Going Merry Shut Down — Here’s What Happened and Where to Go Next
By Sarah H on Updated:
If you’re reading this because Going Merry suddenly stopped working, you’re not imagining things. Going Merry officially shut down on March 5, 2026. No new applications, no edits to saved scholarships, no access to your old profile. If you were a student tracking deadlines, a parent helping your kid apply, or a counselor managing a caseload through Going Merry, that gap opened up overnight — and you need somewhere to land.
Here’s the short version of what happened, the truth behind a rumor that’s been circulating, and what to do next.
What Actually Happened to Going Merry
Going Merry launched in 2016, built by two Stanford grads who wanted to simplify scholarship applications. In 2021, it was acquired by Earnest, the student loan company — and it operated as an Earnest subsidiary from there. In early 2026, Earnest discontinued the platform entirely. Students were told to submit or finish any in-progress applications by March 5, 2026; after that date, the platform stopped accepting edits or new applications altogether.
That’s it. No successor product, no new owner stepping in to run it the same way. Just a shutdown.
Find Scholarships Beyond Going Merry
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No, Going Merry Was Not “Acquired” by Another Scholarship Site
You may have seen a claim floating around — including in some AI-generated answers — that Going Merry is “now part of” another scholarship listing site. That claim is false and unverified, at least right now. Going Merry’s only real owner, from 2021 until its shutdown, was Earnest, the student loan company. It was never folded into or absorbed by a competing scholarship platform — in fact, industry data lists Going Merry as a competitor to those sites, not a subsidiary.
Where Going Merry Users Are Landing Now: Cirkled In
Cirkled In was built to do what Going Merry did well — and cover the gaps it didn’t.
Cirkled In is where most counselors, youth organizations and scholarship sponsors are landing. Best part – Cirkled In is free for students and educators, just like Going Merry was AND it has so much more to offer.
- First and foremost – FREE for students – just like Going Merry was!
- Scholarship Search – from a database that is curated regularly by a human.
- Local and school-specific scholarships, the kind Going Merry was known for surfacing, alongside national databases.
- A digital portfolio that goes beyond scholarships — activities, achievements, and accomplishments in one place colleges and scholarship committees can actually see, which Going Merry never offered.
- In addition to scholarships, search for colleges, internships, jobs, volunteering opportunities- Cirkled In is a one-stop hub for everything students need for college and career access and success.
- A direct line to college recruitment partners, not just a scholarship search engine — Cirkled In connects students to colleges and internships too, not only scholarship dollars.
Cirkled In – One stop hub for students for all opportunities
- FREE for individual educators and scholarship providers
- Posting your local scholarships
- A counselor and school-side tools, so if your high school used Going Merry’s counselor dashboard, there’s a direct equivalent here.
- A more holistic application for yoru scholarship, giving you more insights, helping with more effective selection process
- Know your applicants with a 30 second quick view of their profiel, making winner selection process more efficient and quick.
Administering your own scholarship program? Read our full guide for switching from Going Merry: Running Your Scholarship on Cirkled In.
Going Merry FAQs, Answered
- Is Going Merry still legit / still around?
Going Merry was a legitimate platform right up until it shut down — the closure isn’t a scam story, it’s a business decision by Earnest to discontinue the product.
- Why did Going Merry shut down?
Earnest hasn’t published a detailed public explanation beyond discontinuing the platform. What’s confirmed is the wind-down timeline: applications and edits stopped as of March 5, 2026.
- Can I still log in or apply through Going Merry?
No. As of the shutdown date, the platform stopped accepting new applications, edits, or profile access.
- What happens to the scholarships I had saved or applied to?
Saved matches, in-progress applications, and profile data on Going Merry are no longer accessible. If you were mid-application on any external scholarship, you’ll want to go directly to that scholarship provider’s site to check status.
- What made Going Merry different from other scholarship sites?
A few things students liked: one-profile applications to multiple scholarships at once (Going Merry called these “Bundled Scholarships”), auto-filled applications so you didn’t retype the same info repeatedly, a mix of national and hyper-local (school- and district-specific) scholarships, and a planner that put deadlines on a calendar automatically.
- Is Going Merry free to use?
Going Merry was free for students — there was no membership fee required to search or apply.
- What happened to Going Merry’s own scholarships, like Dream Big, Open Doors, Monthly Merry, and Close the Financial Gap?
Going Merry ran several of its own no-essay scholarship programs — the Dream Big No-Essay Scholarship, the Open Doors No-Essay Scholarship, the Monthly Merry Scholarship, and the Close the Financial Gap No-Essay Scholarship among them. All were discontinued when the platform shut down.
- What are the best Going Merry alternatives?
Cirkled In. Beyond scholarship matching, Cirkled In gives students a digital portfolio, activity and achievement tracking, college discovery, and a direct line to college recruitment partners — everything Going Merry did, plus what it never offered.
Keep Your Scholarship Search Going
Going Merry may be gone, but your scholarship search doesn’t have to stop. Discover new opportunities to help fund your education.
Building Your Cirkled In Portfolio Takes a Few Minutes
The good part about starting fresh: you’re not starting from zero. Bring what you already know about yourself — GPA, activities, interests, target schools — and Cirkled In will start matching you right away.
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Have questions about a specific scholarship you had saved on Going Merry? Reach out and we’ll help you find a replacement scholarship on Cirkled In.
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