How we verify scholarship details

Every scholarship on ScholarHarbor links to the provider's own page. Every detail we show comes from that page or from official pages it links to, such as the eligibility rules or a country list. We don't copy other scholarship websites, and we don't fill gaps with guesses: if the official page doesn't say something, we write "Not stated".

Each award page shows when we last checked it, for example "Checked against the official page on 30 Oct 2026".

How often we check

• An automatic checker visits every award's official page every two days.
• From 30 days before a deadline until a week after it, it checks every day, so extensions and last-minute changes are picked up.
• If a page can't be opened, it tries again within six hours, then less often while the problem lasts.

How details are read

1. Page readers for regular layouts. Some universities publish every award in the same layout, such as the University of Sydney, ANU, the University of Queensland and Cambridge. For these, a reader built for that layout picks out each field directly. No AI is involved.
2. AI with a word-for-word check. For other pages, an AI model reads the page and must copy the exact sentence each detail comes from. We publish a detail only if that sentence is found word for word on the official page. A date must be written out in the sentence itself, and each study level must be named in it. If a detail fails the check, the award isn't updated and goes to an editor instead.
3. Editors. Some awards are confirmed by hand: an editor reads the official page and checks each detail against its exact wording. On every later visit, the checker compares the page with the version the editor read. If nothing has changed, the editor's details stand; if it has changed, the award is read again. A few websites block automated visits altogether; there, an editor's check counts for 30 days.

What the line on each award means

When a page disappears

If the official page answers "not found" on two checks at least 20 hours apart, we mark the award Official page removed. It stays on the site so saved links still work, but it's left out of your matches and we ask search engines not to show it. A page that is only slow, or that blocks automated visits, never counts as removed. If the page comes back, the award returns and is checked again.

Deadlines and closed rounds

• We show the deadline the official page gives, in the provider's time zone where it's stated. If no closing time is published, the countdown runs to the end of that day, and we remind you to check the exact cut-off.
• We say Open for applications only when the official page says applications are open, and only for a few days after that check unless it's confirmed again. A future deadline on its own doesn't prove a round is open.
• When a deadline passes, the award stays listed as closed so you can plan for the next round. We don't guess the next date; it appears once the provider publishes it.

Nationality and country lists

When a scholarship is only for certain countries, we use the programme's own country list and show the date we checked it. Our Scholarships for students from… pages list an award under a country only when its official list names that country. An award counts as open to any nationality only when its official wording is addressed to international students or to any nationality.

What we can't promise

We're an independent directory, not the scholarship provider. Rules, amounts and dates can change between our checks, and some conditions only appear in course pages or documents we don't read. Always confirm the details on the official page before you apply.

Spotted a mistake?

Email hello@scholarharbor.org with the award's link and what looks wrong. We'll check it against the official page and correct the record if we got it wrong.