12 POINT SCHOLARSHIP VERIFICATION PROCESS

verified_userOur SCHOLARSHIP VERIFICATION TEAM reviews every scholarship to make sure it meets our 12 POINT CRITERIA to be listed in our database. Our team reaches out directly to every scholarship provider and we also depend on you -- our users -- to report any scholarships that might seem suspicious or need additional verification. To be listed in our database, a scholarship must meet ALL TWELVE of the following criteria:

1. Sponsoring organization is legitimate.

Using public records and corporate and non-profit databases, we verify that the company or organization that sponsors the scholarship is real.

2. The sponsoring organization has the ability to fund the award.

We verify that the company or organization has a legitimate revenue source which gives them the ability to fund its scholarship program. Fake scholarships usually don't have any discernable source of income which begs the question: How can they afford to offer a scholarship? The answer: They can't!

3. Eligibility requirements are clearly listed and easy to find.

If we can't determine who is actually eligible to apply for the scholarship, we won't list it in our database. There should be a page that clearly describes who can apply for the scholarship.

4. Deadlines are current and accurately listed.

Nothing is more frustrating than spending hours on a scholarship application only to discover on submission that it is already expired.

5. Scholarship is prominently listed and the online application is easy to find from the homepage.

Shady organizations that use their scholarship program only for marketing or lead generation will bury their pages on their site. We make sure every scholarship organization listed in our database proudly promotes their scholarship on their homepage and other materials.

6. Visible contact information including a mailing address and e-mail.

Legitimate organizations do not hide their contact information. Legitimate scholarship providers show their contact information on their website and applications.

7. Scholarship provider responds to applicant requests in a timely manner.

We often test an organization's ability to respond to questions about their scholarship programs. If we can't get in touch with someone to answer a question, we don't list the scholarship in our database.

8. No false or misleading information about the scholarship program.

If we find false or misleading information about the program, we automatically disqualify that scholarship from being listed in our database. All scholarship providers must provide accurate and truthful information.

9. Winners list is published or made available.

A scholarship program should have a page where they announce their winners. This list should be publicly accessible.

10. The website must have substantial and quality editorial content or be a company with an actual product or service.

A scholarship website that is only designed to collect names is not legitimate. Our researchers verify that the website actually offers substantial and quality content or products or services.

11. Winners are selected based on a criterion not a random drawing.

If you want to enter a random drawing, there are plenty on the Internet. But they are not scholarships. A scholarship selects its winners based on specific criteria. Verified scholarships never choose winners randomly.

12. Any group that claims to be a "foundation," "non-profit," "charitable organization" or similar entity must be registered as a 501.c(3) tax exempt entity with the Internal Revenue Service and be in good standing.

Scams and fakes often pretend to be a non-profit or foundation to gain your trust. We verify that any group that says it is a non-profit truly is one by checking that it is duly recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a tax-exempt non-profit.

If a scholarship program passes all 12 of the above points, it is eligible to be listed in our database of verified scholarships. Our goal is to make sure that every scholarship you find is worth spending your valuable time to apply.

ABOUT US

The Problem: We've been in the scholarship world for over two decades! In that time we have seen the explosion of fake, scammy and downright misleading scholarships. Back when we started, spotting a scholarship scam was easy. They always charged a fee for entry. That's how they made money. But today your personal information is more valuable than a fee. Even worse than trading your personal information to apply for a scholarship is the fact that many of these scholarships are never even awarded.

Back in the day you mailed (as in through the post office) application forms and something called a SASE. What the heck is a SASE? It's short for Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope or basically an envelope with your address on it as well as a stamp. This way the scholarship organization could just drop the letter in the mail to let you know they received your application. Also, if they were really on the ball they would send you a list of winners once the scholarship was over. So why in the 21st century do most students submit their application online and then never hear a thing from scholarship providers? This is worse than in the old days and is unacceptable in our opinion.

Our Solution: We started Verified Scholarships as a solution to this problem. By verifying all scholarships, we guarantee that the awards you find are worth your time to apply. We also encourage scholarship providers to improve their programs from the perspective of the applicant. Make the award details clear and easy to find. Publish a list of winners on a regular basis. And, please communicate regularly with applicants. The internet has made finding awards much easier. But applying still takes the same amount of time as before. Therefore, we believe that all scholarship providers should have the interest of their applicants as priority number one.

