Scholarship site privacy: which sites say they may sell or share your data

Why do scholarship sites ask for so much?

Matching works by comparing your profile with each scholarship's rules: where you live, your school, your grades, your major, your background, sometimes your family's income or your citizenship. The more you share, the better the matches can be. The same details are valuable to colleges, lenders and advertisers, which is why privacy policies matter here more than on most websites.

What does each policy say?

• ScholarshipOwl: "we may sell Identifiers generally" and "We may also sell certain Sensitive Personal Information, like ethnicity and citizenship, to Third Parties". It shares with third parties to apply for scholarships when you direct it, says it does not sell text-message opt-in data, and links a "Do not sell or share my personal information" page. Policy last revised December 23, 2025.
• Bold.org: "We may sell to or share your information with, and generate revenue from, scholarship providers, applicable academic institutions". It may sell to educational institutions in your profile and takes part in "partner advertising programs". Policy effective August 29, 2024.
• Fastweb: free services are offered based on users' willingness "to be contacted by colleges or our marketing partners"; information "may be sold to colleges" and may be shared with colleges, employers, recruiters, "data aggregators, marketers". Policy last updated December 17, 2025, issued by Iron Corp US Inc.
• Scholarships.com: "We may sell or share personal information", including for marketing and advertising. With consent it shares with "education-related partners" and provides information "to colleges and universities". Policy updated April 17, 2026.
• Niche: a table of "Third Parties to Whom We Sell and/or Share" lists identifiers (name, address, phone, email) going to advertising partners; users may opt in to sharing with advertisers in communication settings.
• Appily: colleges can use profile information to share admission offers; Appily describes opting out of data sharing with colleges through its Privacy Notice page and links a minor-friendly privacy policy.
• Scholly, BigFuture and Unigo: we could not read their privacy policies for this edition. That does not mean they do not share data.

What does "sell or share" mean?

Under California's privacy law, "selling" covers more than handing over data for cash: exchanging personal information with another company for something of value can count, and "sharing" covers passing data on for targeted advertising. That is why many sites carry a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link. The wording in a policy tells you what a site allows itself to do, not what it does with your record on a given day.

Which details deserve extra care?

Ethnicity, citizenship or immigration status, disability, health, sexual orientation, family income and exact home address are sensitive. Some scholarships need them to check eligibility. Share them where a specific scholarship requires them, and think twice before adding them to a general profile.

How can you limit what you share?

1. Read the privacy policy's sale and sharing section before you sign up.
2. Use the "Do Not Sell or Share" link where the site has one.
3. Turn off marketing emails, texts and partner contact in your account settings.
4. Leave optional profile fields empty unless a scholarship you want needs them.
5. Use a separate email address for scholarship sites.
6. Parents of minors: go through the settings together.