Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The studentawards.com website was upgraded on November 28, 2010. We’ve created a whole new look and feel and added some new features. If you were registered on Studentawards before November 28th, 2010, you can still log into your account with the same email and password – just click “Login” on the top navigation. You’ll have to enter a “Username” to upgrade your account.

Thanks for continued support. Surf around and tell us what you think our new website!

There are many benefits to joining Studentawards:

• Find the scholarships and awards you need to help pay for school
• Get educational advice from experts
• Connect with hundreds of thousands of other students, AND
• Save money through special offers exclusive to Studentawards members

Studentawards is free, easy to use, and updated daily with great award opportunities. Sign up today.

Easy - all you have to do is fill out our registration form and you’re set. Click here to get started.

Click on the “Login” function located on the top navigation bar. Or to save a few seconds, just click here.

The Studentawards Forum (http://forums.studentawards.com) was integrated into the Studentawards scholarship website on Sunday, November 28, 2010. If you were registered on the Studentawards Forum before November 28, 2010, and ARE NOT a member of the Studentawards scholarship website, you are required to create a new profile in order to post messages on this new Forum.

If you are already a member of the Studentawards scholarship website, login here.

To ensure that you get the most accurate award matches, and to protect our user privacy, we require that each user register with a unique email address. This way each user will receive information on awards that match only their individual profile.

Studentawards takes online privacy issues seriously. For more information, please read our privacy policy.

Don’t panic! We can help you get a new one.

On the Password Assistance page, enter the email address you registered with and then we’ll send you an email with a link to reset your password. Please make sure to add nikki@studentawards.com to your safe senders list to ensure that you receive our emails.

Click here to reset your password.

If you forgot your email address registered with, first try to log in with all the email addresses you might have used. If you need additional assistance please contact us.

The email might be in your junk or spam mail folder. Please check these folders. Also, please add nikki@studentawards.com to your safe senders list to ensure that you receive our communications.

If you do not find the email, please try again. Click here to reset your password.

The link has already been used.  You must send yourself another email to reset your password.  In order to avoid complications, please reset your password once you receive the email. 

Click here to reset your password.

To edit your profile, log into your Studentawards account (using the email address you registered with) and on the “My Dashboard” page, click on "My Profile" which is located on the sub-navigation bar.

Click on the “Edit” button to make a change in the appropriate section.

If you edit your profile, your personalized list of awards and opportunities will change to reflect your new profile. Please keep in mind that the more detailed you are in filling out your profile, the more award matches you will see.

Remember, there are different award opportunities for every year you’re in school – from high school all the way to post-graduate studies. So make sure you update your profile every 6 months to see what’s new.

To change your email address, log into your Studentawards account (using the email address you originally registered with) and on My Dashboard page, click on "My Profile" which is located on the navigation bar. Then select the link to “Account Settings”.

You control what information you receive from Studentawards.

To change your communication preferences, log into your Studentawards account and on My Dashboard page, click on "My Profile" which is located on the navigation bar. Then select the link to “Account Settings”. Check the relevant boxes to indicate your preferences.

Studentawards takes online privacy issues seriously. For more information, please read our privacy policy.

To delete your profile, log into your Studentawards account and on My Dashboard page, click on "My Profile" which is located on the navigation bar. Then select the link to “Account Settings”. Check the box to delete your profile.

By deleting your profile, you will not be able to log in, post messages or comments, or have access to scholarship, bursary, and award information. Also, your Username will be removed from all of your comments and posts on the Studentawards website.

In order to find the awards you are eligible to apply for, you must create a Studentawards profile by completing our registration form.

Based on the information you provide, Studentawards will then match your profile with the scholarships and awards you are eligible to apply for and give you details on application requirements and links. Please keep in mind that the more detailed you are in filling out your profile, the more award matches you will see.

Sign up today.

Details on how and when to apply for an award are included on the Award Details page, which you will see once you log into your profile and click on an award title in “My Awards” list.

Each administrator has different application requirements which may include:

• An online or paper based application form
• Official or unofficial transcripts
• Proof of citizenship or residence
• Proof of financial need
• Details of extracurricular, volunteer, or employment activities
• Contact names and numbers for activities
• Reference letters
• Submission of a written essay or creative piece

It is important to read the requirements carefully and make sure to give yourself plenty of time to complete the application, well in advance of the deadline.

If you have questions about particular requirements, please contact the administrator directly.

The more detailed your profile is, the more award matches you will see.

