Ask any busy high school student and they will tell you that one of the hardest parts of applying to colleges and scholarships is keeping up with all the detail. For scholarships, the details can be particularly important in determining your eligibility, protecting your personal information, and ensuring your time has been well spent.
Enter the most prolific lie told in the Internet age: “I have read and agree to the terms and conditions.”
Sure, every scholarship comes with rules, and they’re usually pretty standard: info about scholarship eligibility, deadlines, selection criteria, publicity, etc. That’s actually a good thing! It suggests an organization that is clear and equitable about its selection standards.
But sometimes the terms and conditions reveal major red flags. Take this example from our most recent scholarship search (the bolding is ours for emphasis):
OWNERSHIP: By submitting an Application, you acknowledge and agree that: (a) [***] will own your Application, including your written response submission and any images that you link to in your application, and (b) as between you and [****], [****] will own all publishing rights in and to the Application and the written response submission. Each Applicant hereby irrevocably grants, transfers, sells, assigns and conveys to [****], its successors and assigns, all present and future right, title and interest of every kind and nature whatsoever, including, without limitation, all copyrights, and all rights incidental, subsidiary, ancillary or allied thereto (including, without limitation, all derivative rights) in and to the Application and the written response submission(s) and linked images for exploitation throughout the universe, in perpetuity, by means of any and all media and devices whether now known or hereafter devised (the “Rights”). [****] shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to edit, composite, morph, scan, duplicate, or alter, the Application and written response submission(s) for any purpose which [****] deems necessary or desirable, and each Applicant irrevocably waives any and all so-called moral rights they may have in the Application and written response submission(s) submitted by him or her. Each Applicant hereby acknowledges that such Applicant does not reserve any rights in and to the Application and the written response submissions.
These might be some of the most insane terms we’ve ever seen. By entering, you give them free rein to alter your work however they want, forever and always, and you waive your “so-called moral rights”…for a $500 scholarship? NOPE! Run.
But wait, it gets better….err, worse (again, bolding is ours for emphasis):
IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ – GENERAL RELEASE AND LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY: By entering the Scholarship Program, each Applicant acknowledges and agrees that [****], its related companies, affiliates, and each such company’s respective employees, officers, directors and agents are not responsible for any costs, injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising from or in connection with: (i) incomplete, lost, late, misdirected or illegible entries or for failure to receive Applications due to any cause, including without limitation human, transmission, or technical problems, failures, or malfunctions of any kind, whether originating with sender, or otherwise, that may limit an Applicant’s ability to participate in the Scholarship Program; or (ii) any injury or damage resulting, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from participation in the Scholarship Program and/or the use of any Scholarship Award, including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to, loss or destruction of property, or any claims, costs, injuries, losses, or damages related to or based on the Applicant’s rights of publicity or privacy, or the Applicant’s claim that he or she has somehow been defamed or portrayed in a false light. [****] assumes no responsibility for any damage to an Applicant’s computer system which is occasioned by accessing the Website or participating in the Scholarship Program, or for any computer system, phone line, hardware, software or program malfunctions, or other errors, failures, delayed computer transmissions or network connections that are human or technical in nature, or for the incorrect or inaccurate capture of information, or the failure to capture any information. This scholarship program is subject to all U.S. federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited.
Look, we understand a company wanting to protect itself from any and all possible liability, but when your gut instinct tells you that the terms of use seem sketchy, consider whether the opportunity is worth pursuing. We should also note that although we have redacted this organization’s name, we aren’t calling them scammers. We would, however, never recommend scholarships with terms like these to our students.
Take the time. Read the scholarship rules and conditions. Know what you’re agreeing to before diving in.