I recently applied for a legitimate scholarship. It’s advertised as a $5,000 award for ten winners. However, I just received an email from an @seattlefoundation.org account saying I’ve won a $10,000 renewable scholarship. The email includes a link to a DocuSign page asking for my address, chosen university, and a letter of gratitude.
Here’s part of the email text:
‘It was a highly competitive year, and there were many impressive candidates to consider. On behalf of the Atsuhiko Tateuchi Scholarship Committee, the Seattle Foundation is pleased to confirm that you have been selected as a recipient of the Atsuhiko Tateuchi Memorial Scholarship beginning in the 2023-2024 academic year. Your award is a 4-year scholarship of $10,000 (total $40,000). CONGRATULATIONS!’
While it looks real, here are my concerns:
They didn’t include my name in the email, but it’s on the DocuSign document in a font that looks off.
The amount listed is double the advertised scholarship.
My application status still says ‘under review’ on the official scholarship platform.
Should I email the staff to confirm this or wait for a follow-up? Or does this seem like a scam and I should ignore it?
I’d recommend reaching out to your school’s financial aid office to see if they’ve heard anything about this scholarship. They might have access to a system that tracks external scholarships. Also, if you can find a phone number for the Seattle Foundation, try calling them directly to confirm the email. You can use *67 before dialing if you’re worried about privacy.
@Whitney
Wait, so schools know about the external scholarships students get? Is that because the scholarship organizations contact the school to verify attendance?
Reeve said: @Whitney
Wait, so schools know about the external scholarships students get? Is that because the scholarship organizations contact the school to verify attendance?
Yes, most of the time scholarships require official transcripts, and they might contact the school to confirm you’re enrolled.