Peterson's vs Fastweb for scholarship matching: which finds more aid?

Undergraduted is reader-supported. When you sign up with a service through our links, we may earn a referral commission at no extra cost to you — this never changes which tools we recommend. The comparison below is based on published descriptions, database figures, and user reviews, not on a scholarship audit we ran ourselves, and the features described change over time. Undergraduted is an independent comparison site, not a scholarship provider or a financial-aid advisor; nothing here is a promise of any award, aid amount, or outcome. Always verify a scholarship's terms, eligibility, and deadlines directly with the awarding organization before you apply.

If you're an undergrad trying to cut your tuition bill, the two names that come up most for scholarship matching are Peterson's Scholarship Search and Fastweb. Both are free, both pull from very large databases, and both match you to awards from a profile you fill out. So the real decision isn't "which is best" — it's "which fits how you'll actually search and follow through — and should you just use both?"

This is a research-based, head-to-head look at the two on what determines how much aid you surface: database size, match relevance, ease of use, and the friction (ads and email) that makes people quit halfway. We'll be honest about where each wins, because they win in different places.

The short version: both are free, both are big

The myth worth killing first: you do not have to pay to search for scholarships on either site. Based on Peterson's published description, its scholarship search is free to registered users; Fastweb has been free and ad-supported for decades. This is not a "free vs paid" decision — anyone telling you to pay just to find scholarships is selling you something you can get for nothing.

Affiliate disclosure: Undergraduted may earn a referral commission via Commission Junction if you sign up through our Peterson's Scholarship Search link, at no extra cost to you. That commission doesn't change our verdict — and since Fastweb isn't one of our partners, we have no financial reason to favor either tool, which is exactly why the honest answer below is "use both." This is general information for planning your college costs, not financial-aid advice, and nothing here promises any award or aid amount.

Both run on the same basic model: you create a profile (school year, field of study, state, background, activities, sometimes essays or talents), and the tool matches you to scholarships you may qualify for. Peterson's publicly describes a database of roughly 1.5 million scholarships, grants, and forgivable loans — the "$10B+ in aid" figure you'll see quoted. Fastweb is one of the largest databases and is regularly cited in a similar size class. In practice, the two overlap heavily — many of the same national scholarships appear on both — so neither holds a secret stash the other lacks.

Head-to-head: Peterson's vs Fastweb for an undergrad

The table compares the two on the dimensions that decide how much aid you'll realistically find and apply to. These reflect published descriptions and how each is generally reviewed by users — confirm current features on each site, since both update their tools and databases regularly.

Check current options: Peterson's Scholarship Search

A note on "amounts of aid": we don't quote award totals or "average aid found" numbers, because those depend entirely on your profile, your effort, and which scholarships you qualify for and submit. Treat any "students found $X" marketing as illustrative, not a promise. No matching tool guarantees you a single dollar — it surfaces opportunities; you still have to apply and win them.

Where Peterson's is the smarter pick

The strongest argument for Peterson's Scholarship Search is the experience — which, for many students, is the difference between finishing a search and abandoning it. Based on its published description, Peterson's leans on a clean, filter-driven interface: you narrow by school type, field of study, state, award type, and background, then save promising awards to a favorites list. For an undergrad who wants to control the search rather than scroll an endless feed, that filtering matters.

The second advantage is bundling. Peterson's scholarship search sits inside a broader ecosystem with its college/school finder and test-prep tools. If you're not just hunting scholarships but actively choosing where to enroll — comparing accredited online programs, weighing total cost — keeping scholarship search alongside school research is genuinely convenient.

Be clear-eyed about the limits. Peterson's database, while large, is in the same size class as Fastweb's, not dramatically bigger — so "finds more aid" isn't a fair claim for either. And because much of the value sits behind a registered profile, you'll need to fill yours out thoroughly; thin profiles get thin results on any tool.

Where Fastweb earns its place

The honest case for Fastweb is reach and track record. One of the oldest, most-used scholarship databases in the country, its matching engine is built on a detailed questionnaire capturing activities, talents, background, and interests. For a student willing to invest time in a thorough profile, that depth can surface niche, smaller awards — local, identity-based, hobby-based, or essay-driven scholarships — a quick filter search might miss. When people say a site "finds more," they usually mean it surfaced an obscure award they'd never have found alone, and Fastweb is good at that.