We hope you find Verified Scholarships useful and remember that everything on our site is free for you -- the user. If you want to get involved, there is one favor you can do for us. While our staff of superstar scholarship verifiers are working every day, they cannot match the collective power of our users. If you see an issue with any scholarship in our database, please use the "Error Report" link next to the scholarship listing to let us know. Together we will create a world where only verified scholarships thrive!

WORK FOR US

Do you want to be part of a super star team of scholarship researchers who scour the Internet in search of fake scholarships and scammy awards? You get to work from home and set your own hours. You do need to have strong research skills and be willing to act as a detective to validate scholarships and make sure they are legitimate.

If you are interested, please use our "Contact Us" page to send us a message.

Privacy Policy

Your privacy is very important and we created this Privacy Notice to explain how we collect, use, and share your information.

Last Updated January 10, 2021

Our Commitment To Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used. To make this notice easy to find, we make it available on our home page and at every point where personally identifiable information may be requested.

The Information / Data We Collect

We collect data that you provide to us when you interact with our site or sites owned by third-parties with whom we have contractual relationships. In most cases when you come to our site we will gather or receive technical data about your device and how you interact with our Site ("Technical Data"). Technical Data may include browser type, referrer URL, date and time of your visit, IP address, MAC address, device type, screen resolution, and OS version. Technical Data also includes "Cookie and Similar Data" described below.

On some pages, you can subscribe to services, make requests, and register to use services or receive educational materials. The types of personal information collected at these pages typically include: your name, address, phone number, gender, student status, birthday and email address.

We gather additional data if you elect to engage with our sites or certain sites owned by our Media Partners. This includes contact information you elect to provide (e.g., name, address, email address, telephone number) about yourself or third parties to us and our Media Partners. For example, if you elect to click on one of our advertisements on a Media Partner’s site that Media Partner may pass your contact information to us. In addition to contact information other types of information may include age, gender, occupation, and education level. The type and scope of the information we collect are based upon the services you are using or requesting.

When you use our site, we may recognize you or your device through use of a "cookie" or other tracking technology. These technologies act as unique identifiers and allow us to tailor our site and services to your specified interests and track your activity on our sites. This information may be added to your user profile and used to deliver offers and advertisements that we believe are relevant to your interests.

As an ad supported site, we may include or offer third party products or services on our site. These third party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these sites. We may have contractual relationships with advertisers, advertising agencies and other intermediaries that have advertisers as clients. These Media and Advertising Partners ("Partners") may also utilize third-party cookies and other tracking technologies like clear pixel GIFs to identify you. We and our Partners may use these technologies to measure responses to emails and page views on this site and our Partners’ websites. These technologies are used to enhance this site, to make this site more relevant to you, and to measure the effectiveness of our email and other advertising campaigns and those of our Partners.

Tracking Options and California Do Not Track Disclosures: Certain sites require cookies to function efficiently. We may use cookies to deliver advertising we believe is relevant to you and to link data collected across other devices you use. You can adjust your setting to limit tracking or decline cookies, but, as a result, you may not be able to use certain features of our site or take full advantage of all of our offerings. Please refer to your device or browser settings for more information on how to delete or decline cookies and control your tracking preferences.

Data Usage

We use the data we collect from and about you through this site to connect you with Advertising Partners who can provide you with information about the products and services you are seeking. We generally do this using Technical Data and the data you provide.

We may also use the data we collect from and about you to (i) respond to your requests (e.g., email, phone calls or texts); (ii) to keep you informed of our products and services (and those of our Partners); (iii) to allow you to send message through this site; (iv) to improve our sites and business; and (v) to use your data in an aggregated, non-specific format for analytic and demographic purposes. We use Technical Data to monitor our site's performance, analyze traffic patterns and usage, ensure that this Site and any transactions function properly, and gather demographic information about our user base as a whole. We may use automated decision-making in segmentation and matching.

Data Sharing

In addition to the primary Data Use described above (i.e., sharing your data with Advertising Partners and third parties for the purpose of providing you with information about the products and services you are seeking), we may share your data as follows: (i) with other partner sites and businesses; (ii) with service providers who assist us in compliance and verification activities; (iii) if you choose to send a message through, or contribute to public areas of, this site (e.g., message boards, blogs); and (iv) with a third party in the event of a sale or transfer of all or part of our business.

We may also disclose the data we collect from and about you to (i) comply with legal processes; (ii) to respond to lawful requests from authorities (including public and government authorities outside your country of residence, and including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements); (iii) to enforce our Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy; (iv) to protect our business, rights, privacy, safety, or property or that of others; and (v) as necessary under applicable law (including laws outside your country of residence).

