Scholarship Scams

The FTC states that thousands of families are taken advantage of in the scholarship scam game. Many of these fraudulent scholarship companies pose as legitimate foundations or scholarship search services. They advertise in campus newspapers and on the web; they pass out flyers and send out direct mail cards featuring toll free numbers. They promise "free money for college," when all they're doing is targeting vulnerable students and worried parents. Report any service you suspect is a scam.

Below is a list of, along with links to, several scholarships for minorities, just to give you an idea what is available to minorities where scholarships are concerned. Browse through them and read through the rules to make sure you qualify before you spend too much time on them. Then, just decide whether you feel you have a good chance of winning the award and, if you like your odds, apply. Or, even better, conduct a free scholarship search and find dozens, maybe over a hundred scholarships for which you qualify.

• The company guarantees a scholarship or your money back.
• The scholarship service promises to do all the work.
• There is a fee required for the listings the service provides.
• The scholarship company claims to have exclusive information.
• You become a finalist in a contest you can't even remember entering.
• There is a request for your credit card or checking account number.