Scoring rules
How we score scholarship sites
Short answer
We score scholarship sites from 0 to 10 on eight weighted criteria, using public pages, app store listings and review profiles. Totals are computed in code from the weights on this page. We did not create accounts or apply for scholarships.
By The Deadline Desk · Best Scholarship Sites · Published
What question does the ranking answer?
Which scholarship site helps a student send more applications that fit, with the least wasted effort?
That question puts the most weight on the work a student does to apply and on whether the matches fit. Cost, privacy, help and ratings still count, so a site that saves effort but charges money or shares more data loses points there.
Which criteria and weights do we use?
| Criterion | Weight | What we ask |
|---|---|---|
| EFApplication effort saved | 25% | Does the site cut the work of applying: one application reused for many scholarships, one-click or auto-apply, automatic reapplication to recurring awards? |
| MQMatch quality | 20% | How much of the student's profile does the site use to match scholarships, and can the student filter and sort the matches? |
| TRTransparency and scam protection | 15% | Does each listing show who funds it, the rules, the deadline and the number of winners, and does the site describe how it vets listings and what it does not promise? |
| COCost to the student | 10% | Is it free, and if not, are prices and refund terms clear on the site's own pages? |
| PRPrivacy and data sharing | 10% | What does the privacy policy say about selling or sharing student data, and how much of it? Higher means less sale or sharing stated. |
| HEHelp along the way | 10% | Does the site help with essays, track applications and send reminders before deadlines? |
| RARatings from users | 5% | What do App Store and Trustpilot ratings say, and how many ratings stand behind them? |
| DBDatabase size, as stated | 5% | How many scholarships does the site say it lists? We quote the site's own figure; we did not count. |
Each scored site gets a whole-number score from 0 to 10 on each criterion, with a one-line reason on its review. The total is the sum of score times weight divided by 100, shown to two decimals. Ranks use the exact total; equal totals share a rank.
Why these weights?
Application effort saved carries the most weight (25%) because the lead question is about wasted effort: reusing one application and reapplying automatically are the biggest time savers we found. Match quality (20%) follows because an application that does not fit the rules is wasted work. Transparency and scam protection (15%) matters because students need to know who funds an award and what a site does not promise. Cost, privacy and help get 10% each: they are real costs and real help, but they do not decide on their own whether a student applies to more awards that fit. Ratings (5%) are small or uneven samples, some from paid or unclaimed profiles, and they rate the experience rather than results. Database size (5%) is the site's own figure, not our count, and a bigger list is not the same as more awards you can win. No weight is above 30%.
What changes with other weights?
| Rank | Site | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bold.org | 6.25 |
| 2 | ScholarshipOwl | 6.00 |
| Tied 3 | Fastweb | 5.63 |
| Tied 3 | Scholarships.com | 5.63 |
With equal weights, Bold.org ranks first and ScholarshipOwl ranks second. You can set your own weights on Your weights.
What counts as evidence?
- Only pages we: each site's homepage, about and FAQ pages, terms, privacy policy, App Store listing and Trustpilot profile.
- Database sizes and user counts are each site's own figures, quoted with a link. We did not count listings.
- ScholarshipOwl plan prices are not on its public pages. Where we show prices, they are labelled as listed by Scholarships360, a scholarship site, and not confirmed on ScholarshipOwl's pages.
- Where a fact is not on the pages we read, we write Not published or Not read. Not read means we could not read the page, not that the feature is missing.
Which sites did we review but not score?
- Appily (formerly Cappex)
Its application features, essay help and ratings were not on the pages we read.
- BigFuture Scholarships (College Board)
We could read only search listings of its pages; its privacy terms and app details were not read.
- Niche
Its help features and app ratings were not on the pages we read, and the only rating profile we found is unclaimed and filed under an unrelated category.
- Scholly (Sallie Mae)
Sallie Mae's scholarship pages did not finish loading for us, so we could not read them in full.
- Unigo
Its privacy terms, apps and ratings were not read.
We score a site only when the pages we read cover every criterion. Otherwise it gets a facts-only review.
Going Merry is closed. Its website no longer loads, and it was reported to have shut down in March 2026. We do not review or score it.
What does the punch card show?
Every scored site gets a punch card. The stub on the left shows the site and its weighted total. The eight columns to the right follow the criteria order, one column per criterion, with ten holes each. Holes are punched from the bottom up to the site's score on that criterion. The two-letter codes under the columns are EF (effort saved), MQ (matching), TR (transparency), CO (cost), PR (privacy), HE (help), RA (ratings) and DB (database size).
- EF
- Application effort saved: 9 / 10
- MQ
- Match quality: 8 / 10
- TR
- Transparency and scam protection: 7 / 10
- CO
- Cost to the student: 3 / 10
- PR
- Privacy and data sharing: 2 / 10
- HE
- Help along the way: 8 / 10
- RA
- Ratings from users: 7 / 10
- DB
- Database size, as stated: 4 / 10
How do we handle corrections?
Send a correction through the contact page with the topic Correction and a link to the source. We check it against the site's own page and update the data; totals recompute automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Did you sign up for these sites?
No. Scores come from desk research on public pages, app store listings and review profiles.
Can a site pay to change its score?
No. Scores change only when a published source changes.
Why is a paid site ranked above free ones?
Because the ranking asks which site saves the most application effort with good matches, and that is where ScholarshipOwl scores highest. It also scores lowest in the set on cost and privacy. If cost matters most to you, raise its weight on Your weights.