10 Full Scholarships for International Students in the USA [2024]

What makes students want to go to study abroad? There can be a whole lot of reasons.

Studying abroad can open up more opportunities (there can just be a lack of such in your home country). A desire to explore new places, cultures, and meeting new people can become another factor in going abroad to get an education.

After all, nobody said that you need a strong reason to want to go to study abroad. It can simply be a dream of yours. And making it a reality would be an ultimate goal that bears numerous positive outcomes, like a great start for your career, making valuable connections, or getting into an industry you’re interested in.

Not long ago I’ve told you about scholarships for international students in Canada.

Let’s make it somewhat of a series because this time I want to talk to you about full scholarships for international students in the USA. By the way, if there’s going to be a need to write an essay to get a scholarship, make sure to check out an essay database for samples of how it’s done.

Here we go!

US federal government scholarships for international students

One thing that differs government scholarships is that they’re not university-based. So, you don’t have to take into consideration two things at once (the scholarship itself and the university that provides the scholarship).

But what about the drawbacks?

Well, there aren’t that many federal government scholarships compared to the amount provided by various universities and colleges.
But let’s check some of them out anyway.

1. Humphrey Fellowship Program

The program awards around 200 fellowships every year. It covers tuition fees, language training, maintenance allowance, book allowance, computer subsidy, air travel (to and from the U.S., and travel to program events), and sickness or accident coverage. The program aims at undergraduate students willing to strengthen their leadership skills and engage in a mutual exchange of knowledge and experience.

2. Fulbright Foreign Student Program

Each year the program awards scholarships to approximately 4,000 students. Scholarships can be awarded to non-degree students, as well as to those willing to pursue a Master’s or PhD degree. The program covers tuition expenses, textbooks, living, air travel, and health insurance.

3. DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship

This is a program for international students pursuing a PhD degree in engineering, math, computer, physical, and life sciences. It provides support for four years and has to be renewed every year. The program offers a $36,000 yearly stipend, full tuition and required fees payment, and an academic allowance.

Scholarships for international students from US colleges and universities

4. Berea College scholarship

Berea College provides full funding to all of its enrolled foreign students for the first year of enrollment. It covers costs of tuition, fees, board, and room. The college also provides paid summer jobs, so students can cover their expenses in subsequent years.

5. East Tennessee State University scholarship

This is a scholarship for international graduate and undergraduate students. It covers 50 percent of maintenance and in and out-of-state tuition fees. It requires a certain level of academic achievements (with a minimum 3.0 GPA score).

6. Illinois Wesleyan University scholarships

This university awards merit-based scholarships to international students who’ve shown outstanding academic achievements and have high test scores. Scholarships range from $10,000 to $25,000 a year. It’s also possible to renew a scholarship for up to four years.

7. New York University Wagner scholarships

International students are allowed to apply for merit scholarships offered in this university each application cycle. Offered scholarships range from $25,000 to $47,000 and can cover either partial or full tuition fee.

8. Iowa State University International Merit scholarships

The university offers a limited amount of merit scholarships to international freshmen. The selection of eligible applicants is competition based. It reviews ACT or SAT scores and takes into consideration high school grades. Speaking of the scholarship amounts, they can range from $2,000 to $10,000. Awards are also renewable.

9. University of the West scholarships

The University of the West offers scholarships to international students. To be eligible for the award, a student must show high academic achievements and demonstrate a need for the financial aid. The scholarship covers full tuition fee.

10. University of Oregon scholarships

Oregon University has a wide range of scholarships awarded to international students each year. It provides a million dollars in scholarships and financial aid to undergraduate and graduate students. For instance, there’s an annual program that awards 30-40 students on a competitive basis. Amounts of scholarships offers range from $7,500 to $30,000.

So, this is it.

I hope this list of full scholarships for international students in the USA will be useful for you and make you more confident about affording to study in the USA.

Just remember that there are always ways to make your dream come true, and there are people who care and willing to help. So, don’t let it stay just a dream.

Do you already have some experience with finding scholarships for international students in the USA? Make sure to share it with us in the comments below.

Also, stay tuned for future posts, as I’m going to tell you about some of the pros and cons of studying in the US!