves
Running a scholarship site costs money. Free sites usually earn it from colleges, advertisers or partners that want to reach students. That is why privacy policies matter: several of the sites we reviewed say they may sell or share personal information. Our privacy guide quotes each policy.
What no site can do
No site decides who wins. Funders do. A site can show you more awards that fit, make applying faster and remind you of deadlines. It cannot raise your odds on a particular award, and the honest ones say so. ScholarshipOwl's own disclaimer, for example, says a premium membership does not increase your chances of winning a specific scholarship.
A sensible starting setup
- Pick one large free database for breadth.
- Pick one platform with its own awards if no-essay or quick applications appeal to you.
- Consider an application service only if repeat forms are eating your time, and read its price and refund terms first.
- Add your school counselor's list and local organizations, which often fund the awards with the fewest applicants.
The ranking compares the sites on these trade-offs, and how we score explains the weights.
Frequently asked questions
Do scholarship sites give out the money?
Usually not. Most list awards that other organizations fund. Some, such as Bold.org, Niche, BigFuture, Unigo and ScholarshipOwl, also run awards of their own.
Do I need more than one site?
Often yes. Databases overlap only partly, and local awards may sit on only one site or on none.