Is Bold.org Legitimate?

Updated: June 9, 2024
7 min read
Award$25,000
Deadline25 days left to apply
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Due to the high cost of higher education institutions, many college students searching for the best scholarship websites encounter Bold.org and ask, is Bold.org legitimate?

While trying to reduce student debt, many students conduct an online scholarship search. Numerous scholarship awards provide financial aid through online platforms. However, sifting through scholarship sites to find legitimate scholarships from a secure scholarship service is time-consuming for already busy students. This article provides a valuable resource for students by informing them about the legitimacy of Bold.org as a scholarship platform.

Create a Bold.org profile and use the scholarship search feature to access hundreds of exclusive scholarships.

Bold.org

The Bold platform is dedicated to fighting student debt by providing scholarship opportunities to help students attending college pay for their higher education.

The tuition cost at higher education institutions can vary immensely, but on average, students pay anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000 for a year of their college education. Some students can save by attending in-state public institutions, which have an average tuition cost of $9,970, in contrast to out-of-state institutions, with an average tuition of $25,620, and private colleges, with an average tuition of $34,740. These numbers do not reflect the total living cost for the year for students, including the cost of room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and other expenses.

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These larger-than-life numbers seem entirely out of reach for many college students. When facing college costs, many students turn to loans. Nationwide in 2022, 43.4 million individuals will have federal student loan debt; the average federal debt balance is $37,014.

However, Bold.org is committed to fighting student debt by ensuring that every scholarship offered on Bold's platform is legitimate. Bold.org stands out from other websites by giving students numerous opportunities to apply for scholarships and streamlining the process for donors to publish scholarships for those in need.

bold.org legit

Tips for Avoiding Scholarship Scams

While Bold.org is a legitimate scholarship website, not every scholarship platform truly provides financial aid to the students who apply for scholarship opportunities on their websites. There are scholarship scams out there that students need to be aware of while doing their scholarship search.

Follow these basic tips to help avoid some of the most common scams:

  • Do not provide financial information.
  • Do not pay for information to apply for scholarship opportunities or receive an awarded scholarship.
  • You can find all information about scholarships yourself, free online; you do not need special access.

Common Scams You Should Know

Scholarship Search Services

There are services that charge a fee to students in exchange for providing a list of opportunities that "can't be found elsewhere" to apply for. In actuality, these services do not have exclusive knowledge of unique scholarships and are essentially charging you for a Google search you could have done yourself.

Application Fees

At no point in your scholarship applications should you be paying a fee to search for scholarships, apply for scholarships, or in the case of winning, access your scholarship money. Any website or service that charges fees is a scam trying to access your financial information.

Spotting Scholarship Scams

There are some common phrases that scholarship scams may use that are red flags when assessing if a scholarship is legitimate. These include:

  • Guaranteed or your money back
  • You've been selected
  • It will only cost...
  • We have exclusive access
  • We'll do all the work for you
  • You just need to attend our scholarship seminar

Additionally, be aware that no legitimate scholarship websites will ask for your personal or financial information or payment for any reason.

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Apply for Scholarships on Bold.org

Create Your Profile

To start applying, create an account on Bold.org. Part of creating your account is creating your Bold profile. This profile functions as a "common application" to most of the scholarship opportunities on Bold's platform.

Begin looking for scholarships! Bold.org's scholarship search engines are the perfect way to find new scholarships that provide college funding to students.

Check Eligibility Requirements

On Bold.org, each scholarship's eligibility requirements will be listed in its description. Check for education level requirements, as well as any other requirements such as gender, race, field of study, financial status, and background experience that the donor has listed in the description of the scholarship.

Complete Essays (If Applicable)

Not every scholarship on Bold requires students to apply with an essay, but some do. In this case, write and perfect your essay, then paste it into the submission area. Once done, click the apply button, and your application is complete and submitted!

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Tips for Improving Your Applications

Due to the high number of students who are searching for and applying for scholarships, winning a scholarship can be an extremely competitive process. Some students may even feel frustrated that they apply for many scholarships but never or rarely win them. In order to win scholarships, there are some strategies that students should be aware of.

Apply for as Many Scholarships as Possible

Additionally, the more scholarships you apply to, the better your chances of winning. There is no limit to how many scholarships you can win on Bold.org.