External Websites

We often link to websites that are not owned and operated by us. We are not responsible for the content or practices of such websites, including their practices with respect to your data. We have no responsibility or liability for such practices, and such practices govern your use of those websites. If this site includes any mapping features, these mapping features are powered by Google, Inc. and governed by Google’s privacy policy, as amended from time to time.

Our Commitment To Data Security

To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online. However, no electronic data transmission or storage of information can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Please note that we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us. You use this site and provide us with your data at your own risk.

Our Commitment To Children's Privacy

Protecting the privacy of the very young is especially important. For that reason, we never collect or maintain information at our website from those we actually know are under 13, and no part of our website is structured to attract anyone under 13.

Choices and Access

Residents of certain countries, including European Union member states (and the United Kingdom), may have additional rights listed under "Information for European Consumers" below.

Marketing Emails: To stop receiving marketing emails from us, please follow the instructions at the bottom of any email message to unsubscribe. Even if you unsubscribe, we may still send administrative (i.e., non-marketing) messages. To unsubscribe from a third party’s communications, contact that third party directly or follow the instructions to unsubscribe in the applicable marketing email.

Please note that we will not be able to remove your data from third parties’ databases, and you will need to contact them directly and/or use any available opt-out mechanisms.

Retention Period

In general, we will retain your data for as long as is needed to connect you with Advertising Partners who can provide you with information about the products and services you are seeking, which is typically 30-180 days. We will typically retain an archived copy of your data for six years as required or permitted by law for legal and compliance purposes.

Information for California Consumers

The California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA") affords certain rights and protections to California residents. This section is intended to further describe (i) the categories and sources of data that we collect, sell or share; (ii) the purpose for collection; (iii) the types of third parties to whom we disclose that information; and (iv) details about how California residents can exercise their rights under the CCPA.

Categories of Data Collected. We may collect the following CCPA categories of data: (i) identifiers, such as a name, email address, telephone number, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, IP address; (ii) protected classification characteristics under California law, such as age, marital status, medical condition, gender, veteran or military status; (iii) commercial information, such as products or services obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies; (iv) geolocation data; (v) professional or employment information, such as consumer-reported current or past job history; (vi) inferences drawn from some of the information above (e.g., email open rates and time).

We collect Technical Data and personal information from users who land on or engage with our sites or other Verified Scholarships owned-properties (e.g., in response to emails from or on behalf of Verified Scholarships).

Partners and Third Parties: Consumers who visit websites owned by our Media Partners may be redirected to our sites. In some cases, we may gather data directly from Media Partner websites, or Media Partners or other third parties may post data to our Sites or otherwise transfer data to us. This may occur via display ads, click listings, or inquiry forms. Our Advertising Partners may also provide us with data.

Authorization: We require all parties from whom we receive data, whether they are Partners, Service Providers or other third parties, to represent and warrant to us that they have appropriately obtained the data provided to us and have the authority to share the data with us.

Purpose for Data Collection. As described above we primarily uses the data we collects to connect consumers with Advertising Partners who can provide information about the products and services those consumers are seeking.

Categories of Third Parties with Whom Verified Scholarships Discloses Personal Data. In addition to the sharing for the primary use described above, we may share your data with other businesses, service providers, and third party websites.

Categories of Data Sold. As described above, Verified Scholarships may transfer Technical Data, personal information provided by users, and Third Party Data to Advertising Partners who can provide the consumer with information about the products and services they are seeking. We may receive a fee for the transfer of that data or when the consumer purchases a product or service.

CCPA Rights. The CCPA affords certain rights and protections to California residents including: (i) the right to request that we delete any "personal information" that we have collected from you ("Right to Delete:); (ii) the right to request that we disclose the categories and/or specific pieces of personal information collected and sold ("Right to Know""); and (iii) the right to direct us not to sell their personal information ("Right to Opt-Out"). Personal information is defined under the CCPA as "information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household."

California residents who would like to submit a Request to Know, Delete, or Opt-Out should use the CA opt-out form located at the bottom of any page. Upon submission, you will be asked to verify your email address. If we are able to verify your Request to Know or Delete, (e.g., that you are a California resident and that we have or have sold, as the case may be, your "personal information"), we will respond within 45 days of your submission (or such additional time period as the law allows us).

Information for European Consumers

Our Site and business are operated in the United States. If you are located outside of the United States any data you provide will be transferred to and processed in the United States. For residents of the European Union (and the United Kingdom), Verified Scholarships, is the data controller for your data collected under this Privacy Notice. We process your data pursuant to your consent, where legally required to do so, or where we have a legitimate interest, such as using your data for fraud prevention, analytics or to improve our Sites and business, and for our marketing purposes.

