Scholarship scams cost students real money and real opportunities. Here’s how to protect yourself.
Common Warning Signs
- Guaranteed awards — no legitimate scholarship guarantees an award before reviewing your application.
- Upfront fees — be very cautious of any “processing fee” requested before a decision is made.
- Urgency pressure — messages demanding you act within hours are designed to stop you from checking.
- Unsolicited “you’ve won” messages — for a scholarship you never applied to.
How to Verify an Opportunity
Search for the scholarship independently, outside of the email or message you received. Visit the provider’s official website directly by typing the address yourself, not by clicking a link. Contact the institution using contact details from their official site, not the ones given to you.
Safe Payment Practices
Never wire money or send mobile money to a personal, individual account for tuition or fees. Legitimate institutions bill through official, named institutional payment channels. If a “scholarship” asks you to pay in order to receive money, it is not a real scholarship.
See our full Safety & Anti-Scam Guidance page for more detail, or check how we verify listings on our Verify Opportunities page.
