Method
How the scholarship match finder works
Quick answer
By The Fit Desk · Scholarship Match Finder · Published
Sources: public platform pages, app store listings and review sites, read 15 October 2026.
What do we record for each platform?
For each of the three platform paths (search databases, platform-run awards, apply-for-you services) we record Described or Partly. We also record nine checks, eight of them shown on every platform's feature grid: one application for many scholarships, automatic reapplication, its own no-essay award, tracking and reminders, essay help, a statement that scholarships are vetted, a do-not-sell or privacy choices control, a mobile app, and coverage for graduate and adult students. Each is Stated, Partly or Not on the pages we read, with a note and a source.
- Stated on the platform's pages
- Partly stated
- Not on the pages we read
How does the quiz weigh the four paths?
Every path starts at 0 points. Each answer adds the points below.
Scroll the table sideways
| Question | Answer | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Where are you in school? | High school, 9th to 11th grade | School and local sources first +2, Platform-run awards +1 |
| Where are you in school? | High school senior | Platform-run awards +1, Search databases +1, Apply-for-you services +1, School and local sources first +1 |
| Where are you in school? | In college | Search databases +2, Apply-for-you services +1 |
| Where are you in school? | Graduate school or returning adult student | Search databases +2, School and local sources first +1 |
| How much time can you give scholarships each week? | Less than an hour | Apply-for-you services +3, Platform-run awards +2 |
| How much time can you give scholarships each week? | One to three hours | Platform-run awards +1, Search databases +1, Apply-for-you services +1 |
| How much time can you give scholarships each week? | More than three hours | Search databases +3, School and local sources first +2 |
| Would you pay for a service that applies for you? | No, free tools only | School and local sources first +1; Apply-for-you services set to 0 after all other points are added |
| Would you pay for a service that applies for you? | Maybe, after a free trial, if it saves real time | Apply-for-you services +1 |
| Would you pay for a service that applies for you? | Yes, if it saves time | Apply-for-you services +2 |
| How do you feel about essays? | I'd rather skip them: no-essay awards first | Platform-run awards +3, Apply-for-you services +1 |
| How do you feel about essays? | I'll write one good essay and reuse it | Apply-for-you services +3, Search databases +1 |
| How do you feel about essays? | I'm happy to write a new essay when it counts | Search databases +2, School and local sources first +2 |
| How do you feel about sharing your data? | Fine with it, including college outreach | Search databases +1 |
| How do you feel about sharing your data? | Fine if I can opt out of sales or sharing | Nothing |
| How do you feel about sharing your data? | I don't want my data sold or shared | School and local sources first +3 |
| Do you need reminders to stay on track? | Yes, I need reminders and tracking | Apply-for-you services +2 |
| Do you need reminders to stay on track? | Nice to have | Nothing |
| Do you need reminders to stay on track? | No, I keep my own calendar | School and local sources first +1 |
Paths are ordered by points, highest first. Ties keep the fixed order: search databases, platform-run awards, apply-for-you services, school and local sources. The first is Start here. Of the next two in that order, each is Also worth a look if its points are above 0 and at least 3 or half the first path's points, whichever is higher. The rest with points above 0 are Lower on your list; a path with 0 points is Not suggested by your answers.
If Start here is school and local sources, the result opens with a panel on starting with your school and local sources and a short checklist, and the platform list follows under "If you also want to use a platform". If school and local sources are Also worth a look, a note above the platform list says no platform covers them fully. If you answer that you do not want your data sold or shared, a note counts how many of the privacy policies we read describe selling or sharing data.
How does the quiz check platforms?
The platform paths you are pointed to (Start here and Also worth a look, leaving out school and local sources) give each platform 2 points if it is Described and 1 if Partly. Each check below adds points only when your answers trigger it.
Scroll the table sideways
| Check | When it applies | Stated | Partly | Not on the pages we read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| States scholarships are vetted | Always | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| One application, many scholarships | Essays: one essay reused, or time: less than an hour | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Automatic reapplication | Time: less than an hour, or reminders: need them | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Runs its own no-essay award | Essays: skip them | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Tracking and reminders | Reminders: need them | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Mobile app | Reminders: need them | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Essay help | Essays: one essay reused | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Do-not-sell or privacy choices link | Data: opt out is enough, or don't want it sold or shared | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| States graduate and adult coverage | Grade: graduate or returning adult | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Free-only answer: if you answer free tools only, platforms that charge a membership are not placed in the list. They appear in a separate box under it, with their cost and price lines.
Platforms with the same total are shown as equals and listed alphabetically. We never show the total as a score.
What does Not on the pages we read mean, and is it fair?
It means we did not find the feature on the pages we read. It counts zero, not against the platform. It does affect order: a platform whose pages describe reminders can match a reminders check, and one whose pages do not cannot. Platforms that publish less can lose out here. If a platform does more than its pages say, the fix is a source, not a guess: send it through the contact page and we will add it.
Which platforms are covered, and why these?
6 scholarship platforms whose pages we could read in enough detail on 15 October 2026: Appily (formerly Cappex), Bold.org, Fastweb, Niche, ScholarshipOwl and Scholarships.com. Others we looked at but could not profile:
BigFuture Scholarships (College Board)
Free, run by the nonprofit College Board, with its own no-essay awards. We could not read enough of its pages on 15 October 2026 to write a profile.
Source: BigFuture (College Board) · Read 15 Oct 2026
Scholly Scholarships by Sallie
A free scholarship search now under the Sallie Mae brand. Its pages did not finish loading for us on 15 October 2026, so we have no profile.
Source: Scholly Scholarships by Sallie: search · Read 15 Oct 2026
Unigo
Owned and operated by Unigo LLC, with its own monthly scholarships. We could not read enough of its pages on 15 October 2026 to write a profile.
Source: Unigo FAQs · Read 15 Oct 2026
Going Merry
Closed. goingmerry.com no longer loads (checked 15 October 2026).
Source: goingmerry.com (no longer loads) · Read 15 Oct 2026
Where do the facts come from?
- Each platform's own homepage, About or FAQ page, scholarship pages, terms and privacy policy, read on 15 October 2026.
- App Store listings and Trustpilot profiles, quoted as text with the count of ratings or reviews. We never draw stars and never average ratings.
- One third-party page, a Scholarships360 review, for ScholarshipOwl's plan prices, because ScholarshipOwl does not publish them on its public pages. It is labelled every time it appears.
- Where a platform does not publish something, we write Not published or Not on the pages we read.
How do we handle corrections?
Send a correction through the contact page with the topic Correction and a public source. We check it against the platform's page and update the data; quiz results recompute automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Can a platform pay to appear first?
No. Order comes only from the published rules and your answers.
Why no scores?
Because the right platform depends on your situation more than on any single number. A score would hide what matters to you, such as having no budget, strict privacy or very little time.