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Scholarship word list: plain definitions for students and parents
Quick answer
Scholarship platforms, privacy policies and award letters use their own words. Here are 37 of them in plain English, alphabetical, each with a link to where it matters on this site.
A
- Applicant count
- The number of students who have applied for a scholarship. Fewer applicants usually means better odds, but most platforms do not show the count on their public pages. Read more
- Apply-for-you service
- A service that uses one profile and one application to apply to many scholarships on your behalf. ScholarshipOwl describes itself this way and charges a membership after a free trial. Read more
- Automatic reapplication
- When a service reapplies for you to scholarships that run every month or every year, so you do not have to submit again. Read more
- Award amount
- The money a scholarship pays, as stated by its funder. Some awards are split across several winners or paid over several years.
- Award letter
- The letter or notice from a college listing the aid it offers you, including grants, scholarships, loans and work-study. Read more
C
- Credibility score
- A rating that some platforms show on each scholarship to signal how trustworthy the listing looks. ScholarshipOwl's App Store listing says every scholarship in its app shows one. Read more
D
- Data sharing with colleges
- When a platform passes your profile to colleges so they can contact you or make offers. Appily, for example, says colleges can use your profile to share admission offers unless you opt out. Read more
- Deadline
- The last date a scholarship accepts applications. Deadlines run all year, not only in the spring. Read more
- Direct Admissions
- A program where colleges offer admission to students based on their profile, without a separate application. Niche says high school seniors who apply for its no-essay scholarship can also be eligible for Direct Admissions offers. Read more
- Do-not-sell link
- A link, often required by California privacy law, that lets you ask a company not to sell or share your personal information. Read more
- Donor-funded scholarship
- A scholarship paid for by a person, company or group and run on a platform, as on Bold.org. Read more
E
- Eligibility criteria
- The rules for who can apply: grade, location, major, background, grades or activities. Matching works by comparing your profile with these rules.
- External scholarship
- A scholarship from an outside funder rather than from your college. Also called an outside or private scholarship.
F
- FAFSA
- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the form US students file to apply for federal grants, loans and work-study. Many colleges and some scholarships also use it.
- Financial aid office
- The college office that builds your aid package and needs to hear about outside scholarships you win. Read more
- Free trial
- A period when you can use a paid service without being charged. ScholarshipOwl's terms say you must cancel before the trial ends to avoid being charged. Read more
- Fulfillment partner
- A company that runs the winner selection and notification for a scholarship. Niche names Votigo as its official scholarship fulfillment partner. Read more
G
- Grant
- Money for school that you do not repay, usually based on financial need and given by the government or a college.
I
- Institutional scholarship
- A scholarship given by the college itself, usually through the financial aid or admissions office.
L
- Local scholarship
- An award limited to a town, county, school or community group. Often smaller, often with fewer applicants. Read more
M
- Matching
- How a platform compares your profile with each scholarship's eligibility rules and shows you the ones you may qualify for. Read more
- Merit-based scholarship
- An award based on achievement, such as grades, test scores, talent or leadership.
N
- Need-based scholarship
- An award based on your family's financial need.
- No-essay scholarship
- An award you can enter without writing an essay. Many are random draws for one or a few students. Read more
- Non-refundable
- A payment you cannot get back. ScholarshipOwl's terms say payments are non-refundable except in limited cases. Read more
O
- One application
- Using a single profile and application for many scholarships. ScholarshipOwl's FAQ describes applying to multiple scholarships at once with one application. Read more
P
- Platform-run award
- A scholarship hosted or paid for by the platform itself, such as Niche's no-essay award. Read more
- Profile
- The information you give a platform about yourself: school, grade, major, location, activities and background. It drives matching and is covered by the platform's privacy policy. Read more
R
- Random drawing
- A way of picking winners by chance among eligible entries, common for no-essay awards. Read more
- Renewable scholarship
- An award that pays again in later years if you keep meeting its rules, such as a minimum GPA.
- Reusable essay
- One strong essay you adapt for many applications instead of starting from scratch each time. Read more
S
- Scholarship displacement
- When a college reduces other aid because you won an outside scholarship. Ask your aid office how it treats outside awards. Read more
- Scholarship scam
- An offer that uses the promise of money to take a fee or your personal data. Real scholarships never charge you to apply or collect. Read more
- Search database
- A large list of scholarships from many funders that you search and apply to yourself. Read more
- Sensitive personal information
- A legal category for data such as ethnicity, citizenship, health or precise location. ScholarshipOwl's privacy policy says it may sell certain sensitive personal information, like ethnicity and citizenship. Read more
V
- Vetting
- Checking that a scholarship is real and its rules are clear. Fastweb says real people research and vet every listing in its database. Read more
Frequently asked questions
Why does this word list mention specific platforms?
Where a platform's own pages use or explain a term, we point to it so you can see the term in context.
Is anything missing?
Send a term through the contact page with the topic General question.