Apply for Scholarships with Narrow Requirements

The narrower the scholarship requirements, the more likely you are to win the scholarship. Apply to scholarships that are relevant to your major, hobby, location, and more.

Make Your Essay Stand Out

Put real effort into your essays, and make sure they answer the prompt you are given. Think about what you are going to write, and proofread when you’re done. Make yourself stand out by following Bold.org’s tips for essay writing: grab the reader from the first sentence, stay focused on the essay prompt, write your essay in multiple, separate paragraphs, and use correct grammar.

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Top Scholarships with Upcoming Deadlines

There are a number of exclusive scholarship opportunities providing financial aid on Bold.org for students. This list offers just a few examples of the great college scholarships available on Bold.org. More scholarships can be found using Bold.org's scholarship finder.

Exclusive Scholarships to Apply For in 2023

Chris Jackson Computer Science Education Scholarship

This memorial fund for Chris Jackson will support students who want to pursue a Computer Science degree to make the world a better place.

Dashanna K. McNeil Memorial Scholarship

To honor the life of Dashanna K. McNeil, this scholarship is to encourage those who share her commitment to healing to continue in their Nursing studies.

Financial Literacy Importance Scholarship

This scholarship will support a student who works to be smart with their finances.

Best Scholarships for College Students in 2023

Jacques Borges Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship will support one student of Haitian descent who is pursuing a civil engineering degree and who has large ambitions for the future of their community.

RAD Scholarship

This scholarship will support students pursuing a career that improves overall road safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

Students impacted by incarceration scholarship

This scholarship will support a student who has been impacted by incarceration.

Scholarships on Bold.org

Create a Bold.org profile and use the scholarship search feature to access hundreds of scholarships. The process is easy, and hundreds of scholarships are available to help aid students like yourself. There are scholarships on Bold.org available for many different majors and need-based and merit-based scholarships, among many other categories. You can also read the Bold.org blog for more articles like this one.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Bold.org

Are Bold.org scholarships legit?

Bold.org allows people and organizations to publish scholarships on their platform and vets every scholarship to ensure that they are legitimate scholarships. Further, Bold.org promises never to share your data with third-party companies or organizations.

What kind of scholarships are on the Bold platform?

Bold.org is a great website for finding scholarships because of the diversity of various scholarships that can be found on the website, making your search for financial aid easier. There are scholarships available for your academic major, local awards for students from your state/city, merit scholarships, sports scholarships, and even more.

How does Bold.org work for students?

Bold.org is a website aimed at helping students through the process of their scholarship search with a mission to help provide scholarships and financial aid to students and recent graduates to reduce the prevalence of student debt.

Among scholarship sites, Bold.org stands out as a website with a clear mission, excellent filtering features in its scholarship search function, and a scholarship blog that provides valuable information to students.

Bold.org's scholarship search engines are the perfect way to find new scholarships that provide college funding to students. All of Bold.org's scholarships provide free money to the winners, and there is no limit to the number of scholarships you can apply to on Bold.org.

Additionally, Bold.org's scholarship blog provides valuable information about many aspects of college life. Blog post topics can range from advice for applying for scholarships to how to prepare for college to career guides.

Adren Setian
Student Finance and College Prep Researcher

About Adren

Adren has always loved writing both fiction and nonfiction, always with the intention to help other people. At Bold.org, she loves being a specialist who works to help students reduce their student debt and make financially wise decisions about the future of their education. 

Past experience that informs Adren’s expertise includes working with the Education and Employment Team of Catholic Social Services Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services. Being a research assistant analyzing data for research projects at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Several years as the Assistant Manager of an Equine Education program where responsibilities included creating and developing curriculums. Time spent volunteering as the Vice President and Senior Graphic Designer for the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Psychology Club and Psi Chi Honor Society chapter with the goal of furthering students’ professional skills and knowledge of the field of Psychology and building a sense of community.

Adren would like to end her introduction with a land acknowledgement relevant to Anchorage, Alaska, her hometown and place of residence: “Dena'inaq ełnen'aq' gheshtnu ch'q'u yeshdu. (Dena'ina)” [I live and work on the land of the Dena’ina. (English)] — Translated by Joel Isaak and Sondra Stuart

Adren is no longer with the Bold.org Writing Team, but we continue to value and appreciate her contributions.

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