Upasana Gupta - April 3, 2013
Scholarships for International Students
List of Sources for Funding College Education in the U.S.
Searching for scholarships to study at an American college or university can be very challenging especially for students living on the other side of the globe. Just plainly searching for 'International Scholarships for U.S.' in search engines return with million of results, which can get very confusing for students. Here, I have complied a list of few excellent resources that can help international students in receiving financial assistance to go to college within the United States.(Visit our financial aid for more information.)
The Ministry of Education or relevant government agency in their country to inquire about international study scholarships or financial aid;
The U.S. embassy in their home country;
The nearest EducationUSA advising center for assistance in finding sources of financial support within their own country. EducationUSA is a network of hundreds of advising centers in 170 countries, where millions of international students each year find information about how to apply to accredited U.S. colleges and universities;
Businesses, foundations, and religious organizations in their home country that might have funds available to help pay for university in America. For example, the King Faisal Foundation has an international student scholarship program for Muslim students to undertake postgraduate studies at any U.S. university. Again, many organizations especially multinational companies offer scholarship opportunities to students willing to work for them for a stipulated time period.
2. Scholarship Sites: Students should look for scholarship information and opportunities in resourceful sites like - InternationalStudent.com: an online portal focused on students looking to study abroad. The site provides comprehensive information and advice on selecting a school within the U.S., the college application process, financing college education and tips for living as a student within the country.
International Financial Aid and College Scholarship Search: has an online financial aid database for students globally and detail listing of grants, scholarships, loan programs, and other information to assist college and university students in their pursuit to study abroad.
InternationalScholarships.com: an online financial aid resource and directory for international students wishing to study in a foreign country.
Grant Space FAQ: an online resource devoted to foundations that fund individuals.
3. Aid from International Organizations: Some international organizations offer funding for graduate students to study in the U.S. These include the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS), AMIDEAST, the International Maritime Organization, the International Telecommunications Union, the League of Red Cross Societies, the Soros Foundation, the World Health Organization, and the World Council of Churches. These awards are extremely competitive.
4. U.S. Universities: Generally, there is more aid for graduate study in the United States than undergraduate work, but some schools do offer financial aid for undergraduate international students. InternationalStudent.com has compiled a list of colleges and universities that do. There are now six U.S. schools (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Dartmouth College and Amherst College) that basically admit students regardless of their ability to pay college tuition. In addition, international students are eligible for private international student loans to study in the United States—as long as they attend an approved school and have a U.S. citizen or permanent resident cosign for them.
(Look-up our listing for graduate and undergraduate U.S. schools.)
Applying for scholarships can be a pain. But the likelihood of getting financial aid increases when students tap the right sources and take out time to find scholarships that could potentially save them thousands of dollars on college tuition.