Scholarships.com
Scholarships.com is a privately held, free scholarship search platform founded in 1998 that matches students to over 3.7 million scholarships worth approximately $19 billion, monetizing via provider listing fees and financial-services referrals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersHighland Park, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Scholarships.com does
Scholarships.com, LLC is a privately held, free college scholarship search and financial aid information platform founded in 1998 and headquartered in Highland Park, Illinois. The company operates a database of over 3.7 million scholarships and grants totaling approximately $19 billion in financial aid, organized across categories including academic major, state, ethnicity, gender, and GPA, with about 50% of the database being location-based. Its core technology is a profile-based matching algorithm that connects students to eligible scholarships, supplemented by filtering, saved-scholarship tracking, and deadline reminders. The platform is accessible via web (scholarships.com and app.scholarships.com) and native iOS/Android applications, and has been used by over 26 million students and families cumulatively.
The company's supporting product ecosystem extends beyond search into college discovery (College Search), financial planning (College Cost, Savings Planner, and Monthly Loan Payment calculators), and student-facing resource content (downloadable application guides, essay tips, and deadline calendars). It maintains dedicated stakeholder portals for educators (exclusive database access, vetted-scholarship documentation) and scholarship providers (Sponsored and Traditional listing tiers). The platform is BBB accredited and SOC 2 Type I compliant, and is actively present across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
The business model is a multi-sided freemium platform. Consumers (students, parents, and adult learners) access the service free of charge with no fees to search or register. Revenue is generated on the supply side through (1) Sponsored Scholarship Listings — a performance-based, enhanced-visibility tier for scholarship providers; (2) Traditional Scholarship Listings — a standard-visibility tier sorted by due date; and (3) referral revenue from financial-services partners, notably SoFi for private student loans. The company also operates a community-led GTM motion via educator and counselor recommendations. Founder Larry Gerber serves as CEO and President.
Scholarships.com firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Scholarships.com
- Legal name
- Scholarships.com, LLC
- Website
- https://scholarships.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Scholarships.com is a privately held, free scholarship search platform founded in 1998 that matches students to over 3.7 million scholarships worth approximately $19 billion, monetizing via provider listing fees and financial-services referrals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Scholarships.com industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Financial Aid Platform
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Application Support, Matching Platforms & Scholarship Administration Services (EDAIAOAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)
Keywords
Where Scholarships.com is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Highland Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Scholarships.com business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Sponsored Scholarship Listings: Performance-based marketing channel for scholarship providers offering enhanced visibility with scholarships featured above traditional listings. Providers pay for placement to drive high engagement.
- Traditional Scholarship Listings: Standard visibility listings for scholarship providers sorted by due date. Providers submit scholarships through the platform's listing process.
- Referral Revenue from Student Loan Partners: Referral partnerships with student loan providers (e.g., SoFi) where Scholarships.com receives compensation when users click links or apply for private student loans through the platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free for Students |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Scholarships.com product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Scholarships.com operates a free online scholarship search and matching platform that connects students to over 3.7 million college scholarships and grants totaling approximately $19 billion. The platform uses a profile-based matching algorithm, a browsable scholarship directory, college search tools, financial aid calculators, and a private student loan marketplace via partner SoFi. Revenue is generated from sponsored scholarship listings, traditional provider listings, and referral partnerships with financial service providers.
