Let’s face it — college is expensive. And by that we mean, awfully expensive. Thankfully, there are plenty of scholarship sites out there that can make paying for those four years a little more manageable.
We’ve rounded up the best six best scholarship tools on the web:
Since receiving recognition on Shark Tank back in 2015, Scholly has become one of the most-used scholarship-matching platforms. After creating an account and filling out the information section, users can then scroll through their top local and national scholarship matches. The best part: it’s available in app form, so you can search for free funding on the go.
With more than 1.5 million available scholarships worth over $3.4 billion, Fastweb is the go to site for prospective college students. Not only is it easy to locate scholarships, but it’s just as simple to keep track of your matches. Users can indicate which scholarships they’d like to apply for, mark the ones they’re not interested in and those that they’ve already completed. There’s even a variety of tools for students looking to explore financial aid resources and read through career advice articles.
Cappex offers more than simply merit-based awards. Students can also search for scholarships based on gender, major and even home state. All they need to do is fill out a quick profile and start scrolling through the options. The site even tells them which scholarships are their “best bets,” depending on how hard they are to apply for and what the competition is likely to be.
Niche’s search engine is extremely easy to navigate. Under the big bold titles of each scholarship, users can find a clearly outlined deadline, award amount, and bullet-point description. Click on the “details” tab below each scholarship, and they’ll also find out if there’s an essay requirement, minimum GPA or need for recommendations.
Students can search for scholarships on this extensive database in three different ways. Either they create a profile and get email updates of potential matches based on their specific interests, plug in keywords and see what the search engines discover, or browse through scholarships grouped by specific categories.
Between their financial aid assistance checklists, college cost calculators and student loan information section, College Board is one of the best sites for navigating college’s hefty price tag. Their scholarship search sections lets users browse through thousands of awards that honor both academics achievements as well as certain niche activities. They also give advice on the overall college application process. Students can dig around their site and find information about different majors, learn how to write a killer application essay, and even run through practice questions strategies for the college interview.
