USA Scholarships for International Students

©iStock.com/andresrimaging The United States is home to many of the world’s top universities, but studying there is expensive, with tuition at private colleges often above US$60,000 a year. To help you, scholars4dev.com lists the top scholarships in USA for international students below, from US government programmes and US colleges and universities to institutions that fund study in the US. Each one covers at least half of tuition, and many cover all costs. USA Government Scholarships for International Students » Fulbright Foreign Student Program (USA) The Fulbright Foreign Student Program brings graduate students and young professionals from more than 160 countries to the United States for Master’s or PhD study and research. Grants generally pay for tuition, textbooks, airfare, a living stipend and health insurance. Each country’s Fulbright Commission or US Embassy runs its own competition, with deadlines usually between February and October. The scholarships cover Master’s and PhD study in a wide range of fields, depending on the priorities of each country’s programme. Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program (USA) The Humphrey Fellowship Program gives mid-career professionals from designated countries ten months of non-degree graduate study and professional development at a US university. Applicants need at least five years of full-time professional experience and apply through the Fulbright Commission or US Embassy in their country, which sets its own deadline. The fellowship pays tuition and fees, a living allowance with a settling-in allowance, accident and sickness cover, books, a computer subsidy, air travel and a professional development allowance; the 2026-27 cohort had 97 Fellows from 65 countries. The fellowships cover fields such as economic development, finance and banking, public policy and administration, technology policy, public health policy, substance abuse prevention and educational administration. US Colleges and Universities that offer Scholarships for International Students » AU Emerging Global Leader Scholarship (Washington DC) American University’s Emerging Global Leader Scholarship is for high-achieving international students who need an F-1 or J-1 visa and are committed to civic and social change in under-resourced communities at home. Two full scholarships cover all billable AU costs (tuition, room and board), and up to eight partial scholarships are worth up to US$40,000 a year, all renewable for four years. Applicants submit the Common Application and the AU EGLS application by 15 January 2027. The scholarships cover all undergraduate majors at American University, including international service, business, communication, public affairs, education, and arts and sciences. Amherst College Financial Aid (Massachusetts) Amherst College is need-blind in admission for international applicants, so asking for aid does not affect your chances, and it meets 100% of the calculated financial need of every admitted student. Aid packages are made up of scholarships and grants plus an on-campus job for the first US$1,800 of need, with no loans packaged in. Amherst offers no merit scholarships; you apply for aid with the CSS Profile (or the ISFAA if the Profile fee is a hardship) and reapply each year. The scholarships cover Bachelor’s degrees in all of Amherst’s liberal arts majors. Berea College Scholarships (Kentucky) Berea College has not charged tuition since 1892 and only admits students with strong grades and limited financial resources. Every admitted international student receives aid and scholarships covering 100% of tuition, housing, food and fees for four years; students pay a US$2,200 deposit (extra aid is available for those who cannot) and work at least 10 hours a week in the college’s Work Program. About 40 or fewer new international students are admitted each year, and the deadline is 30 November 2026. The scholarships cover Bachelor’s degrees in Berea’s liberal arts majors, including agriculture, business, computer science, education, nursing, the sciences, the humanities and the arts. Wien International Scholarship Program at Brandeis University (Massachusetts) The Wien International Scholarship Program (WISP), founded in 1958, has brought more than 890 undergraduates from 115 countries to Brandeis University. It meets the full demonstrated financial need of each recipient and is awarded to exceptional international applicants with strong academic results and extracurricular or community involvement. There is no separate application: you apply to Brandeis through the Common Application or Coalition Application, and your financial documents are reviewed with it. The scholarships cover all undergraduate majors at Brandeis, from the sciences and economics to the humanities and the arts. Clark University Presidential Scholarship (Massachusetts) Clark University’s Presidential Scholarship covers full tuition (US$62,070 in 2026-27) plus on-campus housing and meals for four years, regardless of a family’s finances. It goes to about three to five exceptional students a year, and international recipients still pay around US$12,000 to US$15,000 a year in other costs. There is no separate application: all students who apply by the admission deadline are considered, and finalists are invited to interview. The scholarships cover all undergraduate majors at Clark University. Concordia College #YouAreWelcomeHere Scholarships (Minnesota) Concordia College in Moorhead offers two renewable #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarships a year to first-year international students committed to intercultural learning, each covering at least 50% of tuition (from US$16,450, with 2026-27 tuition at US$32,900). Recipients and their families must still be able to pay about US$24,000 to US$32,000 a year, and applicants take part in a scholarship interview after admission. Concordia’s merit scholarships for international students also went up to US$19,000 a year for Fall 2026 entry. The scholarships cover all of Concordia’s undergraduate majors and fields of study. Dartmouth College Financial Aid (New Hampshire) Dartmouth College is need-blind for all applicants regardless of citizenship, so your financial situation is not considered in the admission decision. Once you are admitted, Dartmouth meets 100% of your demonstrated need and does not require loans when awarding aid. Its aid also travels with you, so students on aid pay the same net price for a term on a Dartmouth off-campus programme. The scholarships cover all of Dartmouth’s undergraduate majors in the arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences and engineering. Karsh International Scholarships at Duke University (North Carolina) The Karsh International Scholarship goes to a cohort of intellectually and civically engaged international students with demonstrated financial need at Duke University. It