All of the fields within the registration form act as criteria for award searches. Awards are coded and then matched against the fields in the form. For example, a scholarship that is for a female student of Asian descent who is studying accounting, will only be shown to students that select all of these options in their profile. The more information you complete on the form, the better your chances of finding the funding you qualify for.

The sponsors of most of the awards in the database have specified more than one eligibility criteria. For example, the award might be available to students who are studying music AND are female AND are between 17-22 years of age. If the information you provided in your profile matches with all of the selection criteria in our example, the award will show up in your awards list.

The questions we ask in the profile are related to the eligibility criteria of the awards in our database. If you are not asked about a specific criterion in the profile, it is because there are no awards in our database that use that as eligibility criteria. However, we add new awards to our database all the time, and we also update our profile questions on a regular basis. We recommend that you update your profile every few months to see if any new criteria have been added that relates to you.

If you have a suggestion on how we can improve our registration form or website, send your feedback here.

When you first started your profile, you might have selected the option to post comments and questions only. In this case, you would have to add more information to your profile in order to receive award matches. To do this, login and on “My Dashboard” page, under “My Profile, select “Add To Your Profile”.

It is also possible that the information your profile does not match to any of the awards criteria. We recommend that you update your profile with as much detail as possible to maximize your award matches. To edit your profile, login and on “My Dashboard” page, click on "My Profile". Click on the “Edit” button to make a change in the appropriate section.

Remember, there are different award opportunities for every year you’re in school – from high school all the way to post-graduate studies. Plus, we’re always researching and adding new awards. So make sure you update your profile every 6 months to see what’s new.

We display expired awards to give applicants an idea of when the deadline will likely fall for the upcoming program. We will update the awards once the new information becomes available from the award administrator. You may want to use our “Remember It” function to remind yourself to follow up on the award at a future date.

Yes. There are many awards in our database that are based on criteria other than academic achievement. In fact, 46% of our awards in are database are not merit based. Awards are available for special interests and hobbies, sports, club memberships, specific heritages or cultural backgrounds – the list is huge.

Studentawards provides scholarship and award information for high school, undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students – you can find award opportunities for each year you’re in school!

As you progress through your academic career, remember to update your profile once every six months; this way, you will continue to receive updates on awards that are relevant to your current status. Plus, we’re always adding new awards and the only way to match to them is if you update your profile.

The majority of awards in our database are for graduating high school and current college and university students. However, there are a few awards for students in grades 9, 10, and 11. You should complete a profile on our site and fill in as much information as possible in order to maximize the number of award matches. As your academic career advances, remember to keep your profile updated in order to receive updates and new awards that are relevant to your current status.

Some scholarships require students to enroll in post-secondary school immediately after graduating high school - and other scholarships don't (allowing students to defer their education). Other administrators specify a strict timeline in which the funds must be used while others have no specifications at all. Always read the rules and regulations carefully, and when in doubt, contact the awards administrator directly.

Yes. Many sponsors do not restrict part-time students from applying for their awards. In fact, some awards are only for part-time students. You can indicate your enrollment status in the Academic and Career Information section of the registration form.

There are a few awards specifically designated for mature students. Under the “Activities, Membership, and Other Important Criteria” section, in “Other Important Criteria”, select “mature student” to see if your profile matches to the awards.

Keep in mind that most awards do not restrict mature students from applying, so you should submit as many applications as you can.

Students with disabilities/special needs should review the “Other Important Criteria” fields in the “Activities, Membership, and Other Important Criteria” section of the registration form. Please keep in mind that the more detailed you are in filling out your profile, the more award matches you will see.

The majority of awards in our database are intended for use towards tuition at accredited public colleges and universities in Canada. However, there are a few awards that do not have any requirements on how or where the money is to be spent. Always read the eligibility / rules and regulations carefully. When in doubt, contact the award administrator directly.

The majority of awards on Studentawards are for students who are currently residing in and attending school in Canada, and in some cases, the United States.

In order to qualify for these scholarships, you must:

1. Receive acceptance to a program of study at a recognized Canadian or U.S. post-secondary school.

2. Apply for and be granted a student authorization (and visa, if required) from Canadian or U.S. immigration. These pre-requisites take considerable time. Plan to apply six months to a year in advance of when you wish to begin study.

Please visit Citizenship and Immigration Canada for:

General information on immigration - www.cic.gc.ca

Information on studying in Canada - www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/index.asp

For information on studying in the U.S., please visit:

U.S. Department of State – http://educationusa.state.gov

Students.gov - www.students.gov

Most award administrators contact award winners by email, phone, and occasionally by mail, so be sure your contact information is correct.

