Best Scholarship Websites: Top 5 College Application Aids, According To Experts

For those looking to work in certain career fields, college is the necessary step after completing high school. Each year, students put in applications for the schools of their choice in hopes of getting into the program they wish so they can learn, excel, and grow. 

Though college may be necessary to getting to a desired end goal, finances can sometimes hold students back. Commissioned by College Ave Student Loans and conducted by OnePoll, researchers discovered, on average, parents expect the full cost of college — including tuition, books, room and board — to be above $26,000 annually. That makes higher education a major investment.

While financial aid can help, it comes with the dreaded student loan payments post-graduation. For those looking to explore other options of financial assistance without worrying about debt, scholarships come into the picture. Accrding to Sallie Mae, 87 percent of families used income and savings to cover college costs, 73 percent used scholarships and grants, and 41 percent used borrowed funds like student loans. Bank Rate says “The average scholarship award was $6,041 in 2022,” which can make a huge difference for semester payments. “To maximize your chances of winning scholarships, it’s a good idea to use a variety of sites to find opportunities,” says Scholarship360.

Here at Study Finds, we did the work for you to make college app season just a tiny bit less stressful. We consulted expert reviews and opinions to put together the list of the best scholarship websites of 2023. Have a website you recommend? Leave a comment below.

The List: Best Scholarship Websites of 2023, Per Experts

1. Scholarship.com

This website is known to have a database of roughly “3.7 million scholarships worth roughly $19 billion in financial aid,” says Bank Rate.

Prospective scholarship recipients make a profile with their information to get matched with scholarships based on eligibility and interest (think of it like Tinder, but for academic financial aid). “This system helps students find niche awards with smaller applicant pools that they’re more likely to win,” says Forbes Advisor.

“Listings are updated regularly and consistently every few months to help with informing students of the latest scholarships that are available to them that may be of interest,” says collegerank.net.

2. Fastweb

Since 1996, Fastweb has been helping students find scholarships and has grown to one of the “most advanced college scholarship search websites available today,” says The College Investor.

Fordham University agrees, calling it “the largest, most accurate, and most popular free scholarship search site.”

Like Scholarship.com (and many other sites), students have to create a profile to be matched. “The tool is completely free, but creating an account is required to tailor your search for scholarships and to apply to them,” says Get Schooled.

3. College Board 

College Board has been around even longer than Fastweb. It’s also the same entity that’s over standardized college entrance tests (SAT) and Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

“Founded at the turn of the 20th century, the College Board houses a membership association of over 6,000 schools,” according to Great Value Colleges.

The site has a lot to offer in terms of scholarships. “In addition to offering robust search tools, the number of schools that Collegeboard can search is one of the highest you’ll find. For 2021, it has financial aid and internships from over 2,200 programs, worth nearly $6 billion of free college money,” says The College Investor.

Fordham University writes: “The College Board’s Fund Finder scholarship database lists scholarships and other types of financial aid programs from 3,300 national, state, public, and private sources. The database is updated annually.”

4. Chegg 

Another well-known site, Chegg is known for selling textbooks, and offering flash cards and other study materials — but the site is also good for scholarship searching.

You can start your search without making a profile, “On a basic level, you can look for matches based on your school year, your age and your GPA,” according to Bank Rate. But if you want a more refined search, adding a profile is necessary. 

“Creating an account is required to tailor your search for scholarships and to apply to them,” says Get Schooled.

According to Great Value Colleges, “One unique feature that Chegg has to offer is its online tutors that will help you craft the perfect college scholarship essay. Services range from simple proofreading to creative ideas and development. And it’s all for one goal–to make you stand out in the crowd and get the money you need for your education!”

5. Scholly

This site takes a different approach using Advanced Technology. “Scholly uses artificial intelligence to provide scholarship matches and prioritizes them based on which ones you’re best qualified for,” says Bank Rate. “The platform also gives users access to exclusive scholarships that aren’t available anywhere else, so there’s less competition.”

College Investor says you might recognize it. “Scholly is a student success app that gained a lot of publicity from being on popular TV show Shark Tank. They can help you with math problems and they even have a in-built editing and proof-reading tool that helps students write better.”

“Each scholarship will have a Scholly score, which ranks how good of a fit it is for your background and experience. The higher the Scholly score, the stronger match you are with the scholarship’s requirements,” writes Forbes Advisor.

But this advancement comes with a fee. The site offers subscriptions based on tiers, ranging from $4.99-$34.99. In exchange, the site offers exclusive access to scholarships.

You might also be interested in:

• Best Online Colleges
• Best Colleges in California
• Best Colleges and Universities for 2023
• Best Nursing Schools

Sources:

• Scholarship360
• Bank Rate
• Forbes Advisor
• The College Investor
• Get Schooled
• Great Value Colleges
• Collegerank.net
• Fordham University 
• EDsmart
• Sallie Mae

Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations. This post may contain affiliate links.