Yes, any funds students receive to help pay for their educational expenses need to be reported to the Office of Financial Aid.  You can do this by completing the Outside Scholarship Form.  

It depends.  If your full financial need (as determined by the FAFSA) was not met with financial aid funding, then any outside scholarship funds you receive will be placed “on top” of your current financial aid offer.  If your full financial need was met with financial aid funding, then any outside scholarship funds would replace your need-based funds in the following order:

• Federal Work Study 
• Federal Subsidized Student Loans
• Assumption Need Based Scholarships/Grants

Please note that students cannot receive funding that exceeds their cost of attendance in any given academic year.  

Scam Warning Signs: Do not use outside scholarship agencies if they require any of the following:

• You have to pay a fee
• Money-back guarantee
• Credit card/bank account information required
• Offers exclusive information

Common Scams:

• Phony Scholarship — promises cash if you pay a registration fee
• Phony Scholarship Matching Service — pay a fee and they guarantee you will win awards
• Phony Educational Loan — pay a fee and receive a low interest loan
• Phony Financial Aid Seminar — a high pressure, poorly concealed sales pitch

You can report scholarship scams to the National Fraud Information Center (NFIC) by filing a report online or calling their toll-free hotline at 800-876-7060.