Scholarship Search with Fastweb
Everybody wants to go to college for free and, at Fastweb, we’re in the business of helping students achieve that dream through offering a simplified college scholarship search. From the start, our goal has been to eliminate the “search” from the scholarship search, allowing us to find scholarships that match the qualifications and interests of each student that we serve. Ultimately, we save our students time, match them to college scholarships that they may not have otherwise found and keep them organized throughout the whole process.
For over 29 years, we have worked to help students discover scholarships that are targeted to their strengths, interests and skills. We also assist students in discovering the right college for their budget, making tough financial aid decisions and finding internship opportunities that will help them bridge the divide between college and post-graduate life. Finally, we give students the option to pay for college with part-time jobs by offering part time job search and advice.
Our commitment to helping students find, choose and pay for college with college scholarships has been the bedrock of our business, but we’ve grown to be so much more. Today, we are the premier online resource for paying and preparing for college. However, we don’t just excel at this; we created the online scholarship search world.
Our History
Fastweb was the very first college scholarship search website ever. It was founded on May 22, 1995, by Internet pioneer, Larry Organ, a businessman and entrepreneur who is credited for creating a number of companies. He believed that students should be able to find college scholarships without having to pay for a service. On its very first day, Fastweb helped 270 students find college scholarships.
Fastweb stands for Financial Aid Search Through the Web; and in 1999, it began incorporating financial aid advice for users as well. Organ teamed up with financial aid expert, Mark Kantrowitz, who had started his award-winning and nationally recognized site, FinAid.org, in 1994.
Together, they became the model for helping students find college scholarships for free and for equipping users with the know-how to navigate the world of financial aid. At that time, Fastweb provided a comprehensive approach to helping students pay for school through a variety of resources, like scholarships, grants, fellowships, student loans and work study. In 2001, Fastweb was sold to Monster Worldwide, a global online employment solution for job search for seekers and employers alike; and in 2009, Kantrowitz became the official publisher of the site.
Under the umbrella of the Monster family, Fastweb has grown to provide expert financial aid advice, internship and part time job search as a way for students to pay for college, and college search and application resources. We have also teamed up with our sister site, Military.com, to provide scholarship, college and financial aid advice to active military, veterans and their family members.
Organ’s original idea was to provide a free website that would enable students to find college scholarships, and we have stayed true to his original idea. Today, we serve more than 9 million active members.
How Fastweb Works Today
Fastweb has a database of 1.5 million college scholarships worth over $3.4 billion that our members have access to by creating a free profile. Students can fill out a quick questionnaire that covers things like their contact information, schools of interest and potential majors. We use this information to match them to college scholarships for which they qualify.
Once a student becomes a member on Fastweb, they can update their profile with further details, like extracurricular activities, current and past places of employment and their parents’ information. By telling us more, they are better able to narrow down their list of college scholarships to their specific skills, talents and achievements – or qualify for more opportunities.
What sets Fastweb apart from other college scholarship search sites is our team of researchers. Every scholarship in our database has been researched and vetted by a team of real people. They work to ensure that our database is free of scholarship scams, that scholarship information is up-to-date and that new scholarships are added daily.
With a frequently updated Fastweb profile and through the hard work of the research team, students are able to view a list of college scholarships that is tailored to their achievements and interests as well as complete with legitimate, high-quality opportunities each time they log in.
In addition to our scholarship search, we help students find relevant internships and part time jobs. Fastweb members are actually matched to internships when they create a free profile, and they can also tap into Monster’s vast job search network in order to find part time jobs right here on Fastweb.
Meet the Editors
Shawna Newman
Shawna Newman is the Managing Editor and a writer at Fastweb. She has over 10 years of experience in higher education. Her direct work with college admissions teams, financial aid officers, college deans, and degree program coordinators at the University of Central Missouri supports her professional insight.
As a first-generation college graduate and a parent of a high school student herself, Shawna values tools like Fastweb. Whether it’s to learn a trade or earn a college degree, she believes students should have easy access to financial resources to attain their goals without the burden of student loan debt.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations from UCM. In her free time, she enjoys planting flowers, cheering for the Kansas City Chiefs and visiting national parks with her family. Shawna calls Kansas City, Missouri, home.
Kathryn Knight Randolph
Kathryn Knight Randolph is the Associate Content Editor at Fastweb. She has 17 years of higher education experience, working first as an Admissions Officer at DePauw University before joining Fastweb. In both roles, she has helped students and their families navigate the college application and financial aid processes.
Since joining the Fastweb team in 2008, Kathryn has been working to stay well-informed of college application trends, financial aid changes, and shifts in student life culture. She knows first-hand how stressful it can be to search, choose, and pay for college, and is passionate about helping students and their families make decisions easily and successfully.
Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Writing from DePauw. When she’s not contributing to Fastweb, Kathryn is chauffeuring her three kids to various activities, volunteering at church and school, and planning her next trip. She lives in Indianapolis.
Student Contributors
Fastweb doesn’t just help students find college scholarships, we give them a voice. Each year, we seek both high school and college students to contribute to Fastweb’s content in order to provide a student perspective on the college application, financial aid and college scholarship search processes.
These students range in age from high school juniors to college seniors, and they span the entire country geographically. They cover everything from the importance of extracurricular activities to best procrastinating activities around finals time. By sharing their experiences, our Student Contributors help to shape the realities of the high school and college experience for our members, providing a sense of community as well as inspiration to try new things and push harder to meet their post-graduate goals.
We Exist to Serve Students: Apply for Scholarships Now
At Fastweb, our goal is simple: to help as many students as possible prepare and pay for school with college scholarships. Let us simplify the college scholarship search for you too.
