# Page 7 | SmarterSelect Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 7 - 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 7 - Reviews of SmarterSelect ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 151-175 of 227 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Vanessa V. WE Local Senior Manager, Marketing and Events Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy as 1, 2, 3" November 2, 2018 5.0 Pros The system is very easy to understand and navigate. I love how it mixes technical with modern. Cons There are not a lot of help resources or I wasn't able to quickly find it. Review Source JK Janene K. Development Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great tool for managing a scholarship program" November 25, 2020 5.0 We've been using Smarter Select for probably 10 years and have been super happy with it. The team is always adding new features that make managing our scholarship program easier. The pricing is also competitive. Pros Getting started is easy, and customer support is quick and thorough. There are useful built-in tools for reporting and evaluation. Cons Functionality is great, but it's not always super intuitive. Fortunately, there are lots of articles, tutorials, and a question database and with a little effort, you can find the information you need. Customer service is also super responsive. Review Source HN Huda N. Programs Coordinator Fund-Raising Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "SmarterSelect" September 6, 2022 2.0 Pros I can duplicate last year's application. Cons I find SmarterSelect incredibly difficult to use. It is not user friendly and has many unnecessary features. When trying to make edits to the application, you have to click about 5 buttons to make a single edit and then do the same for the next edit. Editing takes entirely way too long with this software. Review Source TZ Tracey Z. Program Associate Accounting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "SmarterSelect saves me so much time that was wasted before!" November 16, 2017 5.0 Being able to reivew over 100 applications at one time. Streamlining the selection process so evaluators aren't over taxed by having to all review every application. Pros It's easy to review the application process, see the applications coming in and follow up with those that still need to complete their application. I can review all the applicants on one spreadsheet and make sure they are qualified before sending them out to the evaluators to make their final selection. Depending on my program needs I can customize the application and selection process as simple or complex as I like depending on what is most important to achieve. Cons It can be a little complicated to set up a new application from scratch, but once it's all set up, everything else flows smoothly. Review Source PB Pascale B. Education Services Coordinator Used the software for: 2+ years ### "have not had any issues, my experience has been good" November 28, 2017 4.0 Pros It's easy to use, customer service is fabulous, I really like that we can make changes/revisions to our application, does not require IT help Cons I know formatting has been an issue, but can't think of an example. I know some html coding so have been able to do some formatting but it's hit and miss. Maybe helpful tips on how to format with bullets, bold, italics, underlining, etc. Review Source SA Sue A. Administrative Assistant Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "SmarterSelect Scholarship Review" November 9, 2018 5.0 It has been a positive experience overall. Our first year was very successful with bringing student's to our programs. The customer service is quick and efficient. Pros 1\. It is easy for the student to apply online. 2. Not dealing with paper. 3. More students have access. Cons 1\. The initial set-up of the programs. 2. Working in small boxes on the program page or the editing page. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Executive Assistant Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Client for 5 years and am very impressed with this service" November 28, 2017 4.0 Saves me months of work every year Pros customer service all the way. My questions are answered within the hour and most times even faster. Review Source DM Doug M. Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Critical tool for our scholarship process" September 6, 2022 4.0 It's been an essential tool for our process and we're frequently discovering new applications for its use. It's ability to export in a format that our dozen's of reviewers can utilize has been appreciated. Pros Software is pretty intuitive and we've been able to onboard volunteers and staff easily. Cons I think anytime you pay an annual bill for SAS (software as service) you think about value and the wisdom of spending scarce resources. Review Source GG Grace G. Assistant Director of Education and Leadership Initiatives Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Gets the job done" September 19, 2022 4.0 Pros The evaluation of applications is a useful feature Cons Changing and updating programs and forms is not always intuitive. Assigning evaluators can be confusing and the program logic doesn't always work on the first try setting it up. Review Source MW Mrs. W. Scholarship Coordinator Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good Deal For the Price" November 2, 2018 4.0 I have been using SmarterSelect for 4 years, I would recommend their services. Pros Easy to use, love the option to create your own scholarship layout. Cons I wish it had more functions at the lower cost-point, hopefully my budget will increase in the future to purchase the upgraded software. Review Source Response from SmarterSelect November 12, 2018 Hi Jamie, Thanks so much for your review! We have enjoyed serving you over the years. Robert DG Daniel G. Director of Postsecondary Programs Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great!! Service is constantly improving for the better and it is simple to use." November 16, 2017 5.0 The ability to manage our scholarship program makes this service ideal Pros It is extremely simple to create new forms and I love the evaluation & recommendation features. It is an ideal tool for managing a scholarship program and it is priced very reasonably. Amazing value. Cons I wish it would integrate seamlessly into our data base so that there is no need to navigate in and out of platforms. Review Source JS Julie S. Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A Good Solution for Small Communit Foundation" September 12, 2022 4.0 Pros The price point and functionality are very good. Customer service is excellent and very responsive. Cons Setting up applications takes some getting used to. Reason for choosing SmarterSelect Price point aligned with our budget. Review Source MS Maritza S. Program Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for reviewers " November 13, 2018 4.0 We really like to use smarter select, its very easy to maneuver for all stakeholders involved in our process. There is always room for growth but overall we are able to accomplish what we need. Glitches that have occur during our process is what has been the biggest issue. Pros Having the opportunity to create accounts for reviewers to read online from home. Cons I think not being able to edit different receipts emails is challenging. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Associate Dean, Graduate School Higher Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Provides a good experience for applicants, reviewers, and administrators" November 16, 2017 5.0 Ability to customize applications for a broad range of programs Provides good user experience for applicants, reviewers, and administrators Pros Ease of use. Applications can be readily edited. The user is experience is usually good with interruptions in service. Review Source CS Cara S. Administrative Assistant/Office Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Smarter Select review" November 13, 2018 4.0 It has helped our online scholarship application process both with the students applying and the evaluators being able to go online and review the applicant information. This reduces paperwork and saves time. Pros I like the ease of being able to copy from one year to the next. Cons The export reports are very difficult to use, including a lot of unnecessary columns and information. Time must be spent deleting or hiding information that is redundant or not needed. A better reporting system would be great. Review Source SK Sangita K. Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Ease of use" November 13, 2018 5.0 Excellent for our review process! Pros Easy to use. User friendly. Great customer service. Cons There are not drawbacks for us based on our size and use of it. Review Source BB Bob B. Director of Member Services Sports Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Overall, great! Helps us with our programs." November 17, 2017 4.0 Ease of tracking and reporting Pros Ability to sort, organize, etc. Really like the ability to read transcripts on individual profiles without having to download. Saves a bunch of time. Cons Having to manually enter payments on 700 individual profiles. Sometimes it is challenging using the email system for support as opposed to phone. Review Source aH asra H. associate dir. of college bound Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "easy to use, reliable, simple platform" November 16, 2017 5.0 Pros Multiple applications, Evaluator mode, preview mode for transcripts, copy & recreate applications for new season, Cons Can't meta download all the attachments of participant's at once, instead of having to click each application and opening it, Evaluator mode is difficult for new users, can't delete applications, Review Source Response from SmarterSelect November 17, 2017 Hi Asra, Thanks for your review! I'll have our Support team reach out and provide info on how to bulk download attachments and how to delete apps. Robert JA Julie A. Youth & Education Program Officer Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The customer support team is awesome. They always go above and beyond to help." November 16, 2017 5.0 Pros SmarterSelect is a powerful tool. I can easily update my programs from year to year. I also like the conditional formatting feature. Cons One of the very few features I like least is that I have to have 3 different accounts in order to reivew the functionality of an application. Review Source CE Carla E. Admissions Director E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy to use!" November 2, 2018 5.0 It's easy, efficient and works great for what we need. I like the option to run reports and have them emailed when ready. Pros It's easy to use and dependable. Having reports emailed when ready. Cons For our purpose, there isn't anything that we lacked. It might be nice if somehow it was able to identify new profiles added from the last report. Review Source SS Suzanne S. Chair Scholarship Committee Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Smarter Select Review" September 12, 2022 3.0 I appreciate the support and learning seminars, but I think they need to be presented slowly and clearly….they always seem rushed. Pros Fits my need for an on line application form for Students to apply for our scholarships Cons The software is designed for sophisticated users; not particularly user friendly for report writing or abstracting data. Review Source WR Wendy R. Executive Director Philanthropy Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great way to offer applicants an easy way to apply." December 5, 2017 5.0 Ability to add/change applications as needed for different groups (scholarships or grants). Pros How it allowed us to do away with paper applications, saving money and making it easier for applicants. Cons We started at the very beginning when SmarterSelect first came out. Since then, desirable new features come with a higher price tag. Review Source JS Jenny S. Scholarship Program Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I am so glad that our scholarship applications are now online. " November 16, 2017 4.0 Pros No more paper applications . which means no more copying, sorting, and delivering hard copies to our selection committee. The scholarship selection process is much easier now. Cons We had a couple of issues with someone responding to us in a timely manner, although this issue has gotten much better. Review Source DL Dre L. Scholarship Manager Human Resources Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Over the years the service level has decreased" May 18, 2017 2.0 Pros Cost is reasonable - there is not much more here to say about this product. I'd had it for over 5 years and is just not what it used to be. Cons Lots of program glitches that consistently occur; can put time-sensitive projects behind. Sometimes the problem if ever resolved, will not be communicated to you. The reports are not easy to manipulate, large, and take forever to be emailed to you. Review Source PV Paulo V. Admin. Assoc II Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I have never had a problem" November 16, 2017 5.0 The benefits of not having hard copies, saves a lot of time, it is very easy to use. It took me a while to get familiar with it, and still have a few questions and the staff responds very quick. Pros It is so easy to update or copy for next year. Very easy to see applicants, submissions or anything i am looking for. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.