{"id":4447,"date":"2026-07-17T06:37:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cirkledin.com\/library\/?p=4447"},"modified":"2026-07-17T06:42:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:42:55","slug":"going-merry-shut-down-heres-what-happened-and-where-to-go-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cirkledin.com\/library\/scholarships-and-financial-aid\/going-merry-shut-down-heres-what-happened-and-where-to-go-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Going Merry Shut Down \u2014 Here’s What Happened and Where to Go Next"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.<\/strong> 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 \u2014 and you need somewhere to land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s the short version of what happened, the truth behind a rumor that’s been circulating, and what to do next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Going<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What Actually Happened to Going Merry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s it. No successor product, no new owner stepping in to run it the same way. Just a shutdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, Going Merry Was Not “Acquired” by Another Scholarship Site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may have seen a claim floating around \u2014 including in some AI-generated answers \u2014 that Going Merry is “now part of” another scholarship listing site. That claim is false and unverified, at least right now.<\/strong> 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 \u2014 in fact, industry data lists Going Merry as a competitor to those sites, not a subsidiary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going Merry FAQs, Answered<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Is Going Merry still legit \/ still around?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going Merry was a legitimate platform right up until it shut down \u2014 the closure isn’t a scam story, it’s a business decision by Earnest to discontinue the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did Going Merry shut down?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I still log in or apply through Going Merry?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No. As of the shutdown date, the platform stopped accepting new applications, edits, or profile access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the scholarships I had saved or applied to?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What made Going Merry different from other scholarship sites?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Going Merry free to use?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going Merry was free for students \u2014 there was no membership fee required to search or apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happened to Going Merry’s own scholarships, like Dream Big, Open Doors, Monthly Merry, and Close the Financial Gap?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going Merry ran several of its own no-essay scholarship programs \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the best Going Merry alternatives?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2014 everything Going Merry did, plus what it never offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Going Merry Users Are Landing Now: Cirkled In<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cirkled In was built to do what Going Merry did well \u2014 and cover the gaps it didn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n