Since most award administrators only contact winners and/or finalists, if you are not contacted a month or two after the award deadline, chances are you have not been selected as a winner/finalist. If you have further questions about the award winners, please contact the award administrator directly.

Canada has two official languages - English and French. We post information in the language that is provided by the awards administrator and you will see awards that match to your profile regardless of whether you are on the English or French website. If you do not want to see an award, you can always add it to your “Hidden List” and it will be removed from your awards list.

For the past number of years, Studentawards has been providing members the opportunity to participate in market research surveys. For sharing their opinions, members are entered into monthly and quarterly draws.

The surveys are powered by Uthink Online, a subsidiary of Studentawards that handles survey projects.

We work in partnership with companies, helping them find willing participants to answer surveys or take part in research projects or studies.

By participating in surveys, you get the opportunity to help determine the policies, programs, products ,and services which affect your everyday life. You’ll also get the chance to win some great prizes.

Here’s how it works:

• Each month, Studentawards  members who have participated in at least one survey are eligible to win $250-$500 in cash for that month plus a quarterly prize of $2,500
• Each survey completed between the first and last day of the month counts as one entry into the draws
• The more surveys you do, the more chances you have to win

Occasionally, we also offer guaranteed cash awards as an incentive to complete a specific survey (that’s in addition to the entry you’ll receive to win the monthly and quarterly prizes). In these cases, we will notify you in advance through our email invitation.

View Survey Contest Rules and Regulations.

Market Research is the collection, study and analysis of data. Organizations often conduct surveys and research studies to better understand what people need or want – they use the information they gather to make informed decisions about new or enhanced products and services.

The information we collect through our surveys and questionnaires is kept completely confidential, and we do not store personal information or correlate personal data with survey responses. In fact, all our data is compiled and analyzed in combination with other responses, and any potential identifying information is removed before it is used.

View our Privacy Policy.

Surveys that match your profile will be displayed in the “My Surveys” section of your Studentawards account. Please keep in mind that surveys are time sensitive and it is best to take action as soon as you see an open invitation.

You will also receive email invitations to participate in new surveys that match your profile as part of your Studentawards registration. If you do not wish to receive survey invites by email, all you will need to do is log into your Studentawards account and from the “My Profile” page, change your Communication Preferences.

The best way to ensure you receive as many survey invitations as possible is to keep an up-to-date profile. We recommend updating your Studentawards profile once every 6 months to ensure your information is accurate. To receive instant notifications, it is important that you have opted into receiving emails from Studentawards. You can always change your communication preferences by logging into your Studentawards profile and updating your account settings.

If you do not receive any emails from us, it may be because our emails are being blocked or filtered out. In such a case, you will need to add studentawards.com to your email safe list. In addition, you will not receive any survey invites if you have opted out of receiving emails from studentawards.com or if you have opted out of receiving survey invites specifically.

• Log into your Studentawards account
• Select “My Profile” on the top navigation
• Select “Account Settings”

On the Account Settings page, you can either opt-in or opt-out for surveys or delete your profile from Studentawards entirely.

Please note when you change your communication preferences, it may take up to 2 – 4 weeks to fully take effect.

In situations where you don’t qualify for a survey, it simply means the survey is looking for participants using strict criteria. Unfortunately, this criteria often goes beyond the information stored in your Studentawards profile, so we won’t know if you qualify without asking a few preliminary questions. This occurrence is normal, as not everyone will qualify for every survey.

In situations where the quota is full, it means that your demographic group is filled for a study. Often, studies will set limits or “quotas” on the number of participants from a particular demographic group, for example: females, aged 18-24, living in Toronto. The quota limits also help keep a balance of people from different groups so the data collected is representative of the real population.

Yes. We know that everyone will not qualify for surveys. To be fair, everyone who completes a survey will be entered into the contest draws even if the quota is filled or if you do not qualify. To be automatically entered into a draw, you must reach the confirmation page at the end. This page will indicate your survey status and confirm that you have been entered.

A few things you should know:

• If you drop out in the middle of a survey, you will not be entered into any draws. You have to reach the final confirmation page.
• Special prizing, bonuses, or rewards outside of the regular sweepstakes may only apply to those who complete the full survey.
• The more surveys you try, whether you qualify or not, the more entries you have in our monthly and quarterly survey contests.