How To Tell If a Scholarship is Legitimate
Applying for scholarships is serious business. I mean, you’re going to be putting a lot of serious time and effort into your application. And if you have to write an essay, that’s a lot of brainpower being expended! So could you imagine the heartbreak, the turmoil and the devastation you would feel if you were to find out that a scholarship you worked so hard to apply for was a fake? To be colloquial, it would suck, right?
Luckily, there are ways to pick out the good scholarships from the bunch to make sure you’re spending your time and energy on only those opportunities that could result in a cash payout.
It’s Listed
It’s always a good sign that a scholarship you’re interested in is listed with all of the major scholarship databases such as FastWeb and the College Board. While you shouldn’t take the fact that the scholarship is listed as proof of its legitimacy, it should help you move in that direction.
Your Questions Are Answered
If at anytime during the application process you have a question that needs to be answered, ask the scholarship organization. If you receive a thorough and coherent answer, you’re most likely dealing with a legitimate organization. If all you receive is the run around or if you are belittled in anyway, it may be time to move on.
Contact Info Is Available
All legitimate scholarships should have contact information readily available for potential applicants. This includes both an address and phone number. Please note that the address should not be a P.O. Box or residential address.
No Fees Are Involved
You should never ever have to pay any fees in order to apply for a scholarship. If a fee is requested, it may very well be a scam. For all you know, the company might merely collect application fees, distribute a pithy award by means of a lottery system and then laugh all the way to the bank with that application cash.
Eligibility Requirements
Just about every legitimate scholarship has some sort of eligibility requirements. Now, that could be anything from residence in a certain state, a certain GPA or being able to make a prom dress out of duct tape. As you can see, eligibility requirements do not always have to be serious, but they should definitely exist. A scholarship that “anyone” can apply for is probably a fraud.
No Guarantees
There should never be any guarantees on a scholarship application or its accompanying documentation. The whole point of a scholarship is to select the student or students that are most worthy of the award and to give them the money in honor of their achievements. Guaranteeing money to anyone that applies defeats the whole purpose of what a scholarship is supposed to stand for and more often than not signals a scam in the making.
All Info Is Verifiable
If you find that a scholarship is backed by a company that has been rated by the Better Business Bureau, look it up! If this is a legitimate claim, you should be able to find the source material to back it up. The same goes for any claims of a federal agency, state or what have you sponsoring or supporting a scholarship. Any claims of official stature can and should be double checked for accuracy.
And there you have it! Just remember to keep a watchful eye on any scholarship application that slips across your desk. If anything about it seems fishy, even for just a moment, put a hold on your essay brainstorming and put a little effort into finding out the legitimacy of the award first. I know it’s extra work, but it will be worth it in the end.