Many high school seniors spend their fall semester finalizing and submitting college applications while also searching for ways to cover tuition and other educational expenses.
The financial aid process can be confusing. It’s often difficult to know where to start, especially when it comes to scholarships. Although it’s tempting to look for professional college scholarship help to reduce the burden, those services can come at a hefty price tag.
Before paying anyone to assist with the scholarship search, students and their families should first consider these factors.
Should You Pay for Scholarship Help?
The scholarship search is like “doing your taxes or mowing your lawn — anything like that you could definitely do on your own,” says Darren Rose, founder of POM College Counseling.
There are benefits of paying for scholarship assistance, however, such as time savings and expertise, some experts say.
[Read: How to Avoid Scholarship Scams.]
“Sometimes it’s a matter of not knowing where to look for certain scholarships,” Rose says. “When you get into private (scholarships) — religion, hobbies, interests and talents — as much as you can use Google or AI to try to find that stuff, sometimes a person or an expert or a company might have a more robust database.”
Having additional help may provide “peace of mind,” says Andrea Makriyianis, associate director of financial aid at the University of Richmond in Virginia.
“It can feel like an overwhelming process,” she says, particularly for someone “who maybe hasn’t had to deal with it very often or this may be the first time. I’m sure there’s kind of a peace of mind element that probably goes along with it, assuming that you have someone who is going to be on top of things and help you through things.”
However, the cost of services may not be worth the investment, some experts say.
“You’re probably going to have to pay us more than what you will get,” says Elizabeth Levine, founder of Signature College Counseling. “It’s obviously fluctuated, but the average scholarship after you fill out all these applications could be $600, $700, maybe $1,000. One time, not every year. I don’t tell families not to do it, but I say it’s a lot of work for little (reward). Where you really need to focus is on the institution and where you can get money from them.”
[Read: When Should High School Students Start Their Scholarship Search?]
Other Resources to Consider During Your Scholarship Search
You don’t have to spend money to receive scholarship help. In fact, many financial aid experts advise against it, given the availability of free scholarship resources.
“I sometimes think people try to dress up scholarship help or a scholarship system as something that’s magic, like they have a magic wand or a magic formula or they know something you don’t know,” Rose says. “No one should be telling you there’s a secret to finding things you wouldn’t have known about. Or when they’re ‘teaching’ you how to find scholarships — to me, that’s a little bit of nails on a chalkboard. There’s nothing to teach you. You’re searching for what’s out there, that’s it. There is no magical way to approach that.”
Reach out to your college’s financial aid office or a high school counselor, who can especially help with finding local scholarships, Makriyianis says.
“We’re trying to have a lot more conversations and trying to focus on that accessibility and affordability piece,” she says. “All schools are going to differ in that area, but it’s a good test or indicator for families to be able to see how easy or difficult it might be to reach someone and discuss questions they have. That’s really going to (be) an indicator for what that connection will look like for the time that they’re enrolled at the institution. They’re going to know any opportunities that may be specific to that school or just general external scholarship information.”
[Read: Applying for Large-Dollar Scholarships? Here’s What to Know]
Additionally, conduct your own research using free database search websites for national scholarships, like Cappex.com, Fastweb.com, Unigo.com or U.S. News Scholarship Finder.
“Go with a reputable source when searching for scholarships, like the College Board or scholarships posted through your high school on Naviance,” Wil Casaine, executive director of financial aid at The College of New Jersey, wrote in an email. “Don’t expect a windfall, scholarships are very competitive or hard to get.”
If you decide to hire external help for the scholarship search, be wary of anyone who guarantees award money or asks for too much personal information, experts say.
“?There’s no way anybody can guarantee that you’re going to win a scholarship,” Rose says. “Nobody knows what the application pool looks like, so nobody could guarantee you anything. Even if they told you they could help you write the world’s greatest essay to win the contest or make the world’s greatest video, there’s just no way that could be guaranteed.”
To learn more about the college admissions process,sign upfor U.S. News’ twice-monthly Extra Help newsletter, which provides advice to parents as their teens navigate applying to andpaying for college.
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Paying for Scholarship Help: Pros and Cons originally appeared on usnews.com