The catch is friction. Fastweb is ad-supported and, as widely reported by users, sends a high volume of email after you register — sponsor and college-marketing messages mixed in with scholarship alerts. That costs no money, but it costs attention, the scarce resource in any scholarship search. The common workaround: sign up with a dedicated email address so the alerts that matter don't drown in the ones that don't.

So which one finds more aid?

The honest answer: neither reliably finds "more," and the smartest applicants use both. Why:

• The databases overlap heavily. Both list the big national scholarships. The aid you find depends not on which site has a slightly larger count, but on how complete your profile is and how many applications you finish.
• "More aid" is about follow-through, not search. A tool can surface 80 matches; if you apply to three, your aid is capped by those three. The winner for you is the site that keeps you applying instead of quitting.
• They have complementary strengths. Peterson's tends to win on a tidier, filter-driven experience (good if you're also researching schools); Fastweb tends to win on granular matching and reach into niche awards (good for digging up smaller, less-obvious money).

A practical playbook for an undergrad on a budget:

1. Build a thorough profile on both, using a dedicated email so high-volume alerts don't bury deadlines — matching quality depends entirely on profile completeness.
2. Search Peterson's for structured, filterable results (and lean on its school finder if you're still choosing a program); use Fastweb to catch the niche, smaller awards its questionnaire surfaces.
3. Verify every award at the source — confirm eligibility, terms, and deadlines on the awarding organization's own site, and never pay a fee to apply for a legitimate one.

And remember that a scholarship is only one lever: pairing the free search with transfer credits and a lower-total-cost accredited program is where the real savings on a degree compound.

Where to start: Peterson's Scholarship Search — free to search, filter-driven, and bundled with school research if you're also choosing where to enroll.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Peterson's or Fastweb better for finding scholarships?

It depends on how you search. Based on published descriptions and user reviews, Peterson's tends to win on a cleaner, filter-driven experience and is convenient if you're also researching schools; Fastweb tends to win on granular, questionnaire-based matching and reach into niche awards, with the trade-off of heavier ads and email reported by users. Their databases overlap heavily, so neither reliably "finds more" aid on its own. For most undergrads the best move is to use both — they're free and surface different opportunities.

Do you have to pay to use Peterson's or Fastweb scholarship search?

No. Based on Peterson's published description, its scholarship search is free to registered users, and Fastweb has long been free and ad-supported. You should never have to pay simply to search for scholarships, and you should never pay a fee to apply for a legitimate scholarship — application fees are a common scam signal. (Some sites, including Peterson's, also sell separate paid products like test prep, but the search itself is free.)

Which scholarship site finds the most money?

There's no reliable "most money" winner, and any site claiming a guaranteed amount should be treated with skepticism. Both Peterson's and Fastweb draw from very large, heavily overlapping databases, so the aid you actually find depends far more on how complete your profile is and how many applications you finish than on which tool you picked. A matching site surfaces opportunities; it does not award money — treat "students found $X" figures as illustrative marketing, not a promise.

How do I get better scholarship matches?

Fill out your profile as completely and honestly as possible — field of study, year, state, activities, background, and interests all feed the matching, and thin profiles return thin results. Search both Peterson's and Fastweb, use a dedicated email so alerts don't bury deadlines, and prioritize smaller, niche, and local scholarships, which often have less competition than big national ones. Then finish the applications — your aid is capped by what you submit, not by what you find. Always confirm each award's eligibility and deadline on the awarding organization's own site first.

Are these scholarship-matching sites safe and legitimate?

Both Peterson's and Fastweb are established, widely used scholarship resources, and using them is free. The main thing to protect is your inbox and data: expect marketing email (especially from Fastweb, as users commonly report) and consider a dedicated signup email. As a rule, no legitimate scholarship requires a payment to apply or guarantees an award in exchange for a fee — treat any such request as a red flag. Undergraduted is an independent comparison site, not a financial-aid advisor; this is general planning information only.