In addition, you have the following rights with respect to the data collected from and about you on this site: (i) the right to request access to such data; (ii) the right to request the correction, erasure, and restriction of processing of such data; (iii) in some instances, the right to object to the processing of such data; (iv) in some instances, the right to request that Verified Scholarships export, in a structured, commonly used, and machine readable format, and transmit to another controller, such personal data; (v) the right to withdraw, at any time, any consent to the processing of such personal data. To exercise these rights please use the "Contact Us" page which is linked at the bottom of every webpage.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may amend this Privacy Notice from time to time. When we do, we will post an updated version of the Privacy Policy and revise the "LAST UPDATED" date at the top. We will provide appropriate notice to you if we change the Privacy Policy in any material way. Using this site after any changes are made means you accept those changes and the revised Privacy Policy.

Dispute Resolution

You have the right to submit feedback about this Privacy Policy, or the practices described in it, to the applicable supervisory authority in your jurisdiction of residence. For U.S. residents this includes the Federal Trade Commission and your state Attorney General. For Non-U.S. residents this includes the Data Protection Authority in your country of residence.

How To Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice please submit an inquiry using the Contact Us page a link to which is located at the bottom of most pages.

Verified Scholarships
Attn: Privacy Policy
2713 Newlands Ave.
Belmont, CA 94002

Terms of Service

Last Updated January 10, 2021

Thank you for choosing to become a user or registered user of VerifiedScholarships.com. Before you take advantage of our service, please review these Terms of Services ("Terms" or the "Agreement"). These Terms are an agreement between you and Verified Scholarships. It is important that you understand both the benefits we provide as well as our limitations.

1. Acceptance of Terms.

When you complete the registration process, you agree to these Terms. These Terms may be updated from time to time. We will notify you of any significant updates by presenting you with an alert that describes the changes. Those changes will go into effect 30 days after the alert is first posted. Your continued use of our services signifies your acceptance of the changes. These Terms will always be available to users on this page for you to read.

Also, when using services offered through VerifiedScholarships.com's third-party service providers and partners, you may be subject to terms posted by these third-party service providers. Registration for VerifiedScholarships.com signifies your agreement to those additional terms.

2. Age Restriction.

VerifiedScholarships.com is not directed to children under the age of 13. VerifiedScholarships.com prohibits registration by and will not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under 13. This requirement will be posted at points of data collection within VerifiedScholarships.com, such as registration for services.

Note to Parents. If you have any concerns about VerifiedScholarships.com or its related services, wish to find out if your child is a member of one of our services, or wish to cancel your child's membership, please contact us using the "Contact Us" page which is linked at the bottom of every webpage.

3. About our Services.

4. General Rules

For the benefit of the entire VerifiedScholarships.com community, and to comply with applicable laws, we have a few mandatory guidelines that we call General Rules. We hope you will find them reasonable. Please understand, though, that any conduct that violates the General Rules is grounds for termination of your account. For this reason, we ask that you carefully read and follow them.

5. Rights You Grant to VerifiedScholarships.com

6. Other Legal Stuff

A). DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. You expressly understand and agree that:

Your use of the service is at your sole risk. The service is provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis. VerifiedScholarships.com and its third party service providers expressly disclaim all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

VerifiedScholarships.com makes no warranty that (i) the Service will meet your requirements, (ii) the Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free, (iii) the results that may be obtained from the use of the service will be accurate or reliable, (iv) the quality of any products, services, information, or other material obtained by you through the service will meet your expectations, (v) that your email messages will not be lost, and (vi) any errors in the software will be corrected.

Any material downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of the Service is done at your own discretion and risk, and you will be solely responsible for any potential damage to your computer system or loss of data that results from the download of any such material. No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by you from VerifiedScholarships.com, our third party service providers, or through or from the Service will create any warranty not expressly stated in the terms.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages. Accordingly, some of the above limitations may not apply to you.

To the extent that any part of this section is not consistent with any other part of these terms, then this Disclaimer of Warranties will override it.

B). NO ENDORSEMENT OF MEMBER CONTENT. You acknowledge and agree that VerifiedScholarships.com does not endorse the content of any member and is not responsible or liable for any content, even though it could be unlawful, harassing, libelous, privacy invading, abusive, threatening, harmful, vulgar, obscene, or otherwise objectionable, or that it infringes or may infringe the intellectual property or other rights of another. You acknowledge that VerifiedScholarships.com does not pre-screen all content, but that VerifiedScholarships.com and its designees will have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to refuse, edit, move or remove any content that is publicly available via the service.

C). LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. You agree that VerifiedScholarships.com will not be liable for any harms, which lawyers and courts often call direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or exemplary damages, including but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use, data or other intangible losses (even if VerifiedScholarships.com has been advised of the possibility of such damages), resulting from: (i) The use or the inability to use the service; (ii) The cost of getting substitute goods and services resulting from any products, data, information or services purchased or obtained or messages received or transactions entered into through or from the service; (iii) Unauthorized access to or alteration of your transmissions or data; (iv) Statements or conduct of anyone on the service; or (v) Any other matter relating to the service.

D). INDEMNIFICATION. You agree to protect and fully compensate VerifiedScholarships.com and its service providers from any and all third-party claims, liability, damages, expenses and costs (including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys fees) arising from your use of the services, your violation of the terms or your infringement, or infringement by any other user of your account, of any intellectual property or other right of anyone.

E). More Stuff. VerifiedScholarships.com provides information of a general nature and is designed for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for medical, health, legal, or financial advice from a professional. Consult with your professional for any specific medical, health, legal, or financial concern.

VerifiedScholarships.com's rights under this Agreement may not be waived unless VerifiedScholarships.com agrees to such change in writing. This Agreement is personal to you and you may assign this agreement only with VerifiedScholarships.com's prior written approval. Any other attempt to assign, transfer or delegate this Agreement shall be null and void.

All matters relating to your access to, or use of, the Service shall be governed by U.S. federal law or the laws of the State of California, excluding that body of laws known as conflicts of laws. If any provision of this Agreement is invalid or unenforceable under applicable law, it is, to that extent, deemed omitted and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect. Any notices related to this agreement need to be given in writing to one another at our address below, or any new address that is given in such a notice. This agreement is the entire understanding between you and VerifiedScholarships.com about the services.

The parties have agreed that this Agreement shall be written in English.

Direct Questions or Notices to:

VerifiedScholarships
Attn: User Agreement Mail
2713 Newlands Ave.
Belmont, CA 94002

Legal Notices

Welcome to VerifiedScholarships.com. We provide services to you subject to the following notices, terms, and conditions. (Yes our lawyers made us say this!) In addition, please be sure to read both our Terms Of Service and Privacy Policy.

Copyright
All content included on this site is the property of VerifiedScholarships or its suppliers and protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. The compilation (meaning the collection, arrangement, and assembly) of all content on this site is the exclusive property of VerifiedScholarships and protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. The reproduction, modification, distribution, transmission, republication, or display of the content on this site is strictly prohibited without prior permission.

Trademarks
VerifiedScholarships and other graphics, logos, and service names are trademarks of VerifiedScholarships. All other trademarks not owned by VerifiedScholarships that appear on this site are the property of their respective owners, who may or may not be affiliated with, connected to, or sponsored by VerifiedScholarships.

Use Of Our Site
This site or any portion of this site may not be reproduced, duplicated, copied, sold, resold, or otherwise exploited for any commercial purpose that is not expressly permitted by VerifiedScholarships. VerifiedScholarships reserves the right to refuse service, terminate accounts, and/or cancel orders at its sole discretion.

User Reviews And Comments
VerifiedScholarships.com may enable visitors to post reviews, questions, articles or comments. If you post reviews, questions, articles or comments, you grant VerifiedScholarships a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, and fully sub-licensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such reviews, comments, or other content throughout the world in any media. You also grant VerifiedScholarships the right to use the name that you submit with any review, question, article or comment in connection with such content. You represent and warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to the content that you post on this site and that use of your reviews, questions, articles or comments by VerifiedScholarships will not infringe upon or violate the rights of any third party.

Disclaimer
This site is provided by VerifiedScholarships on an "AS IS" basis. VerifiedScholarships makes no representations or warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, as to the operation of the site or the information, content, materials, or products included on this site. To the full extent permissible by applicable law, VerifiedScholarships disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied. VerifiedScholarships will not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of this site, including, but not limited to direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, and consequential damages.

Applicable Law
This site is created and controlled by VerifiedScholarships in the State of California, USA. As such, the laws of the State of California will govern these disclaimers, terms, and conditions, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of laws. We reserve the right to make changes to our site and these disclaimers, terms, and conditions at any time.

Our Address
VerifiedScholarships
2713 Newlands Ave
Belmont, CA 94002