FundMyFuture vs. the Common App
The Common App gets you in.
FundMyFuture gets it paid for.
They aren't rivals — they're two halves of the same senior year. One application gets you admitted. One profile finds the money.
See your matched scholarships →Two different jobs
Admissions and funding are separate problems, months apart. Each platform owns one of them.
The Common App: getting in
One application, 1,000+ member colleges, essays and recommendations in one place. It solved the admissions paperwork problem — that's why nearly every senior uses it.
FundMyFuture: getting it paid for
One profile, matched against local, state, and national scholarships — the same promise, applied to funding. Admission letters don't pay tuition; scholarships do.
Side by side
Where each one fits in a student's four years.
| Feature | Common App | FundMyFuture |
|---|---|---|
| The job it does | One application to 1,000+ member colleges — getting admitted. | One profile matched against thousands of scholarships — getting it funded. |
| When you use it | Mostly senior fall. Each year’s application opens August 1. | All four years of high school. Scholarship deadlines run year-round. |
| Local awards | Not its focus — it’s a college application platform. | The core of the catalog: county, city, and school-restricted awards with small applicant pools. |
| Matching | You choose the colleges you apply to. | Grade, GPA, test scores, state, county, high school, and target colleges filter the list to what you’re actually eligible for. |
| Tracking | Tracks your college applications and their requirements. | Tracks scholarship deadlines, application status, and notes — plus a four-year college planner. |
| Cost | Free to use; individual colleges may charge application fees. | Free to search and match. One flat annual membership unlocks every match. |
Where FundMyFuture goes deeper
The money most families miss isn't the famous national awards — it's the local ones with a dozen applicants.
County and city awards
Most of the catalog is local or regional. Enter a ZIP code and the list narrows to awards you’re actually eligible for — better odds than any national list.
School-restricted awards
Some scholarships only students from a specific high school can win. Add your school and they unlock; without it, no directory would ever show them to you.
A four-year timeline
Deadline tracking, a grade-by-grade college planner, and test prep — so scholarship season is all four years, not a senior-spring scramble.
Matched, not searched
Grade, GPA, test scores, state, county, and target colleges filter thousands of awards down to a shortlist that fits you — with live counts as your profile sharpens.
Use them together
The plan that covers both admission and the bill.
9th–11th grade
Build the profile, win early
Set up your FundMyFuture profile, add ZIP and school, and apply to underclassman awards while deadlines are uncrowded.
Senior fall
Submit the Common App
Applications open August 1. While essays are fresh, reuse them — many scholarship applications ask for the same stories.
Senior winter–spring
Fund the acceptance
Peak scholarship season. Your matched list and deadline tracker turn the months after submission into money months.
Submitted your Common App? Now fund it.
Common questions
- Is FundMyFuture a replacement for the Common App?
- No — they do different jobs. The Common App is how you apply to college; FundMyFuture is how you find and track the scholarships that pay for it. Most families should use both.
- Does the Common App help with scholarships?
- The Common App’s core job is the college application itself, and it has offered scholarship-search integrations over the years. FundMyFuture’s only job is funding: a curated catalog that runs deep on local, county, and school-restricted awards, matched to your profile.
- When should I start using FundMyFuture?
- Before senior year. Scholarship deadlines run across all four years of high school, and many awards are open to 9th–11th graders. Starting early means more cycles of deadlines — and the built-in planner keeps each year on track.
- Why do local scholarships matter so much?
- Applicant pools. A national award can draw tens of thousands of applications; a county or school-restricted award may draw a handful. Most of FundMyFuture’s catalog is local or regional — the awards students rarely find on their own.
- Does FundMyFuture share my data with colleges or scholarship sponsors?
- No. FundMyFuture does not sell or share student information with scholarship sponsors, advertisers, or third parties. Students control their own accounts.
- How much does FundMyFuture cost?
- Searching and matching are free — no credit card needed. A membership is one flat annual fee that unlocks every matched scholarship, with a 7-day free trial.
The application is the easy half.
Build your profile in about 60 seconds and see every scholarship that matches it — local, state, and national.
Find my scholarships →Common App® is a registered trademark of The Common Application, Inc., which is not affiliated with and does not endorse FundMyFuture. References are for comparison purposes only.