Student-centric advice and objective recommendations
Higher education has never been more confusing or expensive. Our goal is to help you navigate the very big decisions related to higher ed with objective information and expert advice. Each piece of content on the site is original, based on extensive research, and reviewed by multiple editors, including a subject matter expert. This ensures that all of our content is up-to-date, useful, accurate, and thorough.
Our reviews and recommendations are based on extensive research, testing, and feedback. We may receive commission from links on our website, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted. You can find a complete list of our partners here.
Bold.org: Fighting Student Debt [In-Depth Review]
By
Will Geiger
Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.
Full BioLearn about our editorial policies
Bold.org or Bold is a scholarship platform that was founded in 2019. The premise of the Bold.org platform is simple: companies, nonprofits, and even individuals can create a custom scholarship, fellowship, or grant opportunity for students.
These opportunities can be aimed to support a variety of high-potential individuals with a broad array of interests, passions, and backgrounds. For students, this creates a pipeline of new scholarship, fellowship, and grant opportunities.
Jump ahead to:
- How does Bold.org work for students?
- What are the benefits to Bold.org?
- What are the downsides to Bold.org?
- Summary of Bold.org
- Frequently Asked Questions
Keep on reading to learn more about how you can incorporate Bold into your scholarship toolkit!
How does Bold.org work for students?
One of the best things about Bold.org is its simplicity. Students can build their personal profile to tell their story. Students will be asked about their interests, background, academic experience, and skills. Once students complete their profile, they will be able to apply to opportunities through the platform. Bold.org essentially offers students a “common application” for applying for scholarships, which can save you a ton of time.
As new scholarships are added to the Bold.org database, you will also receive recommendations that are personalized to you.
What are the benefits to Bold.org?
Bold.org offers a really easy user experience and has a modern, slick design. Most importantly, Bold offers scholarships that you will not find anywhere else. This means that all of their scholarship opportunities are unique to the site.
On top of this, Bold has created a common application for scholarships so you can apply for scholarships with your Bold profile. While some scholarships may have specific essay requirements, you can save some serious time by using your Bold profile for the rest of your application.
What are the downsides to Bold.org?
The fact that Bold.org will only match you to @Bold scholarships is a double-edged sword. On one hand, all of the scholarships are legit and vetted. On the other hand, you will not get matched to non-Bold.org scholarships. This means that the platform is a good tool in your scholarship toolkit, but should not be your only source of scholarships.
There are also many “easy scholarships” on Bold’s platform that don’t require an essay. These scholarships may require students to sign up for a service or perform some sort of an “action” (such as searching for student loan quotes). Like other easy scholarships, the competition will be stiff for these awards because the barrier to apply is so low.
Summary of Bold.org
Bold.org offers a great user experience and have lots of unique scholarships on their site. While some of these scholarships are more general “easy” and “no essay” scholarships, Bold.org also features more specific awards for students with different career interests, demographic backgrounds, and other experiences.
So yes, Bold.org is a great resource in your scholarship search, but at the end of the day, financing one’s education requires a stoked toolbox. That’s why applying for need-based financial aid through the FAFSA and applying for all the scholarships you qualify for is so important!
Frequently asked questions about Bold.org
What kind of scholarships are on the Bold platform?
Unlike some other scholarship providers, the opportunities aim to support a wide array of education levels ranging from high schools students to medical students.
Is Bold.org legit?
Bold.org actively works with all of the people and organizations that publish scholarships on their platform, so all of the scholarships are vetted. Bold.org also promises to never share your data with third-party companies or organizations. So yes, we’d say that it is legit.
