Online-Degree-Scholarships Blog

You may be searching and applying for several scholarship programs. In any case, you will never want to be a victim of scholarship scams. Desperate students and parents often fall prey to scams. However, you can save yourself if you are well aware of the warning signs. Given below are 10 warnings signs that signal a scam.

1. Fees
Remember, you never need to pay an upfront fee while applying for scholarships. So, if you are told to pay some fees for applying, you can keep from applying for such awards and do not get scammed. When it is about winning free money for college, you do not need to pay an upfront fee for applying.

2. Credit Card/ Bank Account Information Required
If some scholarship sponsors or committee asks you to furnish your credit card information or your bank account information, you should be careful and respond with a firm ‘no'. By providing such information, you can be a victim of a scam.

3. Scholarship Guarantee
Selecting scholarship winners is the sole decision of scholarship committees and judges. There is no one who can guarantee you free scholarship money. If someone says so, they want you to get into a scam. So, keep this in mind as a warning sign of a scam.

4. No Work Involved
Winning a scholarship or a financial aid requires time and sincere effort on your part. No one else can do this work for. You need to fill out the scholarship application yourself. If somebody says they will do all the work for you, this could be a scam.

5. No Contact Information
If you are in touch with a legitimate scholarship sponsor, they will definitely provide you with their complete contact information including mailing address, valid email address and phone number. If the scholarship provider does not have contact information, you should take it as a warning sign of a scholarship scam.

6. Unsolicited Scholarships
How do you like it when someone calls you to receive a scholarship award you never applied for? Be wary of such situations. This is most likely a scholarship scam.

7. Pressure Tactics
If you feel you are being pressurized to apply for a specific scholarship program, you should not give in to the pressure; this could be a scamming tactic. You may also be asked to pay some amount upfront. Do not ever give in to such pressure tactics while applying for financial aid and be alert not to fall prey to a scam.

8. Claims of ‘exclusive' Scholarships
There are scholarships and financial aid available for students of various backgrounds. No scholarship sponsor provides an exclusive scholarship. If some provider claims that the scholarship is exclusive and is available to no one else, they are a scam scholarship provider. So, be ready to detect the warning sign and not get scammed.

9. Scholarship Sponsor goes out of their Way to Sound Official
Before you apply for a specific scholarship award, it is essential to confirm the legitimacy of the scholarship sponsor. By using official sounding words like ‘federal', ‘education' and ‘national', scam sponsors try to fool you into thinking they are a legitimate scholarship provider. When in doubt, validate the legitimacy of the provider with school counseling and guidance center.

10. Your Questions aren't Answered Directly
Another sign of a scamming is that you do not get your questions answered directly. If you feel the provider is not giving a straight answer to your questions regarding the scholarship application form, what will be done with the information and other eligibility criteria, it could be a sign of a scholarship scam. You are advised to proceed with caution.

Remember, no one is ever going to fill out the application form for you and guarantee you a scholarship. You will win the free money on your own - through your own efforts, skills and abilities. So, never fall prey to a scam by acting in desperation. If you keep all the above mentioned warning signs in mind and proceed with caution, you will never be a victim of scholarship scams.

College student scholarships are available for candidates of all backgrounds. There are numerous organizations, associations and academic institutions that give out millions of dollars in the form of financial aid or free scholarship money. Financial aid is available for African American students as well. Thanks to the availability of a number of schools and organizations that encourage African American students to pursue higher studies and fulfill their career dreams. If you an African American, you definitely need to know about the key financial resources that offer scholarship money for you. These resources are listed below.

Organizational Scholarships
In order to help students pay for college, many national African American organizations have come up providing financial aid to aspiring candidates. The eligibility criteria may vary from one organizational scholarship to another. Some of these financial aid organizations target students who choose to pursue a specific field of study. Likewise, the amount of money distributed by these African American organizations may also vary from one scholarship program to another.

United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
The UNCF distributes thousands of dollars to undergraduate and graduate college students. Before applying for these financial aid programs, students should be aware of the criterion that makes them eligible to apply.

A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required.
Candidates should have unmet financial needs and the same should be verified by their school's financial aid director.
Students need to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and then send the Student Analysis Report (SAR) to the financial aid office of the university.

Whichever UNCEF scholarship African Americans may win, they need to renew the scholarships on a yearly basis. For further details, candidates can log on to the United Negro College Fund Website.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
The NAACP has its branches all across the United States. Students are required to send a written request to NAACP or get in touch with the organization's local branch to receive the scholarship application form along with the instructions for filling out the same. For more information, African American students can visit the NAACP website.

