Getdiscoverstudent com: A Comprehensive Review 2024

6 min readNov 13, 2023

Getdiscoverstudent.com is an online scholarship search and application platform designed to help students find and apply for scholarships to fund their education. With over $46 billion in scholarships available each year, getdiscoverstudent.com aims to make the scholarship search and application process easy and accessible to all students.

In this comprehensive review, we will take an in-depth look at getdiscoverstudent com, its features and usability, scholarship database and matching capabilities, application process and tips, and overall value to students and families looking to fund college costs.

Overview of Getdiscoverstudent.com

Getdiscoverstudent.com is completely free for students to use and requires just a simple registration with a name and email address to create a student profile. It was created by Discover Student Loans in 2017 as an extension of their college planning and financial aid resources.

The site functions as a scholarship search engine and matching service, as well as a centralized application platform. Students can create a profile, take a scholarship matching quiz, search and favorite scholarships, and apply directly on the site.

Getdiscoverstudent.com also offers a number of additional resources for students and families related to college planning and financial aid, including blog articles, budget calculators, college rankings, and more.

Key Features and Benefits

Scholarship Matching Quiz

Upon registration, students are prompted to take a simple 2–3 minute quiz designed to match them with relevant scholarship opportunities based on their grade level, talents, academics, family heritage, hobbies, and more. This quick quiz populates the student’s dashboard with a list of scholarship matches to explore further.

Personalized Scholarship Search

In addition to the quiz, students can utilize the site’s search feature to find scholarships by keyword, location, award amount, deadline date, and other filters. Registered students can favorite and save scholarships to apply to later.

Centralized Application Portal

Once students find scholarships they are eligible for, they can apply directly on the site by providing common application information, essays, letters of recommendation, and more. Documents and information are stored for easy access.

Application Tips and Checklist

Getdiscoverstudent.com provides tips and a checklist for students throughout the application process, including guidance on requesting letters of recommendation, writing essays and creating resumes. This helps streamline the process.

Email Reminders and Tracking

Students receive automated email reminders when scholarships they favorited have approaching deadlines. The site also allows students to easily track all applications in one place.

Mobile Responsive Site

The getdiscoverstudent.com site is mobile-friendly and optimized for smartphones and tablets, so students can search and apply from anywhere. The scholarship matching quiz is easy to complete on a mobile device.

Student Profiles

Registered students have access to a private profile that stores favorited scholarships, application materials, and application tracking. Students can easily pick back up where they left off.

Scholarship Database

Getdiscoverstudent.com provides access to an extensive database of over 5 million college scholarships worth over $46 billion. The database is frequently updated to provide the most current opportunities.

Scholarships in the database come from a variety of sources, including:

Colleges and universities (local and national)
Private foundations and organizations
Corporations and employers
Community, cultural, and religious groups
Fraternal and social organizations
Federal, state, and local government
Crowdsourced scholarships

Scholarships vary greatly in terms of award amounts, eligibility rules, locations, fields of study, and application requirements. The number of scholarships each student matches with will depend on their unique profile.

Students can easily filter and favorite the scholarships that fit their needs and eligibility. Favoriting scholarships saves them to the student’s private profile for easy access later during the application stage.

Usability and Interface

Getdiscoverstudent.com was designed to provide a user-friendly, intuitive interface for students and families researching scholarship options. Key features that enhance usability include:

Clear and Consistent Navigation

Clean headers, menus, and page organization make it easy to find key pages like the student dashboard, search filters, application tips, and account settings.

Mobile Responsiveness

The responsive mobile design ensures key features and navigation work just as well on mobile devices. This allows searching and applying on-the-go.

Private Student Profiles

Student-specific pages like favorites, application materials, and tracking are private and only accessible when logged in. This keeps sensitive information secure.

Minimal Data Entry

Student profiles only require a basic name and email to get started. Additional data entry is minimized by importing existing information where possible.

Guiding Wizards

Step-by-step wizards guide students through critical pages like the matching quiz, creating materials, and applying. This simplifies complex processes.

Concise Writing & Clean Design

Content and design is optimized for ease of use. Clear writing, ample white space, and intuitive flow improves site experience.

Applying for Scholarships

The application process can often be the most daunting part of scholarships for students. Getdiscoverstudent.com aims to simplify this process with an integrated application platform. Here’s an overview of key features that help streamline the application process:

Unified Application Profile

Students complete a common application profile with basic personal, academic, and financial information. This is auto-populated into individual scholarship applications.

Document Upload & Storage

Essays, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and other files can be uploaded and stored in the student’s profile for easy access. These can be reused for multiple applications.

Essay Preview & Editing

Students write essays directly on the site so they can be easily reviewed, edited, and improved before submitting. Essay requirements and length are displayed.

Track Status & Completion

A dashboard allows students to track application completion, submission status, and notification dates. Automated reminders are also sent via email.

Recommendation Requests

Students can request recommendations and share details about the scholarhsip and submission process right from their profile. Recommenders can easily upload letters.

Application Checklists

Step-by-step application checklists are provided for each scholarship to help students gather materials and monitor progress.

By centralizing components of the application process and providing helpful guidance, getdiscoverstudent.com aims to make the application experience organized and efficient. This increases the chances of submitting complete, quality applications.

Tips for Success Using Getdiscoverstudent.com

Here are some helpful expert tips for students and families looking to maximize their success using getdiscoverstudent.com:

Spend time on the initial matching quiz — the algorithm will find more relevant scholarships tailored to you if your quiz answers are thorough.
Update your student profile as your activities, accomplishments, academics change. This will generate new scholarship matches.
Use the filters and search to find local and niche scholarships that match your interests and background. Large national scholarships are highly competitive.
Read the eligibility rules carefully and contact the scholarship provider if you have any questions about requirements or documentation.
Don’t wait until the last minute! Give yourself plenty of time to request letters of recommendation, obtain transcripts, write quality essays, and gather all required application materials.
Ask a teacher, guidance counselor, or family member to proofread your application materials before submitting. A second set of eyes can help spot errors.
Be detailed when tracking status and dates in your student profile. This will help you stay organized and remember to submit components on time.
Make applying for scholarships a habit! The more you apply, the better your chances of earning awards to fund your education.

Pros and Cons of Getdiscoverstudent.com

Pros

Completely free for students to use with no premium upgrades or fees
Large and up-to-date scholarship database with highly relevant matches
Simple, fast matching quiz to identify scholarships tailored to each student
Mobile accessible from anywhere — great for on-the-go searching
Unified application center streamlines submitting to multiple scholarships
Helpful application guidance and resources provided on site
Easy application tracking and reminders keep students organized

Cons

Primarily focused on U.S. based scholarships, so less relevant for international students
Lack of personal outreach and guidance that a guidance counselor could provide
Students need to take initiative to fully utilize the tools and actively apply
Application process still requires effort and time commitment from students
Large number of applicants for high award scholarships increases competition

Conclusion

For students looking to take control of their scholarship search and funding options, getdiscoverstudent.com provides a free, easy-to-use platform to maximize opportunities. The ability to match with relevant scholarships, organize favorites, streamline applications, and track progress in one online profile makes getdiscoverstudent.com a valuable resource.