Attending college is notoriously expensive. Scholarships can help cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and more, thus reducing the financial burden put on students and their families. It allows for increased flexibility, enabling students to attend a school that they may have otherwise been financially unable to. Some scholarships are given on a needs-based basis. Other scholarships recognize academic, athletic, or artistic achievements. We’ve provided a list of 8 search engines you can use to find the perfect scholarship for you. 

1. Fastweb

Fastweb is one of the largest scholarship search engines. It has a database of over 1.5 million scholarships, collectively worth over 3.4 billion dollars. The site is designed to simplify the scholarship search for students—students are asked to create a profile, and Fastweb will give personalized scholarship recommendations. This makes it much easier for students to narrow down their scholarship search to the ones that they already qualify for or the ones that would suit their strengths and interests.

Pricing: Free 

2. Scholarships.com

Scholarships.com offers a comprehensive database of scholarships, as well as general information on financial aid and student loans. Similar to Fastweb, this free college scholarship search platform also matches you automatically to the college scholarships you qualify for. By making a profile, you’ll immediately be matched to the scholarships best suited for you. The scholarship directory also has multiple filters. This means you can filter your scholarship matches by due date, dollar amount, major, school year, etc. You’ll find scholarships for women, scholarships for minorities, no essay scholarships, and more.

Pricing: Free

3. College Board’s Scholarship Search

The College Board’s Scholarship Search engine is one of the most credible sites, as all the information comes from the College Board itself. Students may use this search engine to find scholarships by location, academic year, GPA, degree level, and more. Scholarship types are separated into “merit-based” for scholarships awarded for academic achievements, and “need-based” for those based on financial need. This makes it very easy to find the types of scholarships you’re looking for. 

Pricing: Free

4. Niche

Niche is a site that contains a vast amount of college application information. Among this information is a scholarship search engine that allows students to find scholarships based on their interests, skills, and other criteria. You can make a Niche account, allowing you to be automatically matched to college scholarships you are eligible for. Niche also has its own scholarships that it gives out, such as its “$10,000 ‘No Essay’ Scholarship.’” All scholarships can be applied for directly on the Niche website.

Pricing: Free

5. Peterson’s Scholarship Search

Peterson’s Scholarship Search engine helps students find scholarships based on their academic background, interests, and more. Its database includes more than 1.9 million scholarships, grants, and fellowships, with over 10 billion dollars available in scholarship awards. The search tool allows students to easily filter for available scholarships by school type, ethnicity, gender, field of study, state, etc. 

Pricing: Free

6. Unigo

Unigo is another site that prides itself on creating personalized scholarship matches for students. It also gives basic information on what scholarships are, the basic timeline of scholarships, tips on how to apply for scholarships, and more. You’ll find scholarships for military members, for minority students, for religious studies, and much more. There are also exclusive Unigo sponsored scholarships that are given each month to students who respond to their short essay prompts. These can be found here. 

Pricing: Free

7. Sallie Mae Scholarship Search

The Sallie Mae Scholarship Search engine requires students to complete a student profile before getting personally matched within minutes. Students can also search through the Sallie Mae database and filter by location, dollar amount, and more. Sallie Mae also offers its own exclusive scholarships, such as the “Sallie Mae Bridging the Dream Scholarship Winner.” There are also “$2000 Sallie Mae Scholarship Sweepstakes” that occur every month. Applications for this scholarship only take two minutes and require no essay writing! 

Pricing: Free

8. CareerOneStop Scholarship Search

CareerOneStop is sponsored by the US Department of Labor, making it one of the most credible sites for your college search process. Every year, CareerOneStop helps students find scholarships based on their interests, skills, eligibility, and other criteria. You can search by keyword or filter by level of study, award type, location, major, affiliation, etc. In addition to scholarships, the platform also advises people on fellowships, grants, loans, prizes, and other financial aid tools to further your education. 

Pricing: Free

Bonus — If you’d like to work on rigorous research, consider the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students founded by researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here. You can also reach out to us at contact@lumiere.education to know more, or to have a chat about possible collaborations!

Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!

Amelia is a current senior at Harvard College studying art history with a minor in economics. She’s enthusiastic about music, movies, and writing, and is excited to help Veritas AIs students as much as she can!

Image Source: Fastweb logo