# Page 6 | SmarterSelect Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 6 - Is SmarterSelect the right Scholarship Management solution for you? Explore 227 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/140270/SmarterSelect/reviews --- SmarterSelect 4.4 (227) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/140270/SmarterSelect/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Page 6 - Reviews of SmarterSelect ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 126-150 of 227 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use CR Christy R. Youth Advisor Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "It's Fine" September 12, 2022 4.0 I have appreciated using Smarter Select for over five years and have had few issues with them. Thanks. Pros I use this for scholarship management and for tracking applicants for membership for a youth program I advise. It is easy to check on the progress and to assist recommenders with their portion of the application if they are having issues. Cons I see no point in using the Evaluation. It is not relevant nor helpful. Review Source SD Sue D. Director of Finance Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Very happy with SmarterSelect " November 2, 2018 5.0 SmarterSelect has allowed us to easily move from paper applications to a robust on-line process. It's a great value! Pros There's a lot of flexibility with this software. The providers continue to offer updates that add useful functionality improvements. If you need help, there's a great on-line resource as well as really quick responses from the helpdesk. Our users - both applicants and evaluators - comment about the ease of using this product. Cons When I'm updating a lot of application forms, it can get a bit cumbersome navigating back and forth from various lists. Review Source JM Jenna M. Director of Collegiate Services Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Sigma Kappa Sorority" September 2, 2016 5.0 Anytime we've had questions or issues the SmarterSelect staff is quick to resolve our issues. If it can't be immediately resolved they offer great creative solutions and will often create solutions for us! The customer service is so wonderful! Review Source KV Kari V. VP, Member and Field Relations Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Smarter Select is a Great Product for Grant and Scholarship Management" April 12, 2019 4.0 Pros We have a lot of different grant and scholarship programs and Smarter Select works well with all of them. It is easy to facilitate external judging and to send messages to applicants with reminders. Cons The design process took a bit for us to get used to as it wasn't all intuitive. However, once we got used to how to save pages and sections and go through the flow, it was easy. Review Source MP Mary P. President Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The past two years we've had issues with the software. " November 16, 2017 3.0 The software cuts down on a lot of paperwork and allows us to process more applications. Pros Customer service has been very supportive. We've had a lot of issues but they seem to have addressed them on a timely basis. Cons Lots of glitches that we've come across. Things such as not totaling up scores. The biggest issue is students not being able to submit. And the other huge issue I've come across is I'll have an applicant contact me saying they completed the application, submitted it but it never showed up as submitted. So these applicants were overlooked for our scholarships. Review Source MR Marilyn R. Project Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best in the Business - Scholar Select" December 8, 2016 5.0 Scholar Select is a very user friendly system that is easy to use for the administrators and applicants. It's saves time to use a program with a one-stop shop. Pros Easy to use for administrators and applicants Cons N/A Review Source AR Angela R. Scholarship and Foundation Ambassador Coordinator Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The overall experience has been very positive. " November 29, 2017 5.0 Pros Not having to deal with any paper copies, that evaluators can view from anywhere, getting emailed updates when an application has been submitted, being able to track emails to applicants, customer service is amazing, being able to copy applications from year to year and being able to view applicant information in Excel. Cons That it doesn't automatically send a reminder to applicants with pending or incomplete applications and not be able to easily set up an application to have recommenders download their letters. Review Source LM Lori M. Communications Manager Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "User Friendly compared to other similar services" September 6, 2022 5.0 Very positive, and has allowed us to streamline our application process! Pros Setting up and editing programs are fairly easy. And seems to be easy for our applicants as well. Cons When I customize my Applications view, it doesn't "stick" - I have to re-customize it every single time I go back to it. Also, I don't find the export/print functionality to be user-friendly. Reason for choosing SmarterSelect Ease of use, cost Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Academic Advisor, College of Engineering Honors Program Higher Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Excellent features, if you need them" November 9, 2018 5.0 Pros Ability to edit program, assign evaluators, attach documents Cons Cost is high considering our small applicant population Review Source MH Marcia H. executive assistant Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Grant Option" September 6, 2022 5.0 Overall, grant making has been easier and faster. Pros Smarter Select was an easy transition; more digitized and easy to navigate through different steps. Cons No cons yet for our organization, as everything is going as expected. Review Source NP Nadine P. Development Coordinator Museums and Institutions Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Not user friendly" September 19, 2022 2.0 Pros I can't say I liked too much. It is not user friendly to our staff or the applicants that were filling it out for an awards ceremony we do once a year. Cons There was not enough training. Staff that was here when we originally started using the program are no longer here. I was told they only do one training session, had to beg for another. Customer service was very good because I had no idea how to do reports. Review Source PM Penny M. Communications & Events Coordinator Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Review on SmarterSelect" September 6, 2022 4.0 Pros I like the ability to change the student's status as we go through the process of our selection. Cons \- the email portion, I would like it to have more features - I would like to be able to remove old reviewers - I would like to be able to switch from