Scholarship Search Engines and Gateways

Fast Web

www.fastweb.com

Many high school counselors and financial aid offices recommend Fast Web. The scholarship entries are clearly laid out. The deadlines are very clear. The primary drawback to this site is the numerous pop-up ads.

Fast Web also publishes The Complete Scholarship Book, which lists many of the scholarships found on the website.

 U.S. Department of Education

www.students.gov/index.html

The U.S. Department of Education aids students pursuing education beyond the high school level. It offers an impartial overview of the types of funding available. This site has information on both foundation and government grants, in addition to lists of other helpful databases.

Scholarships.com

www.scholarships.com

Scholarships.com discusses a variety of funding sources from grants to loans to government assistance. It is easy to navigate and has no pop-up ads.

CollegeScholarships.com

www.college-scholarships.com/free_scholarship_searches.htm

College Scholarships.com links you to information regarding all aspects of the scholarship search process, from helpful tips to virtual campus tours.

CollegeNET

www.collegeNET.com

CollegeNET links you to colleges and universities and to financial aid sites. The site has both key word and profile searches. CollegeNet does not require you to register. Also, you can sort your selections by amount awarded, application deadline, and percentage of applicants awarded.

Free-4U

www.free-4u.com

Very well organized and clear, but the incessant pop-up ads are distracting. The search engine offers you the choice of browsing the database for scholarships by academic major, state, religion, minority status, and other categories.       

Free Scholarship Search

www.freschinfo.com/index.phtml

Free Scholarship Search focuses exclusively on college- and graduate-level scholarships. It gives you a choice of undergoing a “Power Search” for scholarships that are specific to you and the characteristics you have given them, or a general search, which allows you to look at other scholarships organized in various ways. Entering your personal information for the Power Search takes 20 minutes and works best when used by U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Wired Scholar

www.wiredscholar.com

Wired Scholar is run by Sallie Mae, the nation’s largest student loan company. They offer a scholarship search, for which you have to register. You can do a broad search as well as a more specific search of their scholarship database. The site also offers information about financial aid and loans.

Black Excel–The College Help Network

www.blackexcel.org

The Black Excel College Help Network is primarily directed at African American families and first generation college students. It offers students information about attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as a scholarship gateway.

United Negro College Fund

www.uncf.org

The United Negro College Fund offers students a scholarship search engine that allows you to search by state, academic major, and scores. It also has details of scholarships that UNCF cosponsors with large corporations.

American Indian College Fund

www.collegefund.org

The American Indian College Fund offers a series of four booklets designed to help American Indian students through the college and financial aid process. These booklets can be downloaded from the website. It also has a list of scholarship opportunities.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund

www.hsf.net

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund offers information about going to college as well as a scholarship gateway to search for scholarships aimed at Hispanic students.

Scholarships for Hispanics

www.scholarshipsforhispanics.org/directory

Scholarships for Hispanics offers a searchable database of over 1000 scholarships aimed at Hispanic students for which you must register to use. The list can be searched by citizenship, field of study, deadline, state, and/or college.

OTHER USEFUL SITES

www.petersons.com/ugchannel

Petersons offers a college search, test preparation information, college application tips, financial aid resources, and a scholarship search.

www.mapping-your-future.org

Mapping Your Future offers college and career planning information.

www.schoolfinder.com

SchoolFinder offers assistance on identifying interests, colleges, and scholarships.

www.usnews.com

US News and World Report offers a guide to the best colleges for the money, an application checklist, and financial assistance information.

www.edupass.org

EduPASS contains financial aid information specifically for foreign students.