covers tuition, room and board, mandatory fees and any demonstrated need above those costs, plus three summers of funding for research, unpaid internships and similar opportunities. There is no separate application: you apply to Duke and request financial aid, and the Regular Decision deadline is 4 January 2027. The scholarships cover all undergraduate majors at Duke. Emory University Scholar Programs (Georgia) The Emory University Scholar Programs give partial to full merit scholarships to outstanding first-year applicants, and international students are eligible. You are considered by applying to Emory by 1 November 2026 (Early Decision I) or 15 November 2026, and around 175 to 200 finalists go through to the next round. Awards last for eight semesters, and Emory also offers need-based aid to a limited number of international students. The scholarships cover all undergraduate majors at Emory University. Illinois Wesleyan University President’s Scholarships (Illinois) Illinois Wesleyan University awards two full-tuition President’s Scholarships each year to highly qualified first-year international students, chosen for their talents, interests and academic achievements. Tuition is US$61,004 in 2026-27, but the award is not a full ride, so recipients still pay for housing, meals, health insurance, visa costs and travel. Admitted international students are also considered automatically for merit scholarships and can apply for need-based aid with the CSS Profile. The scholarships cover all of Illinois Wesleyan’s undergraduate majors. NYU Wagner Scholarships and Fellowships (New York) The NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service considers all applicants, including international students, for its merit-based scholarships, fellowships and graduate assistantships, and about 60% of enrolling students receive a scholarship. Public Service Scholarships are worth up to half of tuition, and Wagner’s named fellowships offer full tuition plus a summer internship stipend to full-time MPA and MUP applicants who apply by the Early Action deadline. The awards generally cover tuition only. The scholarships cover Wagner’s Master’s programmes in public administration, public policy, health policy and management, and urban planning. Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University (California) Knight-Hennessy Scholars is the largest fully endowed graduate fellowship in the world, with no quotas by country or field. Each scholar receives up to three years of financial support for full-time graduate study at Stanford University, along with a leadership development programme. Applicants must have earned their first bachelor’s degree no more than seven years before enrolling and must also apply to a Stanford graduate programme; the deadline for the 2027 cohort was 6 October 2026, and the application for the 2028 cohort opens in June 2027. The scholarships cover full-time Master’s, doctoral and professional degree programmes at Stanford in any field, though not every Stanford graduate programme is eligible. Applications are currently closed. ICSP Scholarships at University of Oregon (Oregon) The University of Oregon’s International Cultural Service Program (ICSP) gives new and continuing international students a partial tuition waiver covering about half of tuition, renewable each year until they complete one UO degree. In return, recipients do 66 to 80 hours of cultural service a year, giving presentations about their home country in local schools, community groups and campus events. Selection is based on financial need, academic record (a 3.5 GPA minimum), and cultural and presentation experience, and the deadline is 1 February 2027. The scholarships cover undergraduate and graduate degree programmes at the University of Oregon. Wesleyan University Freeman Asian Scholars (Connecticut) Wesleyan University’s Freeman Asian Scholarship gives around 11 incoming students a year a full scholarship covering the full cost of attendance (tuition, fees, room and board, supplies and travel home) for four years. It is open to citizens and permanent residents of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam who apply for need-based aid, and there is no separate application. Wesleyan also gives full four-year scholarships to aid applicants from any of Africa’s 54 countries through the Wesleyan African Scholars Program. The scholarships cover all undergraduate majors at Wesleyan. Institutions that fund Scholarships for Study in the USA » East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowships (Hawaii) The East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowship funds up to 24 months of Master’s or doctoral study at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa for citizens of countries in Asia and the Pacific (including Russia) and US citizens and permanent residents. It covers general graduate tuition and fees, housing in an East-West Center residence hall and a partial living stipend, and fellows can compete for field study and travel grants. You apply to both the Center and the university by 1 December 2026 for study starting in Fall 2027. The scholarships cover Master’s and doctoral programmes in any field offered at UH Mānoa, alongside the Center’s leadership and community-building programmes. Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (USA and worldwide) The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) funds mid-career professionals from developing countries who have at least three years of development-related work experience. It pays tuition, a monthly living stipend, round-trip airfare, health insurance and a travel allowance. In the US, the 2027 participating programmes are at Brandeis University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Williams College and Yale University; you must first be admitted to one of them and shortlisted by the university, then apply between 18 January and 26 February 2027 (29 March to 21 May 2027 for Stanford). The scholarships cover development-related Master’s programmes in fields such as economic policy, public policy, public health, sustainability, financial stability and international policy. Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme (USA and worldwide) The Aga Khan Foundation offers a limited number of scholarships each year to outstanding students from selected developing countries who have no other way to fund postgraduate study, which can be at reputable universities anywhere, including the US. Awards are 50% grant and 50% loan, help with tuition and living costs but not travel, and are only for students entering the first year of their programme. The next application cycle opens in early 2027, with applications handled by AKF offices in each eligible country. The scholarships cover Master’s degrees in eligible fields and the first two years of a PhD. Applications are currently closed. 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