Question

Asked to pay a fee to "process" a scholarship. Is that normal?

fatima_kNewcomer·18 September 2026·1 view

A message that many people receive: you have been selected for a scholarship abroad, and you must pay a processing fee to secure your place before a deadline a few days away. There is a letterhead and a phone number. Is this ever how a real scholarship works?

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5 replies

samuel_eze

Newcomer20 days ago

Worth asking somewhere public first, every time. Report the message too, so the next person is warned.

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ifeoma_a

Builder20 days ago

No. It is a scam. Stop replying to them. A fee to process an award, secure a slot or release a payment, asked for in a message and with a deadline, is how these work. The pressure is part of it: they want you to pay before you ask anyone. A university may charge an application fee on its own website. Nobody real asks you to pay a person to release a scholarship.

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wanjiru_k

Scout20 days ago

A way to check for yourself: find the scholarship on the official website of the university or funder, without using any link they sent. If it is not there, it does not exist.

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fatima_k

Newcomer20 days ago

Thank you. The deadline pressure is the part that makes people pay without asking.

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thabo_m

Scout20 days ago

A letterhead costs nothing to make. A phone number costs nothing. Neither is evidence of anything.

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