The University of Texas at Austin does not endorse or work with any scholarship or financial aid search services that charge a fee of any kind. If a service says UT Austin endorses or works with it, please report it to UT Austin's Office of Student Financial Services (OSFS) immediately by calling (512) 475-6282.

Chances are, if you're paying a scholarship or financial aid service, you're going to be forking over money for information that you can get for free.

See the following for scholarship and financial aid applications available at no charge:

• ApplyTexas Application for Admissions.
  - A portion of this application collects information for scholarships offered to entering UT Austin Freshmen. Be sure to complete this application by December 1, 2011 to be considered for 2012-13 Freshman scholarships.
• TexasScholarships.org web site.
  - UT Austin's Continuing & Transfer Student Scholarship Application is available from this OSFS web site in early November. Continuing and transfer students interested in 2012-13 UT Austin scholarships should complete this application by April 1, 2012.
  This web site also directs current and prospective UT Austin students to other scholarship opportunities at UT Austin, in addition to scholarships awarded by entities outside the University.
• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
  The 2012-2013 FAFSA application is available beginning January 1. The priority deadline is March 15, 2012.
• Fastweb.com web site.
  - A private scholarship search engine.

In addition, there are many scholarships available through community organizations, unions, alumni associations, and other groups intending to benefit particular populations. The best source of free information about these scholarships is your high school guidance office.

For more information on scholarship and financial aid scams, check with the Federal Trade Commission.