Scholarships to Help International Students Afford U.S. Colleges

Choosing your intended major or college is a good first step to finding scholarships to study in the States.

American colleges and universities are among the best in the world, and for many students from around the globe, attending college in the U.S. would be a dream come true.  

Every year, thousands of students from nearly every continent flock to campuses across the U.S. to earn their degrees and take what they’ve learned back home. If you hail from another country and have always wanted to study in America, you don’t have to be rich to achieve your goal. 

[Learn more about studying in the U.S.]

Though it’s true that American colleges and universities are far from free, many offer generousscholarships to international students, and there are a handful of private scholarships available to students as well. Before you write it off as impossible, check out scholarship opportunities for funding your American college dream.

Have you chosen a major yet? What are your interests? It’s important to think about what you’d like to study in order to narrow your search down to institutions that have a reputable program in that field. After you’ve narrowed down your selection, go directly to the institutions' websites to search for scholarships for international students.

For example, the University of Wisconsin—Stout offers international undergraduate scholarships worth $4,000 to $6,000 per year, based on academic achievement, community service and available funding. Scholarships are also available to graduate students. 

[Check out 10 colleges that award international students the most financial aid]

Miami University—Oxford in Ohio also provides renewable merit-based scholarships for international students. Their International Education Scholarship awards range between $2,000 and $20,000 each year and are based on academic records and test scores, among other factors.

Though most of your scholarship funding will probably come from your chosen college, there are a handful of more general scholarships geared specifically toward students from around the globe.

The NextGen Scholarship Fund from Perk ​Consulting was created for international students and non-U.S. citizens to earn their postsecondary degrees in the U.S. in order to create a better life for themselves and their families.

For this scholarship, you have to choose to attend a college or university in the Washington, D.C., Maryland or Virginia area. This $1,000 scholarship is awarded in the fall, but you can begin applying on Feb. 16, so don’t delay.

[Find additional tips for earning U.S. college scholarships]

If you’re a female international student hoping to attend an American college, check out theInternational Peace Scholarship from PEO​. Established in 1949, the program provides a need-based graduate scholarship worth up to $10,000 for study in the U.S. or Canada. To apply, you must be accepted into a full-time graduate program and working toward a graduate degree in an accredited college or university.

Lastly, do your own research. Use a scholarship search tool like the one from InternationalStudent.com. Plugging in what you hope to study, the country in which you’d like to attend college and where you hail from will generate a list of scholarships available to you.

Many of the scholarships are specific to certain programs or institutions, or are only available to students from a specific country, but others are available to everyone.

Securing funds for international studies in the U.S. can seem like an overwhelming process at first glance. GoodCall’s guide hopes to diminish some anxiety by providing a breakdown key elements and options student have when going through the process.

The full guide can be found here:https://www.goodcall.com/education/paying-college-international-students/

Photo from: oied.ncsu.edu.