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.

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.

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, it 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.

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.

• Scholarship matching, without the login friction Going Merry required just to see what you qualify for.
• A real dashboard for tracking deadlines and applications, not just a static list.
• 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.
• Counselor and school-side tools, so if your high school used Going Merry’s counselor dashboard, there’s a direct equivalent here.
• 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.

Building Your Profile 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.

[Apply Now →]

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.