ORLANDO, Fla. — As the school year winds down, millions of college-bound students are searching for ways to pay for higher education. Increasingly, many are turning to TikTok instead of traditional guidance counselors to find scholarship opportunities.
A quick search for “scholarships” on TikTok brings up thousands of videos, with creators sharing easy ways to secure free money for college. Some posts highlight “low-effort” applications, while others promote programs students “might qualify for.”
But experts warn that not everything online is what it seems.
According to the Education Data Initiative, there are 1.8 million scholarships available in the U.S., add in those grants and that totals about $100 billion in aid each year. However, only about 11% of students actually receive scholarship money.
That competition, combined with rising college costs, is driving students to social media.
A recent study from Sallie Mae found that 22% of Gen Z students are using TikTok over guidance counselors to search for scholarships.
But the same study revealed troubling trends:
- Nearly half of the students encountered websites that charge money to access scholarship listings, many of which are available for free elsewhere.
- About one-third were asked to provide personal information before even applying, a potential sign of phishing scams.
Student loan expert Jack Wallace says students and parents need to stay vigilant.
“You’ve got to be very careful. My recommendation is to go to the source,” Wallace said, “If anyone is asking you to pay money upfront, $25, $100, to access scholarships or grants, that’s a scam.”
There is some good news. The study found about 1 in 10 students who used TikTok for scholarship searches did receive money.
However, only a quarter of those students said they verified the scholarship before applying.
Experts say that’s a critical mistake.
Before applying, students should:
- Verify the organization offering the scholarship
- Avoid paying any upfront fees
- Be cautious about sharing personal information
- Read the fine print carefully, including terms and conditions
If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
For safer scholarship searches, experts recommend trusted platforms like:
- Fastweb.com
- College Board Scholarship Search
As students navigate the path to college, doing a little extra research could make the difference between finding real financial aid and falling for a costly scam.
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