Scholarship support for international students who want to study in the U.S. is limited and highly competitive. Nonetheless, here are a couple of tips and some useful resources to help you identify potential scholarship opportunities.

Plan Ahead and Start at Home

Before exploring alternative options, students should first search for scholarships and funding opportunities in their home country. Research all options thoroughly! Planning and starting ahead always helps in identifying choices that you might not have considered at the last minute.

Contact Your Chosen University

Contact the financial aid office of the university you wish to attend to request information about scholarship opportunities for international students and any application guidelines.

As an international student, you will not be eligible for a vast majority of funding opportunities intended for national students. However, in the last few years, funding options for international students seem to have grown quite rapidly. Listed below are some useful resources for international students. Good luck with your applications!

Government-funded:

• Fulbright Foreign Student Program
• Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program

Non-governmental:

• Abbey Road Summer Scholarships
• International Student Voice Magazine Margaret W. Wong Scholarship
• The NextGen Scholarship Fund
• Tortuga Backpacks Study Abroad Scholarship

University-specific:

• Iowa State University International Merit Scholarships
• Michigan State University International Scholarships
• New York University Wagner International Scholarships
• The Art Institutes Scholarship Program
• The New School Competition
• University of Arkansas International Scholarships
• University of Minnesota International Excellence Scholarships
• University of Oregon International Scholarships
• University of Wisconsin Superior Non-resident Tuition Waiver Program
• American University Emerging Global Leader Scholarship
• Brandeis University Wien International Scholarship Program
• Dartmouth University Financial Aid
• Emory University Needs-Based Scholarship Program
• Harvard University Scholarships
• Illinois State University International Awards

Asian:

• East-West Center Scholarships and Fellowships
• Japan-United States Friendship Commission

Developing countries:

• Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme
• Mandela Washington Fellowship
• MasterCard Foundation Scholarships

Female students:

• AAUW International Fellowships
• MIT-Zaragoza Women in Logistics and SCM Scholarship

Graduate students:

• Rotary Peace Fellowships

Do you have more resources to add to this list? Feel free to post your comments below.