Scholarship Scams

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Be Aware of Scholarship Scams

Check each scholarship by visiting the particular organization/institution’s website and verifying the existence of the scholarship as well as the guidelines.

Watch for these signs of a possible scam during your scholarship search:

Money back guarantees or extra fees, as typically one should not have to pay to apply for a scholarship
Guaranteed receipt of a scholarship or grant, since being awarded a scholarship is never guaranteed
Requiring credit or bank account information
Requiring personal information, such as a social security number
Extremely high success rates or large amounts of hype
Not providing the name or direct contact information of the actual institution offering the scholarship
Excessive spelling, grammar, or formatting errors
Scholarships from “Federal Agencies” that cannot be substantiated by that agency’s direct website
No specific deadline or other important application information provided
Contact and notification by phone with no email, address, or other forms of written documentation being exchanged
Being awarded a scholarship when no application was submitted
Inability of institution to provide any information of previous award history

Disclaimer

While you should be wary of potential scams, Liberty University also recognizes a number of legitimate scholarship opportunities provided by third party entities. Liberty is not in control over these third party entities and does not sponsor, operate, or bear responsibility for their scholarship programs, but if you are uncertain about the legitimacy of any particular scholarship offer and wish to inquire with us, LUO applicants may contact us at cpl@liberty.edu, and Residential applicants may contact us at advising@liberty.edu

Sources

Ashe, Greg. Business Wire. 2000. “An Education In Scholarship Scams.”
Federal Trade Commission. 2012. “Scholarship and Financial Aid Scams” (https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scholarship-financial-aid-scams).
Kantrowitz, Mark., Pub. FinAid Page, LLC. 2004. “Protecting Yourself From Scholarship Scams.”
Kantrowitz, Mark., Pub. FinAid Page, LLC. 2004. “Common Scholarship Scams.”