Corporate/ Association Scholarships and Grants
Besides academic organizations, there are several corporations and business firms that offer financial aid to African American students. To know more about these fellowship programs and college grants, students can visit the company websites. Candidates can also get in touch with the industry leaders to collect the details about multiple college funding opportunities for minority students. The aim of these financial aid programs is to encourage students of minority backgrounds for pursuing their specialized field of study.

Some of the resources for minority focused scholarship programs are as follows -

General Motors (Cheverolet Execellence in Education Awards & Summer Internships)
Merck & Pfizer (for undergraduate and graduate students of biochemistry)

Black Icon Scholarships
The scholarships are awarded to students in commemoration of renowned African American figures. The substantial amount is collected through the contribution of family and friends. Popular Black Icon Scholarships are as follows.

Thurgood Marshall Fund (merit based scholarships)
Jackie Robinson Foundation (four year college scholarship money up to $7,000)

Membership Organizations
There is no doubt that networking plays an important role in collecting scholarship and financial aid information. African American students should acquire the membership of organizations that give them both information and exposure. Some of these resources are listed below.

National Society of Black Engineers
National Association of Black Journalists
National Black Nurses Association
National Organization of Minority Architects
National Bar Association
National Medical Association
National Black MBA Association

Non-Profit Assistance Organizations
Whether it is on the regional level or state level, there are many non-profit organizations as well that help African American students pay for college. You can also look for such organizations locally and find the funding opportunities.

Development Fund for Black Students in Science and Technology
National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering

Internet has proved to be a great resource for finding information about scholarship and grants available to students of African American backgrounds. All you need to do is spend some time and make some sincere effort researching for such opportunities. A lot of financial support is available to help students pay for college.

Tuition fees are rising. Room and boarding expenses have exceeded. And you are finding it hard to keep the college education expenses from going beyond the budget. Under these circumstances, it is essential for college students to stick to their budget. So, do you have some money saving ideas and tips? Given below are some tips that can really help your budget go further. Read on.

Saving Money on Textbooks
The prices of textbooks are rising year after year, as companies are trying to cash in on the college textbooks. But if you are really determined to save college money, you will always have a way to do so. Thanks to the availability of a huge secondhand textbook market, you can always get your textbooks at lower prices. The internet is also playing a key role in helping students search for used textbooks. A little homework on your own and you can find the resources where you can buy used or secondhand textbooks to save a lot of money.

Saving Money on Credit Cards
There is absolutely no problem if you have a college student credit card. Problem arises only when you start using the credit card irresponsibly. Yes, the student credit card is a great help under urgent circumstances. Apart from that, the credit card also gives you the option to build credits which you will need later to cars, houses etc. However, students should also remember that credit card companies are making millions of dollars from irresponsible use of college student credit cards. In order to save college money and stay within the budget, students need to learn how to be responsible and wise while using college student credit cards.

Saving Money on Insurance & Cars
For students aged below 25 years, owning a car and insurances can prove to be notoriously expensive. Also understand the difference between a ‘want' and a ‘need'. What you want may be something that you may not necessarily need. Think about the ghastly car parking expenses on the college campus. It is essential to figure out whether you actually need a car to get by in college. If you do not actually need a car, imagine how much college money you can save. In case you find a car to be a necessity, you have ways to get cheap student auto insurance.

Saving Money on Airfare
You may be feeling quite homesick and would like to visit your home during holidays. Or you may also decide to head to a spring holiday destination along with some other friends of yours. But, have you ever seriously thought about saving college money while getting airline tickets. Though cheap airfare is not easily available, you can always use your advantage of being a student. By spending some time researching, you can definitely find yourself cheap airline tickets to get back home or to head to a holiday destination. This way you can save quite a bit of college money.

Saving Money on Dorm Room Shopping
Linens, rugs, knick knacks and other related accessories - you need them for your new dorm room. While you go shopping for these items, retailers are ready to make a fortune off students' money. They may show you inexpensive accessories for the dorm room and lure you into buying all these things. College Students, however, should be wise enough to decide what they actually need and what they do not and whether the items they buy are really useful. By being a little more careful while buying the decorative items and furniture for the dorm room, students can save a lot of their college money.

Searching for College Students Scholarships
The easiest way to stick to your college budget (or instead have a bigger budget) is to search and apply for college scholarships. Today, there are thousands of scholarships available to help students with their college education expenses. Students from a variety of ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds can avail the free scholarship money. So, do some homework on your own, find out where the college scholarships are, apply and win. Receiving scholarships can help you stretch your meager college budget.

Therefore, always be prepared to make smart choices with money. Keep all these money saving tips in mind, apply them and you will soon be saving lots of college money and living on a college budget. Best of luck!