Product overview
Scholarships.com is a free college scholarship search platform offering a unified ecosystem of tools for students, educators, and scholarship providers. The core product is the Scholarship Search and Matching Platform (app.scholarships.com), which uses profile-based matching to connect students with qualifying scholarships from a database of over 3.7 million opportunities worth approximately $19 billion. Supporting products include the browsable Scholarship Directory, College Search tool with filter capabilities, Financial Aid Calculators (College Cost, Savings Planner, Monthly Loan Payment), Student Resources with downloadable guides, and a Private Student Loans marketplace powered by partner SoFi. The platform also serves educators and scholarship providers through dedicated portals: the Educator Section for exclusive database access and guidance resources, and the Scholarship Provider Portal with Sponsored and Traditional tiers. Mobile applications for iOS and Android extend access to mobile users.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Scholarship Search and Matching Platform
- Scholarship Directory
- College Search
- Financial Aid Calculators
- Private Student Loans Marketplace
- Educator Portal
- Scholarship Provider Portal
- Mobile Applications
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 26 million students and families helped find college scholarships
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Scholarships.com
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Scholarships.com technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Scholarships.com partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- SoFiminorSoFi (Social Finance) is featured as a recommended partner for private student loans on Scholarships.com. The partnership provides referral revenue when users click links or apply for SoFi private student loans through the platform. SoFi offers competitive rates and features like no origination fees, good grades rewards, and flexible repayment terms.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Scholarships.com competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fastweb: One of the original free scholarship and financial-aid search platforms, operating in the same category as Scholarships.com with a comparable database, matching functionality, and provider B2B model. Highly comparable on product, audience (U.S. students), and revenue mechanics.
- Going Merry: Free scholarship matching and application platform for U.S. high school and college students. Directly competes on the same core use case (profile-based matching) and offers a similar freemium student + provider B2B model.
- Niche: College and K-12 search platform with a sizable scholarship database and matching tools, alongside reviews and rankings. Comparable target audience (U.S. college-bound students) and overlapping scholarship search functionality.
- Cappex: College and scholarship matching platform that helps students find schools and awards based on profile criteria. Overlaps directly with Scholarships.com on scholarship discovery and college search for U.S. students.
- Unigo: Scholarship and college information resource offering searchable scholarship databases and student reviews. Targets the same U.S. high school and college student segment with comparable free scholarship search functionality.
Broad incumbents
- College Board BigFuture: Nonprofit incumbent's free college and scholarship planning platform tightly integrated with PSAT/SAT/AP ecosystems. Competes for the same student audience but as part of a much broader college-readiness portfolio, with structural advantages from College Board brand and data.
- Peterson's: Long-established education services publisher offering scholarship search, college search, test prep, and career resources. Overlaps with Scholarships.com on the scholarship matching product but operates a much wider portfolio of education services.
- Sallie Mae: Major student-loan originator with scholarship search, college planning, and banking tools aimed at the same U.S. student audience. Comparable through its scholarship content and student-loan monetization, though loan origination is the dominant business line.
Emerging players
- Scholly: Mobile-first scholarship matching app focused on simplifying discovery for U.S. students. Overlaps in core matching functionality but with a younger, app-native product experience and smaller scholarship database.
- RaiseMe: Micro-scholarship platform enabling students to earn incremental awards from colleges for academic and extracurricular achievements during high school. Adjacent in serving college-bound students but with a structurally different (achievement-based) reward model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses2 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Scholarships.com social profiles
Digital presenceScholarships.com compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Scholarships.com financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Scholarships.com leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Scholarships.com funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Scholarships.com M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Scholarships.com
What does Scholarships.com do?
Scholarships.com operates a free online scholarship search and matching platform that connects students to over 3.7 million college scholarships and grants totaling approximately $19 billion. The platform uses a profile-based matching algorithm, a browsable scholarship directory, college search tools, financial aid calculators, and a private student loan marketplace via partner SoFi. Revenue is generated from sponsored scholarship listings, traditional provider listings, and referral partnerships with financial service providers.
Is Scholarships.com a public or private company?
Scholarships.com is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Scholarships.com founded?
Scholarships.com was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Scholarships.com based?
Scholarships.com is headquartered in Highland Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Scholarships.com make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Sponsored Scholarship Listings are the primary driver. The others are traditional Scholarship Listings and referral Revenue from Student Loan Partners.
Who are Scholarships.com's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fastweb, Going Merry, Niche, Cappex and Unigo. Broad incumbents are College Board BigFuture, Peterson's and Sallie Mae. Emerging players are Scholly and RaiseMe.
Does Scholarships.com have an API?
No public API is recorded for Scholarships.com.
What industry is Scholarships.com in?
Scholarships.com's product category is Education Financial Aid Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAIAOAN, Application Support, Matching Platforms & Scholarship Administration Services, with a secondary code of FSAKAEAM, Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.