Though many sites offer legitimate help, be aware that scholarship service scams abound. The Federal Trade Commission reports that thousands of families fall prey to these schemes every year. They name six signs that may signal foul play: "guaranteed" scholarships; services that promise to do all the work; scholarships that cost money; promises that information is unavailable anywhere else; notice of being a finalist in a competition that you never entered; and services that request a credit card or checking account number in advance. To check out a service’s credentials, call the National Fraud Information Center at 1-800-876-7060.
- 2005 Colleges and Scholarships (www.college-scholarships.com)
This page has received more than 30 internet awards and favorable reviews. It has links to all nine free scholarship search services on the net. It can also offer help with the following: college admissions and financial aid office e-mail addresses and telephone numbers; hot links to college homepages and online applications; a page with the very best admissions, financial aid, college prep and career sites on the net; a page to sign up for free e-mail newsletter covering a variety of topics on college admission and financing college.
- CASHE (www.cashe.com)
The College Aid Sources for Higher Education (CASHE) at Sallie Mae’s (a financial lending institution) online scholarship service lists sources of college funding, including scholarships, fellowships, grants, work-study programs, loans, tuition waivers, internships and competitions. All students, undergraduate through post-doctorate, should use CASHE. Student information is kept confidential and never sold or rented to others.
- The College Board (www.collegeboard.org)
Serving high schools, colleges, universities, students and parents, the organization is a nationally recognized source of essential programs, services, and information in the areas of assessment, guidance, admission, placement, financial aid, curriculum and research. This search engine locates scholarships, loans, internships and other financial aid programs from a database of 3,300 national, state, public and private sources.
- FASTWEB (www.fastweb.com)
This is the largest on-line scholarship search service. This financial aid tool features a scholarship search database which matches each student’s background, automatically, with eligibility requirements for scholarships from around the country, a cost calculator and offers a FastWeb mailbox that is updated daily with scholarship news and information. All for free!
- FINAID (www.finaid.org)
Very highly recommended. Several scholarship databases are linked to this site. It has information on myths about financial aid. To find out how much financial aid your child might qualify for, this site has a free calculator based on the federal government’s need analysis formula. Scholarship eligibility information, financial aid forms, ROTC funds and a financial aid to do list are included on this site.
- Guaranteed Scholarships (www.guaranteed-scholarships.com)
"The scholarships listed on this page are all guaranteed. By guaranteed scholarships, we mean those which are unlimited in number, and require no interview, essay, portfolio, audition, competition or other "secondary" requirement. Just meet the criteria listed, adhere to the application deadlines set by the individual colleges and universities, gain admission, enroll, and receive your scholarship or scholarships."
- Kaplan Educational Centers (www.kaplan.com)
Best known for SAT and ACT prep courses, this company has a web site that features financial aid applications and a lesson on how to spot scholarship scams.
- The Mach 25 database (www.collegenet.com)
Part of the CollegeNET system that allows applicants to complete, file and pay for college admissions over the web. As you openly peruse the Mach25 database, you can select potential awards for your own customized list. The site contains more than 600,000 scholarship offers totaling $1.6 billion.
- Peterson’s (www.collegequest.com)
Peterson’s Award Search makes it quick and easy to find the right scholarship for you. After you join the site’s free membership, you’ll have access to in-depth profiles of every undergraduate institution accredited in the U.S., specially designed tools to help you manage the college admissions and financial aid process.
- Scholarship Resource Network Express (www.srnexpress.com)
SRN Express is a free web version of the Scholarship Resource Network (SRN) database. The SRN database focuses on private sector, non-need-based aid, and includes information about awards from more than 1,500 organizations.
- Gates Millennium Scholars (www.gmsp.org)
A minority scholarship site.
- Free Scholarship Search (www.freschinfo.com)
A frequently updated database of scholarships currently listing 1817 scholarship sources offering 130,000 awards. This site also offers some great articles that provide tips on finding scholarships, submitting scholarship applications, and understanding the scholarship judging process.
- FASTAID (www.fastaid.com)
This site claims to be "The world’s largest and oldest" private sector scholarship database.
- Go College (www.gocollege.com)
This site offers both a free college search and a free scholarship search. The site lists over 500,000 scholarships.
- WIRESCHOLAR (www.wirescholar.com)
This is one of the foremost online resources for "going-to-college" information for students and parents. Additional resources include: Online test preparation from kaptest.com; Pros and cons of early admission; Scholarship database including 600,000 scholarships; Tips on how to apply for scholarships.
- NASFAA (www.nasfaa.org)
Highly recommended. This is a site that is sponsored by the NASFAA, an association of colleges, universities, career schools and others with an interest in the effective administration of student financial aid programs. The Association does not provide financial aid to students.
U.S. Military Sites
The highly competitive U.S. military service academies offer free federally funded education to the best and brightest. Their web sites are:
Federal Government Sites
- U.S. Department of Education: Student Financial Assistance (www.ed.gov/studentaid)
This site is highly recommended. It is a federal government site for student financial assistance. It has links to FAFSA on the Web, the Student Guide, Funding Your Education, the Hope scholarship and Lifetime Learning Credit.
- U.S. Department of Education: Financial Aid for Students (www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/)
This is the one-stop shop for federal student loan programs. The site has booklets available online or to be ordered by mail, and lots of information on deadlines, eligibility and applications.
- Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (www.fafsa.ed.gov)
This is part of the U.S. Department of Education Web site. Users can fill out and submit a FAFSA online, the first step in the financial aid process.
State Government Sites
- The Financial Aid Resource category at Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (www.thecb.state.tx.us)
This site has links to Texas-based financial aid information. U.S. Department of Education sites and nonprofit financial aid and student related associations. Resources include: Starting Points for Parents and Students, Financial Aid Resources, Financial Aid for Texas Students and Are You Ready for the Real World?
- Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation (www.tgslc.org)
This is a public nonprofit corporation that administers the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) in Texas. It provides information on Texas colleges, scholarship and grant information and an online application process.
- Adventures In Education (www.adventuresineducation.org)
This is sponsored by the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation. Students and parents can search the on-line database for financial aid that suits their individual education goals, qualifications and interests for schools in Texas and across the nation.
College Information
- IPEDS College Opportunities On-Line (nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool)
This is your direct link to over 9,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. If you are thinking about a large university, a small liberal arts college, a specialized college, a community college, a career or technical college or a trade school, you can find them all here.
- Campus Tours (www.campustours.com)
This is the definitive online source for virtual college tours, interactive maps, college web-cams. SmartMoney Magazine recently chose Campus Tours as one of their 52 Best Websites for 2000.
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