ScholarshipsScholarship scams: spotting a fake offer, checking it, and what to do if you have paid
Application fees charged by a third party, a "guaranteed scholarship", contact via WhatsApp, fake sites with similar names: the signs of a fake scholarship, official warnings from Campus France, Chevening, the Mastercard Foundation or Erasmus+, and the steps if you have paid.
Founder · Compatri, the social network for diasporas
Information checked on 2 November 2026.
Scholarship scams almost all rest on the same request: pay someone to get a scholarship. Yet the major programmes say it themselves. Chevening: "applying for a Chevening Scholarship is free", and it does not work with any third party that charges for application support. The Mastercard Foundation: it "never solicits funding" and never requests payment from individuals. Erasmus+: the programme "doesn't require an application fee". This guide shows the signs of a fake offer, how to check a scholarship in ten minutes, and what to do if you have already paid.
What the organisations themselves say
The warnings exist, but they are scattered. Here they are in one place, with each source linked at the end of the article.
| Organisation | What it officially says |
|---|---|
| Campus France Mali | Individuals or structures offer scholarships using the name "Campus France Mali"; it is a scam, and the office offers no scholarships (updated 23 January 2026) |
| Campus France Côte d'Ivoire | No agency is accredited by Campus France; paying an intermediary does not improve your chances of pre-registration or a visa; only the Facebook page with the blue badge is official |
| Chevening | Applying is free; no partnership with third parties that charge for application support |
| Mastercard Foundation | Never a payment request to individuals; you apply through a partner university; if it charges application fees, they are reimbursed to the selected candidate |
| Erasmus+ (EU Delegation to Canada, 2021) | Fake Erasmus+ scholarships circulate online with supposed registration fees; the programme does not require any; you apply through your university |
| Commonwealth Scholarship Commission | No documents accepted by email or post, everything goes through the official application system; report fraud to fraud@cscuk.org.uk |
| DAAD | Contact with applicants goes through the DAAD portal's messaging system, with an email saying a message is waiting |
This table does not mean every expense is suspicious. Some fees are real: the fees of the Études en France procedure, paid to the Campus France office in your country (see Campus France fees by country), or some universities' application fees. The rule is simple: a legitimate fee is paid to the institution itself, by the means shown on its official site, never to a person presenting themselves as an intermediary.
The signs of a fake scholarship offer
| Sign | Why it is suspicious |
|---|---|
| "Application", "processing" or "release" fees requested by a third party | The programmes above charge no one; the US Federal Trade Commission lists such fees among the signs of a scam |
| A "guaranteed scholarship" or "refunded if refused" | No serious programme guarantees the outcome: at Mastercard, even admission to a partner university does not guarantee the scholarship |
| "You have been selected" for a scholarship you never applied for | The FTC lists this message among scam signs |
| Contact happens on WhatsApp, Telegram or Messenger | Organisations use their portal and official address; the DAAD, for example, writes through its portal's messaging |
| A site with a similar name (hyphen, extra letter, other extension) | Campus France Mali reports offers that borrow its name |
| A request for card number, code or bank access "to verify eligibility" | The FTC points out that this data is used to debit your account |
| Time pressure: "only 24 hours left", "last places" | A real scholarship has a public calendar on its site |
| The promise of a "secured" visa or admission | Campus France Côte d'Ivoire: paying an intermediary improves neither pre-registration nor the visa |
A single one of these signs is enough to stop and check.
Fake sites with similar names
Scammers copy the logo, colours and sometimes the text of an official page. They change one detail of the address. Before entering anything, compare the address shown with the programme's official domain:
| Programme | Official domain |
|---|---|
| Campus France | campusfrance.org, and the country subdomains (mali.campusfrance.org, ivoire.campusfrance.org...) |
| Chevening | chevening.org |
| DAAD | daad.de |
| Mastercard Foundation | mastercardfdn.org |
| Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (UK) | cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk |
Type the address yourself or use a search engine, but do not follow the link in a message. A page asking for payment by money transfer to a person, with no invoice in the institution's name, is never the page of a public programme.
Checking a scholarship in ten minutes
To compare real programmes, see our guide to fully funded scholarships for African students.
What to do if you have already paid
Act quickly, in this order:
If you sent a copy of your passport or diploma, bear it in mind: these documents can be used for other fraud. Finally, beware of anyone who promises to recover your money for a fee: it is often the same scam, a second time.
After a refusal, the lure of intermediaries
Scams target vulnerable moments. After a Campus France refusal or a scholarship you did not get, offers of a "guaranteed solution" multiply. Our article Campus France refusal: what to do lists the real options for the next intake. Remember what Campus France Côte d'Ivoire says: no agency is accredited, and paying an intermediary changes nothing about your chances. The full procedure is in our complete Campus France guide.
What Compatri does, and does not do
Compatri awards no scholarships, submits no scholarship application on your behalf and never asks for money to access a scholarship. Its scholarship directory (in French) checks each programme against the official site and links to it; scholarship alerts (in French) tell you about confirmed dates, free of charge.
Compatri also offers Campus France coaching (in French), a paid service whose price is given at the first exchange. It is advice on your file: it guarantees neither admission, nor a visa, nor a scholarship. Be wary of anyone, us included, who would promise you otherwise.
Before replying to an offer that seems too good, ask people who have been through it: your country's community on Compatri, or a volunteer diaspora mentor. To prepare a real application, start with the scholarship motivation letter.
Official sources
- Campus France Mali: beware of scholarship scams
- Campus France Côte d'Ivoire: Campus France campaign 2025-2026
- Campus France: France Excellence Eiffel programme
- Chevening: application criteria
- Mastercard Foundation: frequently asked questions
- Mastercard Foundation: Scholars Program
- Delegation of the European Union to Canada: Erasmus+ scam alert
- Commonwealth Scholarship Commission: frequently asked questions
- Commonwealth Scholarship Commission: contact and fraud reporting
- DAAD: information for scholarship applicants
- Federal Trade Commission: how to avoid scholarship scams
- Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr: what to do about a fraudulent offer
Frequently asked questions
Can a scholarship ask for an application fee?
Major programmes charge nothing to apply: Chevening states that applying is free, Erasmus+ that it requires no fee, the Mastercard Foundation that it never requests payment from individuals. A university may charge an admission application fee, paid to it alone by the means shown on its site. Fees requested by a person or intermediary are a sign of a scam.
How can you tell if a scholarship offer is a scam?
Look up the programme on its funder's official site, check the application channel and dates, and compare the site's address with the official domain. Warning signs: fees requested by a third party, a guaranteed award, selection for a scholarship you never applied for, contact via WhatsApp, requests for bank details, time pressure. One is enough to stop.
I paid for a fake scholarship: what should I do?
Stop all contact and pay nothing more, keep messages, numbers and receipts, alert your bank or transfer provider, file a police complaint, and report the impersonation to the organisation whose name was used. In France, Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr points to PHAROS and to Info Escroqueries on 0 805 805 817. Beware of anyone promising to recover your money for a fee.
Does Campus France give scholarships?
A Campus France office does not award scholarships itself: Campus France Mali makes this clear in its warning against people offering scholarships in its name. French government scholarships such as Eiffel have their own channel: for Eiffel, only French institutions submit applications. No one can sell you a place in that channel.
Can an agency guarantee a scholarship or a student visa?
No. Campus France Côte d'Ivoire states that no agency is accredited by Campus France and that paying an intermediary does not improve the chances of pre-registration or a visa. As for scholarships, no serious programme guarantees the outcome: at Mastercard, even admission to a partner university does not guarantee the scholarship.