administrator to evaluator without logging back in - I wish the selection tool was more advanced when sifting through a long list of students Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Talent Management Coordinator Mining & Metals Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Simple, Reliable, Nothing more, Nothing less" November 16, 2017 5.0 Affordable reliable solution. Pros I can create exactly what I want and have the ability to change it as I see fit. Every application that I have created has always functioned at 100% and the applicants have found it very easy to use. Cons I would like to be able to speak with a live person at times. The customer service via email has been very responsive, but at times I find communication can get a bit muddled. Review Source Stephanie R. Executive Assistant, Board and Fellow Manager Environmental Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "New User" November 2, 2018 5.0 The capabilities to create applications and evaluations are invaluable for our business. The process in learning to build them is a tough one to manage and learn. Pros I appreciate all of the functionality of the software Cons I'm not impressed that it's not intuitive to use and requires a great deal of understanding in order to build forms. Review Source Response from SmarterSelect November 14, 2018 Hi Stephanie, Many thanks for your feedback! We've got some ideas for form building improvements in the future. Regards, Robert JI James I. Director of educational programs Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Making applications so easy!" November 28, 2017 5.0 Pros Applications are easy to make, and even more easy is setting them up for the next year. The evaluation process is even easier, making it not a chore to setup reviewers and have them rate the applications. One of the better points is the texting features rolled out in the past few years. I can easily notify applicants of their status. Cons Having some of the places you have to click to access parts of the form is tedious, but once you know where to go it isn't so bad. Review Source MPP Mary Pat P. Scholarship Administrator Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Tenneco Review" September 6, 2022 5.0 Customer Service is great and responds quickly. Pros Very easy to use. Easy set up. Reports are also very easy to generate. Cons None that Tenneco could find at this time. Review Source KK Kristen K. Data Entry Coordinator Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Amazing product!" November 2, 2018 5.0 Pros All of the features, updates, and ease of use. Cons Not having clickable link option within description. Review Source Response from SmarterSelect November 12, 2018 Hi Kristen, Many thanks for your awesome review. Having a clickable link/URL in the program description has been in development and will be released VERY soon! Stay tuned for more details! Robert VR Verified Reviewer Manager, Student Engagement Accounting Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "SmarterSelect review" November 30, 2018 5.0 Pros Such a great platform for any sort of scholarship or selection type of program. Very easy to set up your application and review process, very easy to track applicants/applications, very easy for users to submit applications and the best part for me is it's very easy for reviewers to evaluate the applications. Cons There are no cons, a great product at a great price. Review Source DH Diana H. Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Scholarship Application management software" September 15, 2022 5.0 Pros SmarterSelect helped us streamline our scholarship application process saving time and money! Cons I can't think of any cons about this software. It serves all of our needs. Review Source AH Ashley H. Program Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Smarter Select Review" December 4, 2018 4.0 We are using Smarter Select for Scholarship Applications. It is a great system for this which stores all the applications and information for us until we are ready to process them. We have also branched out a little more this last year to use this software to collect the Scholarship Acceptance Forms, too. Very easy to print them (when necessary) and collect all the information we need to process the scholarship checks! Pros The ease of copying a program to use again next year (with a few date changes, etc.) This is a great benefit and saves the user a lot of time! Cons Sometimes it is difficult to find exactly where to change the wording on a section or page. I have to fumble through this every time but I eventually find the right section to click on to change the information. Review Source MT Monica T. Program Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Lots of Features Which Can Cause Confusion " November 2, 2018 4.0 Using SmarterSelect has allow us to go from paper student applications to fairly easy online process. Pros Student applications are easily filled out and evaluator's can view applications and use scoring system. The feature to download information from students was extremely helpful. Cons I would like to have the program be more user friendly. Trying to get my evaluators set up from year to year has posed a problem. I end up having to use a new email for them to get them back on the evaluators list. Review Source RM Raquel M. Founder Fund-Raising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy to use" September 24, 2019 5.0 My overall experience has been great with SmarterSelect. Pros It was extremely user friendly and easy to use for anyone at any level of skill in technology. I have no complaints. Cons Again I have no complaints and would only recommend this product for anyone that is looking for easy to use technology. Review Source DP David P. Administrator Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Perfect for Lions Club Scholarship" September 15, 2022 4.0 Fine Pros All on line for a statewide group of applicants and Scholarship reviewers Cons Sometimes confusing interface - many windows open Reason for choosing SmarterSelect Price - referral by other Review Source KT Kristin T. Development Administrator|Scholarship Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Scholarship Provider" September 7, 2016 5.0 We reached out to SmarterSelect a couple of years ago to help rebuild our online scholarship application. Their customer service is top notch and we've received very positive feedback from both applicants and school counselors. The application is incredibly easy to use, navigate, and edit. Review Source WB Warren B. Director of Teacher Leadership Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Frequent Crashes" October 24, 2019 2.0 Pros Fairly intuitive to use and it is easy to make changes. Cons Frequently crashes when traffic gets too high, like at deadlines. When it does, customer service goes nearly silent. 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